Wishful Thinking Brewing Company will be the latest brewery to open in the Lehigh Valley. The brewery will be opening at 702 Broadway in Bethlehem and is estimated to open in Spring 2024.

We spoke with co-owner Brendan Breslin to learn more about Wishful Thinking Brewing Company, and what beer fans can expect when they open. You can read Brendan’s Meet The Brewer article from when he was brewing at Pottstown United Brewing, and most recently he assisted Töska Restaurant & Brewery in opening at the former Earth Bread + Brewery location in August 2023.

BIPA: What stage are you currently in? 

Brendan: We are at the end of the buildout stage and will be submitting for our licenses very soon. The plan is to open in Spring of 2024.

BIPA: Who is involved in the brewery?

Brendan: It’s me and my wife Jackie Breslin who both own the brewery. I’ll be doing all the brewing, we will both be managing the kitchen, and Jackie will be the lead bartender and in charge of the front of the house.

BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?

Brendan: We will have a beer list that has both hoppier beers and lagers. The focus will be on more sessionable, low abv styles, and will also include other styles from time to time.

Everything we brew will use local malt from Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Double Eagle and Rabbit Hill), and local hops as much as possible (Sky High Hops).

We will be pouring these all out of 8 LUKR faucets, and Jackie is the most educated about pouring from these. (More on this below)

BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening? 

Brendan: The location most recently was the Bavarian Tavern, a neighborhood bar that closed in 2018. The building was purchased in 2018 by Sam Masotto of Bonn Place, who has made many improvements to the space. The plan is to collaborate in the brewhouse and share the space with Bonn Place.

The space is about 5,000 sq/ft with the taproom around 2,000 sq/ft, and the remaining 3,000 sq/ft to be used for beer production and an event space when not in use.

The taproom can fit about 100 people, including long wooden tables, bar seating for about 20, and 12 other seats at a nearby counter. Behind the bar at a specifically designed and crafted brass draft tower that holds 8 LUKR taps. This will be the first of its kind installed in the United States.

We both visited the Czech Republic this past November 2023, after we decided to buy a LUKR tower. We took a course at LUKR’s headquarters with their Head Tapster and Pilsner Urquell’s Master Bartender of 2022. They taught us to properly maintain the faucets, and properly pour and serve beer from the faucets.

Jackie is focused on being the lead bartender who is the most educated on proper LUKR pours and educating staff and customers on the proper pour of their beer.

The space gives off an old-time tavern feel, but at the same time feels very European cafe. The place feels like it’s been established for a long time, like your neighborhood bar that you’ve been going to for a while.

In addition to our beer, will have local PA wine available, some non-alcoholic options, and Kombucha. We will also offer a limited cocktail menu.

BIPA: Will you release cans/crowlers there as well?

Brendan: We will have cans right away when we open. We won’t be doing crowlers at all.

BIPA: Will there be food offered?

Brendan: Yes we will have food, we used to own Pizza Post Co and are incorporating that into the taproom.

These are 8×10 inch pizzas in deep dish pans that have crunch cheesy crust. We will have traditional toppings pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, etc. There will be 3-4 core specialty pies, and rotating weekly special pies as well.

We use all local flour and will make pretzels with it too. There will also be a local mix-and-match charcuterie board. We will expand the kitchen offerings in the future.

BIPA: Anything else our readers should know about the Wishful Thinking Brewing Company?

Brendan: “Foam Is Good” – We want to educate people on why the beers are poured this way. We are serving and pouring them with intent.