Descending into the the Catacombs at Bube's Brewery feels like you're stepping into the pages of "The Cask of Amontillado."

An 18th-century wine rack hangs near the rear staircase, cobwebs collecting inside the crevasses where bottles once slept. Chilled air creeps up from below, wrapping itself around any exposed skin, and as you step off the staircase and touch the bedrock floor, you're surrounded by century-old lager barrels and candlelight.

Rest assured Fortunato will not be waiting for you at the bottom of the steps, but you might find an Edgar Allan Poe-themed dinner service.

"We get people to come from everywhere just because if they want to dine in an underground 19th-century lager brewery cellar, there really is nowhere else they're going to do that. This is it. We got the corner on that market," said Sam Allen, owner of Bube's Brewery.

Allen and two partners purchased Bube's when he was 23. Two years ago, he took over as the sole owner of the brewery and surrounding properties. And while the 60-year-old Allen admits "the last 38 years we've been doing things to survive," he has a newfound urgency to help preserve the building's history and reignite an interest in all service facets at Bube's Brewery.

The brewery, which dates back to 1861, is the only "lager-era" brewery still in existence, according to Allen. The connecting hotel was built in 1879, originally as a residence for Alois Bube. "The brewmaster always lived at the brewery in the early days," Allen said. "It was kind of expected of a German brewer to live at the brewery."

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More than just a brewpub

The sheer size of the place can be overwhelming. As soon as you enter through the wooden doors at Bube's, you're met with a series of choices.

To the right is the Bottling Works – the restaurant's main bar and home to evening entertainment such as karaoke, trivia and a local rendition of Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

To the left is the Cooper Shed – a secluded dining space on the second floor, surrounded by a mini-museum of historic artifacts.

Downstairs is the Catacombs – a fine dining space below the entire building, in the cellar where 2,000-gallon barrels once used for holding Alois Bube's lager now act as backdrops for intimate table settings.

Upstairs is the Victorian hotel – home to the local thespian-hosted murder mystery dinners at the Alois, two ballrooms and some sensually themed guest rooms.

And therein lies the beauty of Bube's. It is a massive maze, hoarding troves of history between every nook, cranny and pint of beer. With each, step you're lost – either in a vortex of curiosity and awe or you've stumbled into the wrong dining room.

"We want to make the story of why this is here and why it came about," said Allen. "We have a responsibility to tell the story while some of the stuff is still easy to find. In our case, it is just lying around us."

What's changing

Allen said the goal is to completely revamp the menus at all four restaurants in the brewery. He plans to redefine how the team implements specialty dinners, events and guest services. And he wants to make a significant shift toward the preservation and curation of the historical artifacts scattered throughout the property.

"As soon as I walked in, it was the atmosphere," said executive chef Corinna Killian. "You're working with people who have a background in theater, in music and the arts. And that, personally, that's me outside of work. All of that kind of made me fall in love with the place."

It was that ambiance of both the building and the staff that lured Killian away from the Belvedere Inn in Lancaster in pursuit of a new challenge at Bube's.

"Over the next three months you're going to see this place completely flip," said Killian, who is one of three new hires over the last six months for Bube's. She is joined by culinary manager Alex Brown and new director of operations Dustin Wilcox.

Both Killian and Brown will unveil revamped seasonal menus in March. Killian will oversee operations at the hotel and the Catacombs. Brown will manage the culinary staff at the Bottling Works, Biergarten and Cooper Shed. In addition, Killian is working on a "chef's table" dinner menu service on top of the brewery's regularly scheduled events. And Brown plans to implement outdoor cooking events such as a pig roast and clam bake in the Biergarten once the weather breaks.

"We want to be creative. We don't want to be like every other fine dining place or brewery. We are something completely different," said Wilcox.

The managerial team will also reconstruct package accommodations and amenities at the hotel. The Victorian hotel has one grand suite and eight specialty rooms, each outfitted under a specific theme – from "Asian temple" and "dark princess" to, well, let's just say if you're staying at the hotel it is best to leave the children at home.

Allen is also renovating the former Frank House across the street – the "malt baron mansion," as he calls it, referring to former proprietor Philip Frank's illustrious malt business. Guests will have a choice between two suites, each with a full bath, living room and kitchen space, similar to an Air BnB. The suites have a flat rate of $200 per night, the hotel rooms are $100 per night.

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In addition to the new culinary menus and lodging, Allen is working with graduate students from Millersville University to redesign the Copper Shed into a museum space. With hundreds of artifacts still in storage, Allen believes it is time to curate his hoard of history before it goes to waste.

"We want to make it into a national destination, and it deserves to be that," Allen said.

If you go

Bube's Brewery is at 102 N. Market Street in Mount Joy. Winter hours of operation are 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Friday through Sunday.

Neil Strebig is the food & drink reporter for the York Daily Record. Follow him on Twitter @neilStrebig or contact him at nstrebig@ydr.com.