Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at info@breweriesinpa.com.

Breaker Brewing Company first opened its doors in April of 2013 at 787 East Northampton Street in Wilkes Barre Township, PA. Since opening, the brewery has expanded to open The Breaker Brewing Outpost at 192 Wildcat Road in Archbald. They brew on a 15 BBL system, with 12 taps at the brewery taproom, and 12 taps at the Outpost.

Chris Miller and Mark Lehman are the owners and brewers at Breaker Brewing Company. Read more to find out their introduction to craft beer, where they see the craft beer industry heading, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

For us, as 21 year old’s we started drinking Yuengling Black & Tan while our other friends were drinking Coors light. We then discovered Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and not too long after that my Sister and Brother-n-Law who would come to visit from New York brought us Dogfish 60 IPA. Ever since then we have fallen in love with IPA’s.

How did you get started as a brewer?

Mark and I worked engineering jobs at a local phone/internet company and were friends since about 1990. On the way to work one day we decided we needed to buy a homebrew kit and see what we could do with it. A few batches on the kitchen stove turned into building a small system out of ½ kegs which turned into another small 1.5 BBL system then we built a 3BBL system and today our 15BBL system.

What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?

We both love IPA’s so for us that is the one we tend to have the most fun with when it comes to being creative. Also, it is the most popular style of brew with our customers.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?

First beer ever brewed was an extract IPA kit that we picked up at our local HBS. We learned we had no idea what we were doing LOL but we loved it nonetheless and it sparked something inside us that brought us to where we are today.

Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?

Hard to say exactly where it’s going. We see some trends startup and then die out but NEIPA’s at least for our customers are king. Possibly an emergence of more traditional styles that some new (young) craft beer drinkers have never been exposed to because they were into NEIPA’s and pastry stouts and may be looking for something else. Whatever it is, our model is to be open-minded and nimble enough to brew what our customers want.

Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania

PA has strange liquor laws but overall it’s not too bad as long as you put the time in to understand what you are legally required to do with monthly reports and such. We run a brewery and a brewpub and a satellite pub so brewing tends to be only about 25% or so of what we do.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

Breaker Brewing Company is named after the old coal breakers that at one time were everywhere in North East PA. In our area, everyone’s father or grandfather was a coal miner so we decided to make a local connection with our brand. When we first started brewing we tried to name all of our brews after coal mining and local lore about coal mining. Lunch Pail Ale, Minefire Blackberry Jalapeno Ale, Olde King Coal Stout, and Anthracite Ale are some of the original ones that we still brew today. Nowadays we use whatever inspires us and don’t stay locked into the coal mining theme.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

I would say juicy hazy IPA’s are our go-to beers but we really have been enjoying our Belsnickler Ale the last few weeks. It’s a Belgian Quad style winter warmer and we are in that season now.

What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?

One of the most important things we learned so far is you need to be a jack of all trades… welding, plumbing, electrical work and make smart thought-out business decisions. Surround yourself with good trustworthy like-minded people and always listen to what your customers are asking for. The dream/idea of running a craft brewery and the reality of running the business are two different things so be prepared for that. Always remember why you got into this business and for us, it’s the love of craft beer!!