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].
Two Rivers Brewing Company opened in 2015, in Easton, PA. Brewing on a 7 BBL system, Two Rivers makes a variety of beer styles, and has recently won awards for them. The brewery recently opened a taproom in Quakertown, to allow their beer to be reached by more beer fans! Josh Bushey is the head brewer of Two Rivers Brewing. Read further to see how he got his start in craft beer, the first beer he ever brewed, and more!
What was your introduction to craft beer?
As a teenager I was a big fan of Hunter Thompson and was gifted some Flying Dog Pale ale and IPA because of the Ralph Steadman art on the labels. But my real introduction to craft was when I lived in Washington DC. I started visiting the Brickskeller which at one point had the world’s largest beer selection. I worked my way around the world drinking strong ales from Belgium, Stouts and Barleywines from England, and the craft beers from the U.S.
How did you get started as a brewer?
I had been looking at homebrew catalogs (remember those?) for a while. When my future wife and I moved up to the Lehigh Valley I was tasked with mailing off the closing documents to our place in DC. The Fed Ex drop box was next to Keystone Homebrew Supply. I ended up buying an oatmeal stout kit and some starter supplies. After homebrewing and competing for a few years an assistant brewer job opened up at Fegley’s Brew Works in Allentown. I was grossly underqualified for that job, but the brewer at the time, Beau Baden, hired me part time to work the packaging line. Apparently, I put cages on the cork and cage bottles fast enough to get invited to clean kegs, then tanks, then eventually I got to brew some beer. Ten years later, here we are.
What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?
Our wild ale barrel program allows me the most freedom and creativity. You have all these different flavors and levels of sour and funk and you get to imagine how they’ll either work together after blending, or with fruit, or spices, or whatever!
What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?
At home it was an Oatmeal Stout and I learned that city water should be filtered so your beer doesn’t taste like a swimming pool. In a pro brewery it was Bushey’s Pale Ale (I didn’t want that name) and I learned that people many times will assume you know more than one actually does.
Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?
Hopefully back to the diverse range of flavors. Craft beer fought for years against pale lager and the homogenization of beer flavor. Now we’ve returned back to that homogeneity with everything craft being IPA. I love IPAs but there’s literally a hundred other beer styles out there to enjoy.
Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.
Nice people, favorable laws. Pretty good!
What is the inspiration behind your beer names?
We take most of our names from historic nouns in Easton. Like the neighborhood next to our brewpub (Dutchtown DIPA), or a Spanish-American War soldier (Colonel Left Eye), or the original name for the building we’re in (Mt Vernon Lager).
What is your favorite beer to drink right now?
Suarez Palatine Pils. Extra points if it’s slow poured on site, I have a book, and Chickie the dog is hanging out.
What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?
That the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.
Thank you to Lee for talking with us! Make sure you visit Two Rivers Brewing Company for all the latest beers, news, information and special events. And also follow Two Rivers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
