VooDoo Brewing Company Is Opening In West Chester. Why Should You Pay Attention?

Written By: The Gnarly Gnome
Photography By: The Gnarly Gnome

West Chester is getting its newest taproom VERY soon – and what sort of beer blogger would I be if I didn’t share it with you? I know that I’ve been a little critical in the past about what have been called “invasive species” taprooms – but I think that there is something different about VooDoo, or more accurately, there is the potential for there to be something very different about VooDoo.

NOTE: VooDoo was scheduled to open on 6/15 but has postponed their Grand Opening – I’ll update you as soon as I get more details!

UPDATE 2: They have a new date for their grand opening. 6/27/24

Before we get too deep into it, though, I bet you’re asking a basic question. Who the heck is VooDoo Brewing Company?

A Short, Incomplete History Of VooDoo Brewing Company

It all starts over in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The original VooDoo brewing location was founded in 2005 and started making beer in 2006. It didn’t come fast and easy, though. The brewery was on the verge of going out of business in 2010 when they brought in a new head brewer, Curt Rachocki.

It was an act of saving grace when Curt came on board that VooDoo’s founder and owner at the time, Matt Allyn, was open and honest about the state of the business and the danger that they were in. In a stroke of pure luck (or fate) Curt strongly believed that he knew someone who could turn things around – his brother Matteo Rachocki.

By the time 2016 rolled around, the brewery had now expanded to two locations. The original founder was on his way out, and they were now an employee-owned business through their ESOP. The foundation was laid out to start turning things into an entirely different type of business.

Things really started getting interesting for VooDoo once they started opening up multiple locations. It became obvious to ownership that while, yes… each location brought in the colors, the branding, the beer that made VooDoo popular up to that point – there was something a little bit different about each location. There will distinctive aspects that needed to be understood and incorporated from each area that they were in. The model took a new twist, and they opened up their first franchise in 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The franchise arm of VooDoo is currently run by a whole different group these days – and at this point it’s a machine, very different than what it used to look like. More efficient, stronger, and well tested.

What To Expect With The New West Chester Location

The thing about any new place that opens up in Cincinnati is that they’re never going to be their “full selves” when they open their doors. It takes time, customers, and a little bit of evolution and change to get things to settle into what they are really meant to look like.

The danger that we, as beer geeks, have is that we’re a little impatient. I hope that we can resist the urge to make our decisions right off the starting line – let the space breathe, let it develop and let it become who it will become.

It’s incredibly exciting that West Chester is now home to DogBerry, Grainworks, a Sonder Taproom and a VooDoo taproom. I hope that no one loses sight of how great things are for us right now as beer drinkers!