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 [email protected].

Lost Tavern Brewing first opened in July 2016, in Hellertown, PA, with a 7 bbl brewhouse. The brewery, with its motto “Honor the past. Craft the future”, opened a second location in Bethlehem in May of 2019, with a grand re-opening in August 2020. Known for their IPAs and fruited sours, among many other beers, the brewery is a staple in the Lehigh Valley beer scene. Derek Lutz is the head brewer at Lost Tavern Brewing. Read more to find out his introduction to beer, important lessons he has learned so far, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

When I turned 21, I became fascinated with all things fermented and distilled. With this interest, I started reading everything and anything I could find about whiskey (especially bourbon and scotch) and wine. Very soon after I started reading about beer and brewing, which led me to pursue as many new beers as I could try. Early on, I gravitated toward big flavor beers like North Coast Old Rasputin and Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, but also would love to drink the various offerings from Samuel Smith. I was in constant pursuit of new beers and styles everywhere I went and would try and read as much as I could find out about what I was drinking. I was intrigued by the histories of different styles and the breweries that made them.

How did you get started as a brewer?

My time at Lost Tavern Brewing is my first full-time brewing position. I started here in 2016, working as the assistant brewer, directly with one of the brewery’s founders, Anthony Gangi. As time went on, I was given the title of head brewer. I knew that I wanted to be a brewer as soon as I opened my first copy of Charlie Papazian’s The Complete Joy of Homebrewing (as well as so many others, I read a bit too much about beer sometimes), and made my first batch of homebrew while I was living in San Antonio, TX.

I started working in the kitchen at a local brewpub, Freetail, that I already enjoyed drinking at. I really liked being around the smells and sounds and visuals of a brewery, as well as the people involved. I volunteered occasionally just to be involved where I could be in the process. During those years I was lucky enough to find a few great friends that I would homebrew with, in San Antonio. We learned so much from one another. When I moved back to Pennsylvania my brother and I were constantly brewing a variety of styles of beer and cider, even after I started brewing professionally.

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

I find it exciting to brew a classic style that we haven’t made at the brewery before. Doing that allows us to be creative by having to stay within a historically accepted structure while often giving our little Lost Tavern Brewing twist on it. Anytime we get a new malt, hop, or any other ingredient in, it is always fun to discuss how to best incorporate it into a new beer, or even make an existing one a little better. It is really a group effort. That being said, I most enjoy repeat recipes. To me, it is a great feeling to be able to reproduce a beer time and again, with little to no unintentional variation.

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

Here at Lost Tavern Brewing, I’m sure the first beer I was a part of brewing was one of our original flagships, likely Seeker, Grace, Oddfellow, or Silent Partner. We opened with more of a focus on these staple beers early on and slowly started expanding the portfolio to add some variety to the taps. I learned in those early days how to follow the process that was already in place, and eventually be part of constantly adapting to fit the needs of new beers, ingredients, or equipment.

The very first thing I ever fermented was actually a really simple hard cider. I didn’t even have any equipment yet – just some juice, table sugar, and bread yeast, and some plastic wrap to create a makeshift airlock. And I remember watching, in amazement, as the yeast bounced around in the container and performed their magic. I also remember watching with a flashlight in the kitchen that night. I was definitely hooked at that point. My first homebrewed beer, however, was either a brown ale or smoked porter.

Those early homebrews taught me how to structure a beer recipe in order to hit the right color and flavor that I wanted to achieve. I quickly learned the importance of being sanitary throughout the whole process, to be patient, and that you can brew good tasting beer with a minimal setup. I never purchased any kits. Rather, I enjoyed piecing parts and ingredients together myself.

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

The industry will continue to move forward as drinker palates change, but this shift likely won’t be anything too dramatic anytime soon. The IPA will always continue to be the big style, no matter its actual definition at the time. New hop varieties and combinations will continue to excite brewers and consumers, and bold and new flavors will keep things interesting. However, craft lagers, west-coast IPA, and other more sessionable beers have been seeing a little resurgence in popularity.

A lot of people are revisiting beers and styles that got them into craft beer in the first place. I really enjoy being able to make beers like our Pass-Thru Porter or Ok Evan! (a mild ale named after our assistant brewer, Evan Holland, who pushed for the style to be brewed), and have people enjoy them as much as we do. If only rauchbier would become the most popular category!

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

We have a great brewing history, locally and statewide, and have such a long list of breweries in the Lehigh Valley alone. We are surrounded by such amazing, talented brewers that offer such a variety of offerings. There is something for everyone. Having the chance to meet so many passionate people, whether a brewer, brewery owner, or craft beer drinker, has been an irreplaceable experience for me.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

The naming of new beers is sometimes a group effort but often comes from the minds of two of the owners and founders of Lost Tavern Brewing, Kenny Rampolla, and Anthony Gangi. They are the true masterminds behind much of the structure of the various flavor combination ideas and styles that we brew. They are great at coming up with the concepts, names, and label ideas that go into branding a constant flow of new beers out of our tanks.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

At the brewery, some favorites right now are Pass-Thru Porter, Going Going Back Back (our west-coast IPA), and Sour Dreams (a seasonal kettle-soured wheat beer that we fruit with cranberry and black currant). At home, I have been drinking a lot of Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and Plan Bee Barn Beer. All year I have been enjoying some seasonal beers that I haven’t had in quite some time, as well as revisiting some of the beers that had made me get into craft beer. I even bought a little 5L mini keg of Schlenkerla Rauchbier last month. That was a great treat.

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

Keep your sense of humor. You work a lot of long hours and there are often a lot of constant changes and stressful situations. Sometimes you have to be able to sit back and laugh at yourself or accept a laugh from someone else in your direction. I guess that isn’t specific to the beer industry, but important nonetheless. When in doubt, have a beer.

Thank you to Derek for talking with us! Make sure you visit Lost Tavern Brewing for all the latest beers, news, information, and special events. And also follow Lost Tavern on Facebook and Instagram!