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].
Well Crafted Beer Company opened in August of 2018 in Lansdale PA. The brewery produces beer on a 7 BBL brewhouse and features 20 taps. Rick Solomon is the owner and head brewer at Well Crafted Beer Company. Read more to find out his introduction to beer, where he sees the craft beer industry heading, and more!
What was your introduction to craft beer?
My father had a friend who worked for a distributor in the 90s and he would bring over mixed cases from broken cases to share at football games. Granted craft was small at that time, but from an early age I saw the variety of beer that existed. As far as my taste for craft beer, growing up in PA, I was heavily exposed to Lager (Yuengling of course) and would pack my car with cases of it to share with friends at college in upstate NY. While at RIT, I was able to take ‘beers of the world’ as an elective, which opened my eyes to different styles and taught me how to taste. Between the class, an outstanding off-campus craft beer bar, and finding my first bombers of Arrogant/Double Bastard at a local distributor, there was no turning back.
How did you get started as a brewer?
I started my brewing journey while in college. I had an amazing professor (hey Fritz!) who was also a home-brewer. I had a couple classes with him late into my major, but one of particular interest being a food preservation class in which we did an off campus field trip to his house to package beer! That day put the wheels in motion and shortly after I graduated, moved to Lancaster, PA and started home brewing with a kit my wife-to-be gifted me. I spent the next ten years homebrewing becoming more immersed until I enrolled in the American Brewers Guild. Through the Guild’s apprenticeship program I landed a part time assistant position with my mentor Scott Morrision at the newly opened Barren Hill Tavern & Brewery, which was formerly the General Lafayette Inn and Brewery in Lafayette Hill. It was around this time that the plans for Well Crafted were starting to take shape.
What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?
Sours, saisons and stouts… Sorry, too hard to pick just one! Each of them are great vehicles to play with complementary ingredients.
What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?
An extract pale ale. Not that it was bad, but I learned that I needed to start all-grain brewing and keep reading.
Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?
I think craft’s share will continue to grow, maybe not like in past years but a steady increase. IPA, particularly hazy, is not going anywhere soon, which is fine with me. That being said, I would love to see some classics make a stronger stand. You’ve been hearing for the past few years that Pilsners are coming back. I’m not sure, but I can only hope so.
Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.
Being a PA resident for the vast majority of my life, I’m proud to be a brewer here. There’s a very vibrant bunch of brewers and breweries. The camaraderie is particularly inspiring with everyone being open, helpful and welcoming. The industry in general is a gem.
What is the inspiration behind your beer names?
We are rightfully inspired by the music we love like many others, so a lot of inspiration comes from that. Additionally, we’re nerds and have no problem making nerdy references of which there are plenty. Some names have a deeper meaning requiring some deciphering, but sometimes something funny could just be said in passing and we roll with it. To summarize, every beer we make has a story behind its name. That’s part of the fun!
What is your favorite beer to drink right now?
Hard to pick one of course, but generally drinking some delicious IPA both local and from some of the bigger players that are accessible from PA. My in-house favorites of recent are No Disintegrations Black IPA and Short Schwarz (Schwarzbier, of course ; ).
What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?
The pandemic has obviously been challenging, but it has made our business nimble and determined. From a beer centric perspective, I’ve learned to keep learning everyday among all else. Of course it’s also not a bad idea to have a back up plan and carry an extra set of clothes. Cheers!
Thank you to Rick for talking with us! Make sure you visit Well Crafted Beer Company for all the latest beers, news, information, and special events. And also follow Well Crafted Beer on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
