Country Club Brewing will be the latest brewery to come to the Lehigh Valley this fall. With an ETA of Thanksgiving, Country Club will open at 323 Pierce Street in Bethlehem.
We recently spoke with Mike Kromer, head brewer of Country Club Brewing, to find out more about the brewery. See below for our conversation.
We first asked: “Can you explain the name Country Club Brewing?”. Mike explained to us that Country Club was the name of their fantasy football league. As they started homebrewing and going to festivals, the name just stuck!
BIPA: What stage are you currently in?
Mike: We are fully licensed and our brew system is in. We are ready to go once we get the beer made, we will schedule our grand opening.
BIPA: Who is involved in the brewery, and how did you become initially interested in craft beer?
Mike: We are a female and Hispanic-owned brewery, with the majority owners as Ivy Kromer, and Derek Mangin. We have additional owners as well: Jose Rivera, Ethan Porter, Brandon Robinson, and Michael D. Recchiuti.
Jose and I have been homebrewers for 15 years, and my wife Ivy has been brewing for 3 years. We have been attending festivals for a while and loved receiving feedback on our beer. Ivy and I will both be brewing at Country Club.
BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening?
Mike: We are in a 1,600 sq/ft building that was formerly a building used for storing old cars, and most recently used as storage for new caskets.
Our brew system is a 5 BBL Deutsche Beverage Technology brew house, that has been installed already. This system will feed 12 taps at the bar. We will also have canned cocktails from Boardroom spirits, and wine from Franklin Hill.
We have our bar built, and it seats 10 people, with a total occupancy of around 49 for the entire taproom. We have TVs up for sports and plan on having lots of entertainment for the taproom, including live music.
Next spring 2023, we plan on building a 700 sq/ft deck on the side. This will also wrap around the front of the building, and double the taproom space.
BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?
Mike: My go-to style is pastry stouts, but will brew a variety of beers. There will be IPAs and some lagers mixed in, and definitely some traditional styles. We won’t shy away from any style, if people want them, we will make them!
BIPA: Will you release crowlers/cans there as well?
Mike: Eventually, but not right away. We will have growlers to start, and then move to crowlers, and then cans.
BIPA: Will there be food offered?
Mike: We will be partnering with food trucks and some local restaurants around us.
To keep up with Country Club Brewing, make sure you follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Breweries In PA will follow up once Country Club is ready for its Grand Opening.
