For the previous four years, Hawk Mountain Brewing has been producing beer out of their production brewery in New Tripoli. And now for the first time in the history of their business, they will have a home to call their own for locals to enjoy their handmade beer.
The Lehigh Valley based brewery recently purchased a 2 acre plot of land in Whitehall, PA and has been working towards constructing a 2,000+ square foot taproom that will also house their brewing operations. The new space will be located at 3530 Lehigh Street.
Recently we visited the future home of Hawk Mountain Brewery and met with owner and head brewer Matt Ritz (who was actually in the middle of construction of the space as we were speaking). As we learned Matt has been responsible for the build-out of the future space while continuing to produce beer for Hawk Mountain.
The 60 by 34 square foot taproom will allow Hawk Mountain the ability to finally open a retail space for their beer. Currently, the brewery operates a 5 barrel production facility roughly 30 minutes West of the taproom space. The plan is to move the brewery to this new location in Whitehall while also operating a small kitchen to give consumers a full dining experience.
Hawk Mountain is not Ritz’s first experience within the craft beer space. For the past 7 years, he has also owned a brewery in Argentina (Holmes Brewery), an area he has spent a great deal of time traveling to due to his other professional work experience.
The taproom in Whitehall is situated along the Coplay Creek. Hawk Mountain will take advantage of the full 2 acres of land allowing guests to enjoy the outdoor space and the scenery as they sip their locally made beer. In addition, the taproom will feature a large wrap-around porch and garage door-lined walls to bring a bit of the outside environment into the taproom space.
While the Coplay Creek is situated to the West of the brewery the Ironton Rail-Trail can be found on the Eastern side of the space. The proximity to the rail trail will allow guests a perfect stop to enjoy locally made beer and food.
As of this writing, Hawk Mountain is expected to open in the Summer of 2023. In the meantime, you can find locations where their beer is currently being served here. To continue to keep up with their updates be sure to follow them on Instagram and check back for more details on their grand opening.
