YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – Operators of Penguin City Beer in Youngstown say they survived the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain issues and other problems. Now, their work really begins.

Wednesday morning, Valley Congressman Bill Johnson took a tour of the brewery and warehouse on East Federal Street.

As work continues to renovate the old Republic Steel building, operators landed a contract with a major distributor back in January to market their beers outside the Mahoning Valley.

“Now, it’s on. It’s the race to get into the whole state of Ohio, into more counties in Pennsylvania, into West Virginia. We wanna go into Kentucky, Indiana. I mean, we could just keep going and going. But yes, that means more work,” said Aspasia Lyras-Bernacki with Penguin City Beer.

Johnson told the owners that he and his staff will work with them to help obtain future grants and low-interest loans to continue their renovation of the brewery.