I’m a craft beer king of gal…and in lieu of missing the Electric City Craft Brew Fest this past weekend at Montage Mountain, I wanted to highlight the local beer scene that we have right in our backyards.
Many of our breweries have evolved over the course of the last couple of years, and have improved drastically, whether their quality has improved or they have grown into a gastropub or have extended into offering tastings at their breweries; they have all changed for the better.
Below are the locations of the breweries (alphabetically) in bold and then the name of the brewery with a description of what they offer and what they usually have available on tap…and of course some suggestions on what to try!
Carbondale– 3 Guy’s and a Beer’d Brewing Company
http://www.3guysandabeerd.com/
3 Guy’s and a Beer’d Brewing Company started off as a brewery that only distributed, to then selling growlers at their brewery in a small business incubator warehouse in an industrial park, to a tap room with a full kitchen. The guys (Dave, Jon, Matt) and the beer’d (Johnny) of 3 Guy’s and a Beer’d Brewing Company are spunky and down to earth—they want to brew good beer, entertain their customers, and provide their customers with good, comforting, homemade food (made by Matt). The guys brew 4 year round brews: Wheat the People (an American Hefeweizen), Carbond’Alien (a Pale Ale), Shaving Cream Ale (a Cream Ale), and Chewhoppa IPA (a India Pale Ale). In addition to their main stays, they brew 5 seasonal beers and a line of experimental beer called the 3 Guy’s and a Beer’d Clean Shaven Series.
My classic favorite 3 Guy’s and a Beer’d beer is the Loyalty Shaving Cream Ale (their collaborative beer with The Loyalty Babershop), and for their seasonal, I fancy their Endless Summer Beer-Extra Special Bitter. I recommend getting a tasting flight and one of their charcuteries boards featuring local cheeses from Calkin’s Creamery from Honesdale. Definitely go and get your beer’d on!
Dallas– North Slope Brewing Company
http://northslopebrewing.com/
North Slope Brewing Company is a gastropub located in “the back mountain” that serves gourmet pub fare using locally sourced ingredients and serves their handcrafted, small batch brews. Their beer is made on the same premise and their holding tanks and mash tanks can be seen while drinking at the bar. North Slope crafts high quality beer and creates delicious meals made with very fresh ingredients. They even advertise where they get some of their ingredients from—the beef and pork comes from Millers Orchards Farm (in Scott Township, PA), the hydroponic lettuce is sourced from Rowland’s Farms (in Falls, PA), their honey is produced from The Beekeeper’s Daughter (in Dallas, PA), and all of their bread is picked up daily from the Bakehouse Bakery (in Kingston, PA).
In my expert, craft beer loving opinion, I’d get a flight to sample their diverse beers (and cider), and go for brunch. They have Electric City Coffee Company’s coffee on Nitro, and who doesn’t love coffee and a beer on a Saturday afternoon? I have had their French Toast Chicken Sandwich (toasted Bakehouse bread, ham, sliced chicken, and Swiss cheese battered in an egg wash and grilled, and served with real maple syrup)…I’m getting hungry just describing it…and their Basil Eggs Benedict (house cured Canadian Bacon from Miller’s Orchard, farm raised poached eggs, and topped with a basil hollandaise served on flaky biscuits). When you go, let me know…I might join you. I’ve NEVER been disappointed by their beer or food.
Honesdale– Irving Cliff Brewery
http://irvingcliffbrewery.com
Irving Cliff Brewery is named after Washington Irving, the American short story writer (who famously wrote Sleepy Hollow), and as an ode to the original Irving Cliff Brewery, which opened in the mid-1850s and closed about 1914, a few years before Prohibition. The brewery/ brew pub are both situated in a large old building that has been renovated into a brew pub with restaurant seating, bar seating, a full kitchen, and a large space for their brewing supplies/holding tanks. In addition to the rustic flair the brew pub fosters, it’s also located next to The Stourbridge Line giving the brewery an inimitable location. Irving Cliff’s staff is very knowledge of the history of where the brewery name comes from and the history of the surrounding town.
Irving Cliff’s brews also promote the area—“Stourbridge Lion Ale” (a hoppy ale), “Maple City Lager” (an American-style Lager), “Dyberry Creek IPA” (an India Pale Ale), “Indian Orchard Cider” (a seasonal cider), “High Gravity Railroad” (a Strong-American Brown Ale), and “Honesdale Pale Ale” (an American Pale Ale). My favorite beer (and because I love Sleepy Hollow) is their seasonal Ichabod’s Lost Pumpkin Ale. Irving Cliff has delectable food, amazing beers, and has a warm enchanting ambiance. Go get a beer and a history lesson, and end your day with a charcuterie board (with local cheese also from Calkin’s Creamery).
Montrose– Endless Brewing
www.endlessbrewing.com
Endless Brewing is owned and operated by a couple of artistic, fun loving souls, who are passionate about brewing good craft beer—Jon Winans & Morgan Kelly. Endless Brewing is located between Scranton, PA and Binghamton, NY…in Montrose, PA. Their tap room is in a “tiny house” like structure that features beautiful abstract art and a little bar for tasting their brews. They sell growlers to go—and have a quaint seating area outside their tap room adjacent to their parking lot. There is not a lot to do near the tap room itself, but with a short drive (merely 5 minutes), you could visit Salt Springs State Park or just take a walk to take in the foliage and fresh air.
Endless Brewing has a ton of brews available, but the Bombshell Blonde IPA is OUT OF THIS WORLD!
Moosic– Marzoni’s Brewing Company
http://www.marzonis.com
To be perfectly honest with you, I don’t like to even acknowledge Marzoni’s as a brewery let alone a “local restaurant.” But since the Electric City Craft Brew Fest considered it a local brewery, then I guess I have to recognize that it is…although it screams commercial and the décor is reminiscent of a Applebee’s or a Friday’s. Nonetheless, they’re beer is okay, but it’s not produced on site, and their food I heard is good, but it’s not locally or regionally sourced (or at least the waiters and waitresses I’ve encountered don’t know and the menu doesn’t mention it). I am biased…so try it yourself, but in my opinion, you should support the small, more local companies who are passionate about craft beer.
Nanticoke– Benny Brew Company
http://bennybrewing.com/
Benny Brew Company was created by Ben Schonfeld in 2010 in a storage room connected to his family’s restaurant Marty’s Blue Room (which serves Cajun eats inspired by Southern Louisiana cooking), which supplies 4 taps at Marty’s Blue Room, since then, Ben has been working on building a full production microbrewery with a restaurant; however it’s still in the process of being developed. So as of now, to try Benny’s 3 mainstay brews (Amber Lager, Pale Ale, and Hopenstein) and some of his special releases (that are inspired by social and cultural trends and food pairings), and his seasonal beers stop by Marty’s Blue Room.
Though Benny’s Brews are very good and delightfully handcrafted, I have only been there once. I had a flight and a mean Cajun fish dish they had on special. The restaurant is very small, but cozy, and was run by welcoming and knowledgably staff. I highly recommend making reservations…cheers!
Pittston– Susquehanna Brewing Company
www.sbcbeer.com
Susquehanna Brewing Company (SBC) is dedicated to making and serving “the most sought after craft beers in Pennsylvania,” as per the SBC ‘our story’ webpage. SBC comes from a family of craft brewer’s and has a history of crafting the perfect sessionable beer in PA—SBC stems from the Stegmaier family. SBC’s brewery is comprised of the most up to date brewing equipment from BrauKon (a German company);BrauKon is a state of the art company that constructs the most energy saving brewing systems that help breweries produce high quality, fresh beer. With that being said, SBC brews 4 flagship beers that are fresh and consistently good: 6th Generation Stock Ale, Goldencold Lager, Pils-Noir, and HopFive IPA. They also brew some delicious seasonal beers; Shady Spot Lemon Shandy, So Wheat, and the Tobogaan Chocolate Doppelbock are my favorite seasonal brews.
I highly suggest visiting the SBC brewery and their tap room on a Saturday or Sunday. They have a great tour available on Saturdays (for free), and various (local and regional) food trucks visit the tap room on the weekends. The tour of the brewery is detailed and is perfect for craft beer lovers who want to know about the ins and outs of brewing good and consistent beer.
Alas on a side note, it’s a fun fact to know that SBC brews and bottles beer for Southampton Publick House and SØLE Artisan Ales.
Pittston– SØLE Artisan Ales
www.soleales.com
SØLE Artisan Ales is a gypsy brewery…Joe Percoco the mastermind behind the “Good Good” brews (…see what I did there?) brews his beers and collarborative beers at other breweries. He predominately brews and bottles/cans his beers locally at the Susquehanna Brewing Company. Joe Percoco just started brewing his own beers less than a year ago, but has a lot of brewing experience. He was the head brewer for Funk Brewing Company, and worked at large scale production breweries to learn about the dos and don’ts of brewing beer—according to the SØLE website Joe learned about “equipment, techniques, and recipes from esteemed regional breweries including Weyerbacher, Allentown Brew Works, and Shipyard Brewing Company.” Currently, SØLE Artisan Ales has produced 5 esteeming beers—Good Good (Double Indian Pale Ale), Juicebox (Indian Pale Ale), Artistry & Alchemy (an Imperial Maple Strout), Green Life (an India Pale Ale), Clink! (Pale Ale). I am a big fan of the Good Good, but be careful while drinking it…it ‘s sessionable, but has an ABV of an 8%.
Tunkhannock– Nimble Hill Brewing Company
www.nimblehillbrewingcompany.com
Nimble Hill Brewing Company is one of my favorite local beer companies. I love their quaint little tasting room (or otherwise known as their Growler Den) which is conjoined to their winery. Nimble Hill creates beers that have a consistent taste and often powerful aromas. For a small fee, you can taste all the beers that Nimble Hill has to offer in their “Growler Den,” and as that name depicts, you can buy growlers and 750ml bottles while visiting.
Nimble Hill brews 5 main stay beers: Nim Wit (a Belgian White Ale), Flinke Hugel (a Lager), Midnight Flinke (Black & Tan), Midnight Fuggle (a Porter), Cluster Fuggle ( a Pale Ale), and Hop Bottom ( an India Pale Ale). They also brew limited beers and seasonal releases, as well as a series called the Mysteria Series. I am a big fan of their Cluster Fuggle and their seasonal harvest/pumpkin beer called Jack Be Nimble.
Wilkes Barre– Breaker Brewing Company
www.breakerbrewingcompany.com
Breaker Brewing Company (BBC) was built on the foundation that beer should be good and flavorful. Mark and Chris the proprietors, both have an appreciation for good, respectable beer, so they were inspired to create and share handcrafted reputable beer with their community. BBC first began brewing and selling beer commercially in 2009 and then constructed a tasting room in 2013 at the former St. Joseph’s Monastery and School, and then transformed into a full brew pub in 2014 with a constant flow of authentic beer coming from 8/9 taps. BBC has shown such fame in the local community that they are in the process of upgrading their brewing system and expanding their old school house—the old school house now serves their tasty ever-changing taps at 2 bars and has opened an outdoor beer garden. BBC has a few key beers, but is known to always serve new and creative brews—so be sure to check out their website or Facebook to look for their daily taps.
Breaker is one of my favorite local breweries. I love the atmosphere of their brewpub and their beers. BBC’s brewpub is adorned in old photos of the Wyoming Valley and surrounding areas…specifically in relation to the area’s heritage of coal mining, hence the name ‘breaker.’ As for their beer, I enjoy their traditional pale ale, Lunch Pail Ale, and their go to IPA, I Love IPA, however I also enjoy their Patchtown Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter, their Olde King Coal Coconut Stout, their Minefire Blackberry Jalapeno Ale, and their Laurel Line Lemongrass Ale
Happy sampling!…Be safe, get an UBER?
spunkandspice 