Breaker Brewing Co – Tap/Tasting Room & New Beer UPDATE!

Just in case you missed the announcement on yesterday’s WILK Friday BeerBuzz…  Not only are they working on some new beers like Coal Cracker, Susquehanna Suds, Extra Goldies and Phoebe Snow…the guys tell me they are aiming to have the new tap/tasting room at the new facility on Northampton St in Wilkes-Barre Twp. OPEN by the end of the year….Very exciting news so stay tuned for details & Updates!

AND don’t forget to visit the Teach a Friend to brew Day to be held Nov 5th from 10AM-4PM @ Breaker Brewing to take a peek at their new facility for yourself!

Breaker Brewing Co–Coal Cracker & Susquehanna Suds

I’m a big fan of our very own Breaker Brewing Co…and it’s always fun to see what Mark Lehman & Chris Miller are up to…and today we have a little surprise….keg-only label approvals for Coal Cracker & Susquehanna Suds!  Stay tuned for details on these two new beers!

Breaker Brewing Co–Let the Fun (and work) Begin!

I had a chance to stop up and visit Mark Lehman and Chris Miller from Breaker Brewing Company today at their new location in Wilkes-Barre Twp.  There are a few hurdles yet to cross, but I’m excited to report the new property has amazing potential and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

If you haven’t been following along, Mark & Chris purchased the former St Josephs Monastery location on Northampton St in Wilkes-Barre Twp. in early June.  The property includes two buildings…a huge brick structure that used to be the school building and an even larger sprawling building that used to house the monastery and church facilities.  The property also includes a little over 2.5 acres of land, three entrances and several parking lots that will easily accommodate over 75 cars.

We toured every inch of the facility today, and it is not only huge, but the possibilities are endless.  The former school building (shown above with Chris & Mark and at right with the Breaker Brewing delivery truck), will house the brewing operations.  Several former classrooms on the 1st and 2nd floors will be converted for the actual working brewery portion of the operation.

As you can see in the photo at left, there is much work to be done to convert a former school building into brewing space, but again the potential is amazing.  There certainly will be no shortage of usable space and storage areas once it’s all sorted out and the layout is perfect for brewing.

If things progress as planned, a small portion of the 2nd building will likely house a brewpub and sampling/growler room.  The most likely location for this is the room shown at right, and I can say the space is perfect for a brewpub.  Wide open spaces and great light will make for a great location to enjoy a Breaker Brewing beer.

As I mentioned above there are still a few hurdles to cross and a considerable amount of cleanup and work to be done, but I can’t tell you how amazed I was at the amount of space Mark & Chris have to work with.  I can also say that I’m not going way out on a limb when I say that Breaker Brewing’s new location will quickly become a beer-lovers destination once it is all built out.

As the guys move forward, I’ll be sure to visit again (and again, and again) to keep you all informed of their progress.  This is a wonderful thing for craft beer lovers in NEPA and I can’t wait to see it all come together.  Cheers to Mark & Chris and all of the Breaker Brewing Family members for starting this new and exciting venture.

WILK Friday Beer Buzz–The Video (10 June 2011 Breaker Brewing 5-Whistle)

WILK Friday BeerBuzz–10 June 2011 (Breaker Brewing Co 5 Whistle Wheat)

I’m a firm believer that if you love what you do, that love comes out in the product.  I’m also a firm believer that if you work hard AND lover what you do, success will follow.  On today’s show we brought you an example of both.

Chris Miller and Mark Lehman, brewmasters for Breaker Brewing Co not only have a love for brewing great craft beer, but they are two of the hardest working young men I know…and I can personally attest that their love comes out in the beer, and their work ethic has continued leading them to success.

Today we sampled their 5-Whistle Wheat.  This is a brand new beer from Mark & Chris and the color, flavor and 4.9% ABV drinkability are wonderful.  See for yourself and be sure to sample for yourself.  This beer is bound to be a summertime favorite.

I was also excited to break the news today about the Breaker Brewing Co  purchase of the former St Josephs Monastery on Northampton St in Wilkes-Barre . It was fun to talk to Mark & Chris about their future plans for the property and I can’t wait to watch it develop.  You can catch up on the story here, here or here…but as always be sure to stay tuned to mybeerbuzz.com and breakerbrewingcompany.com for the latest details…

Thanks

to  Mark, Chris, Nancy, John, Joe, and Bosco for yet another fun Friday. 

The Friday BeerBuzz…bringing good beers and good people together. 

As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday BeerBuzz page by clicking HERE

Breaker Brewing–5 Whistle Wheat NEW!

 
I’m excited to report that our pals Chris & Mark @ Breaker Brewing Co have a new beer coming soon called 5 Whistle Wheat.  This looks like a great easy-drinking summer wheat beer and the guys tell me they are doing the first sampling of the brew tonight, so stay tuned for this keg release coming soon.

Breaker Brewing Co Receives Zoning Variance Approval from Wilkes-Barre Twp

Sorry for the late night cell-phone remote post, but I did want to post out the results of the Breaker Brewing Wilkes-Barre Twp zoning variance hearing live from the hearing itself.  As I said, the Wilkes-Barre Twp zoning board Approved the requested variance with two conditions.  1) A traffic plan must be created to make the various narrow entrances one-way, and 2) the brewing building windows on one side must be shaded, darkened or covered to minimize the amount of light.  Beyond that the variance was approved.

This is a significant hurdle for Breaker Brewing Co, and we will follow along as they work to cross the next hurdles to finalize the purchase of the building.  There are still some obstacles, but so far so good.

Support Your Local Brewery NOW!

All too often people ask me, “other than buying their beer, how CAN I support my local brewery?”  Well today I’m here to say I have an answer.

Our local brewery, Breaker Brewing Co is working to expand their business by purchasing the former St Josephs Monastery property on Northampton St in Georgetown.  Check out the story here.  This is a great opportunity, not only for Breaker Brewing, but also for the local community…but there are hurdles.

On Tuesday March 8th at 7PM, Breaker Brewing Co has a public zoning hearing in the Wilkes-Barre Township Municipal building at 150 Watson St. (MAP/Directions)  Personally, I think it would be wonderful for our local craft beer community to see Mark & Chris expand their business.  I also think Breaker Brewing would be a real benefit for the local community and I’d love to see two local family-oriented guys expand their business in Wilkes-Barre Twp.

This zoning hearing IS open to the public and I DO think we, the local craft beer community, should show our support for Mark & Chris.  Do you want to see a craft brewery in Wilkes-Barre Twp?  Then show up Tuesday night, March 8th @ 7PM and Support Your Local Brewery !!!

Breaker Brewing Co–Reaching to NEW Heights!

We’ve all followed along as our local hometown brewery Breaker Brewing Co has grown over the last few years…and I’m excited to report that Mark & Chris are reaching for new heights.    On March 8th, the guys will have a zoning hearing to approve their purchase of the former St Joseph’s Monastery on Northampton St in Georgetown.  Personally I’ve been really excited to watch a locally-owned and family-oriented small brewery take the next step to expand beyond their garage-brewery in Plains PA.  I’ve been even more excited to see two local guys, with a great sense for their locally community make the move to expand their business and reach for new heights.  Check out what Berwick Brewing Co has done for their local community in Berwick, and I think you’ll see a small portion of what the guys have in mind.

For those asking the questions, Breaker Brewing Co is a small family-owned local business looking for more space to expand.  Their plans do include moving their garage-based brewery into a small portion of the St Josephs property, in fact the classroom space currently available will be much larger than their current brewery.  I’m also excited to not only report that their plans include a small tasting room and growler fill area, but that their plans may eventually include a tap room.  It’s also important to note that Mark & Chris are members of our local community, and sensitive to the concerns of their local neighbors.  Breaker Brewing Co is a small community-oriented, family-owned local business.  This is not a late-night bar with flashy signs, in fact the guys are talking about very conservative hours and very respectful local craft-beer patrons.  This is not a business serving anything but locally brewed craft beer, and also a business interested in using some of the space initially as an art gallery for local artists and artisans.

I’m VERY happy to report that even with the pending zoning approvals, Breaker Brewing Company intends to remain small and join in with the local community.  I can personally attest to the fact that even with the expansion of brewing, fermenting, bottling and cooling spaces that are planned, when the doors are closed, brewing is actually a quiet and unrecognizable venture.

As a craft beer lover and member of our local community myself, I’m tremendously hopefully for this potential expansion of Breaker Brewing Co.  Not only do I enjoy the beers Mark & Chris brew, but more importantly, I love to see two local guys, with a tremendous sense of local community, expand a small family-oriented business into our local real estate.

I know I’ll be tuning on on March 8th, and of course you’ll hear the news here first.  Congratulations to Mark, Chris and their families on taking the next step toward moving Breaker Brewing Co. to new heights