 | |
| Location | Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1995 |
| Key people | Dan Weirbach, Sue Weirbach |
| Annual production volume | 30,000 US beer barrels (35,000 hL) |
| Owned by | Edwin Lozano |
| Website | weyerbacher |
Weyerbacher Brewing Company is a brewery in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States, founded in 1995 by Dan and Sue Weirback. [1]
Weyerbacher Brewing was founded in 1995 by Dan and Sue Weirbach. The brewery originally operated out of a repurposed livery stable in downtown Easton, Pennsylvania. [2]
The company's beer grew in popularity, and the company underwent a costly expansion, moving out of their original location to a new 30,000 sqft brewery. [3]
In 2018, Weyerbacher's original brewmaster, Chris Wilson, departed the company for another position at Free Will Brewing. [4]
The same year, Weyerbacher partnered with White Castle to become their exclusive beer partner, which made their beer available on draft at over 400 of its locations until declaraing bankruptcy in 2019. [5]
During the company's expansion, the craft beer market became saturated and its sales fell, leading the company into $2.1 million in debt. In 2019, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. [6] [7] [8]
During the company's bankruptcy proceedings, 1518 Holdings, a Philadelphia-based investment firm, was initially prepared to purchase a 55% majority stake in the brewery. [9] [10] [11]
The investment plan was abandoned, however, and the company's interim leadership group led by Josh Lampe completed the bankruptcy filing, ultimately emerging and resuming production but with a smaller slate of products. [12] Weyerbach opened a second tap house in New Hope in an effort to increase their on-site sales. [13] The debts and restructuring from the transfer hampered production, and the company quickly amassed another $1.5 million of debt.
In June 2022, the company again declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy after production failed to return to its pre-2019 levels. [14]
Following their second bankruptcy, Weyerbacher was purchased by Savant Beverages LLC, owned by Edwin Lozano, a former executive at Miller Brewing Company and a resident of Palmer Township. [6] Lozano purchased the company in part because of their brand recognition as one of the pioneering craft beer producers in Pennsylvania, and the first in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. [7] [8]
The new ownership group entered a partnership with the Colony Meadery to share their large brewery and produce their mead. Lozano is a friend of one of Colony Meadery's co-founders, Greg Heller-LaBelle, who used to run a craft beer blog in the Lehigh Valley before transitioning to mead in 2012. [15] [8] The new ownership group broke with the company's tradition at the brewery and began serving food in-house, which is catered by the nearby Marquee Kitchen. [16]
After opening their tap room with limited hours in December 2022, Weyerbacher held its grand reopening in late January 2023. [17] [18]
The company hosts a 5K run, the Weyerbacher Hill Challenge, where participants are awarded two free beers for signing up. [19]
The comapany has also increased their participation with other brewers in local Lehigh Valley brewing events. [20] [21]
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