“I’m pretty proud to say we don’t have any beer that sucks in the Lehigh Valley Everybody’s really making good beer. I think everyone’s establishing their own niche, too.”
Craft beer is the opposite of what one would describe as a dying industry.
As the number of independent craft breweries has grown throughout the United States, so, too has the amount of breweries in the greater Lehigh Valley. There are breweries located in Easton (Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Two Rivers Brewing Company) and Allentown (HiJinx Brewing Company). Fegley's Brew Works has locations in Bethlehem and Allentown.
That list has expanded to include Funk Brewing Company (Emmaus), Saucony Creek Brewing Company (Kutztown), Sly Fox Brewing Company (Phoenixville), Barley Creek Brewing Company (Tannersville), Free Will Brewing (Perkasie) and ShawneeCraft Brewery (Shawnee on Delaware).
The popularity of craft beer is reflected in the annual Lehigh Valley Beer Week event, which returns Saturday and runs through Feb. 27 in and around the Lehigh Valley.
Earlier this week, I sat down with representatives from Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Hijinx, Fegley's and Two Rivers Brewing Company to get their thoughts on Lehigh Valley Beer Week, advice for home brewers and the state of craft beer in the Valley.
Two Rivers co-owner best summed up the discussion. "I'm pretty proud to say we don't have any beer that sucks in the Lehigh Valley Everybody's really making good beer," he said. "I think everyone's establishing their own niche, too."
For the full list of Beer Week events and participating breweries, visit lehighvalleybeerweek.com.