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].

Pour Man’s Brewing Company opened in August of 2018, in Ephrata, PA. They opened in a former butcher shop, and they always have a charity tap on! Recently the brewery opened a second taproom in Ephrata, in partnership with a local restaurant.

What was your introduction to craft beer?

I started off like most beer drinkers in PA with Yuengling Lager and from there I really would try whatever I could get my hands on. By the time I turned 21 there was already a lot of great breweries open in PA so I was lucky enough to be able to start visiting local breweries right away.

How did you get started as a brewer?

I started as a home brewer when I was “we will say 21” years old. The hobby turned into a obsession and I was brewing whenever I had free time. After work and weekends were full of brew days for years before we ever even talked about opening a brewery.

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

I don’t feel like any one style allows me to be more or less creative. I know that sounds like a bullshit answer (can I swear in here?) but its true. I get a lot of enjoyment out of taking classic styles and putting my own spin on them. I think brewing something that is subtle in a lot of flavors is a hell of a lot harder then to brew something that is one noted and or heavy handed.

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

I attempted to brew a something similar to a Yuengling lager clone. I learned that when the instructions say add all remaining ingredients to the boil that doesn’t mean add the yeast.

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

I think we will continue to see people seeking out places close to home to drink at and also take beer home from. As far as what people will be drinking its hard to say. I know personally we look to brew what our customers are asking for but we also brew what we want to have on tap and really work our asses off to get people behind it.

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

Its amazing! The sense of community in the brewing industry is like nothing else I have ever been a part of.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

We have brewed something like 125 different beers since we opened in 2018 and its getting tough to think of names. We stick with the money theme for our IPA’s and we have a line of beers named after all of our kids. After that its a free for all and we usually stick to light hearted and funny names.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

Ja’Crispy, its our newest flagship beer and is a Kolsch brewed with one of my personal favorite hops Saaz.

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

I think for me the most important lesson has been to take everything one batch at a time. We make a lot of different styles of beer and I try to be equally excited about all of them and approach them all with the same amount of time and interest. Certain beer styles may not be my personal favorite but they might be a customers favorite, so I want to kill it for them.

Thank you to Ryan for talking with us! Make sure you visit Pour Man’s Brewing Company for all the latest beers, news, information and special events. And also follow Pour Man’s on Facebook, and Instagram!