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].

Cobblehaus Brewing Company first opened in April of 2017 at 1021 Fifth Avenue, in Coraopolis, PA. Brewing on a 2 BBL brewhouse, there are 14 taps available for beer fans. You will find a lot of English and German beer styles on tap, but the brewery strives to make a variety for all beer fans.

Owner Scott Mills and Vince Schiappa are the brewers at Cobblehaus Brewing Company. Read more to find out their introduction to craft beer, where they see the craft beer industry heading, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

Scott: My first experience with craft beer was a visit to Colorado right after I graduated college. At that time my go-to beers were Iron City ad/or Miller light…I know, I know. After that visit to Colorado, my tastes in beer finally started to expand.

Vince: My introduction to craft beer started in college much like everyone else. My friends and I would drink Natty most of the time until we started to venture into the local brewery in Slippery Rock (North Country Brewing Company). I will always consider Bucksnort Stout to be my first real craft beer and it still tastes just as good now.

How did you get started as a brewer?

Scott: After my trip to Colorado, I joined the “Beer of the Month” club in order to further expand my tastes in beer. Within a year I was buying my first kit for home-brewing. That was back in the mid-’90s. I tend to say that I was home-brewing before it was a thing. You pretty much had to order a catalog from the 1 or 2 distributors or be lucky to have one of the few supplies stores that were around back then.

Vince: I started with a home kit after I graduated college. 1-gallon batches on the stove until I made my way into 5-gallon and then eventually all-grain. My first batch of all grain tasted like burnt water but I bought a whole bunch of books and became a member of all the organizations until I eventually started making beer that was at least drinkable. Eventually, I started brewing with Scott at Cobblehaus about a year ago which was my first attempt at commercial brewing and I am still here so I hope I did something right (I think being good at cleaning helped).

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

Scott: In brewing today, I don’t see limitations with any styles. Brewers are trying pretty much anything with anything…there is nothing taboo. This leaves the options wide open and just lets the creativity flow.

Vince: I honestly think any style allows you to be creative. It depends on where you want that style to go. If I had to choose one, it would be IPA. Scott and I were just joking about how many variations there are to work with but within each variation, you can create anything (low IBU, unreasonably high IBU, sweet, tropical, milkshakey, etc.).

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

Scott: My first Homebrewing kit was a Pale Ale. I learned that I had a long way to go to be able to make something up to par, or even close, to the craft beers I was getting in the “Beer of the Month Club” and the breweries that I visited on my trip to Colorado.

Vince: First beer was a 1-gallon extract Irish dry stout. A few things I remember being introduced to sanitizer without understanding why I had to sanitize everything and how long it took to get it down to temp. I think it was the first time my curiosity about brewing actually started.

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

Scott: I have been seeing a lot more lagers being put on tap lists recently. This is very pleasing to me as I am very traditional in my styles. I do not think that the hazy craze or very unique beer combinations are going away anytime soon, but it seems to me that more traditional styles are gaining ground in popularity.

Vince: I see it tapering off at some point. I love the enthusiasm and all of the new people interested (I still consider myself new) but I feel like this peak will calm down and we will be left with some really good breweries. Additionally, I think we will have a lot more people with greater respect for the process and it will increase the overall quality of the product.

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

Scott: I love being part of the brewing community in PA. It is definitely a community…you can even say, family. No matter where I have gone, the welcoming and helpful nature has been readily apparent.

Vince: Simply put, being a brewer in PA is amazing. We have some really well-known and nationally respected breweries that have been here for a long time. We are fairly rural which means we have smaller breweries popping up in small towns with some really good beer. We have a really good farming community that can provide local resources and use a lot of our spent grain. I also like having all four seasons (sometimes in one week) because we can make and create different beers that people can enjoy throughout the year.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

Scott: My wife Janet, she has the naming duties at the brewery. We try to have our names have a back-story or relate to the beer style. Sometimes that is difficult, but I think she does a great job with the naming duties.

Vince: This is mostly performed by Scott and his family but I like to put my two cents in every once in a while (mostly at random and sometimes influenced by the music I listen to).

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

Scott: DARK. Right now I am really enjoying dark lagers. I am always looking for a nice Dunkel or Schwartz when I view a tap list. If those are not available, I look for a stout or porter. I have definitely realized over the years that my beer preferences change over time. They are very much influenced by season and activity.

Vince: I am really enjoying a nice simple Pilsner. I usually enjoy anything done well but there are so many breweries putting out good Pilsner that it is hard to stay away from.

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

Scott: Don’t get comfortable! Things always seem to be changing. There is always a new “great thing”. The tastes of the customers always seem to change with the new thing, with the season, with personal taste. You always have to stay on top of things in order to bring your best and most desired products to the craft beer lover.

Vince: Brewing is fun and it is important to expand your thoughts about what beer is while still staying true to the history. I think people offer their opinion on what beer should be and you always have to take that with a grain of salt, because I think people confuse the difference between a beer being done well and a beer they enjoy drinking.