BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A new spot for savoring locally brewed stouts, lagers and other beers is coming soon to South Bethlehem.
Country Club Brewing, a craft brewery offering made-on-site beer along with Lehigh Valley produced wine and spirits, is expected to open within a few weeks at 323 Pierce St., co-founder and head brewer Mike Kromer said.
- Country Club Brewing, a craft brewery four years in the making, is expected to open within a few weeks at 323 Pierce St. in South Bethlehem
- The brewery is named after a few partners' fantasy football team
- In addition to its draft beers, seltzers and cocktails, Country Club also plans to feature wines from Franklin Hill Vineyards and canned cocktails from Boardroom Spirits in Lansdale
The newly built brick structure, adjacent to the South Bethlehem Greenway between Third and Fourth streets, will feature an open-concept layout, with a roughly 40-seat taproom next to a five-barrel brewing system.
“We’re finally reaching the finish line, and we couldn’t be more excited,” Kromer said. “We’re just working on a few finishing touches like the speakers and furniture.”
Kromer, who started homebrewing more than a decade ago, is running Country Club with five partners: Derek Mangin, Ethan Porter, Brandin Robinson, Michael Recchiuti and Jose Rivera.
Kromer and Rivera are cousins, and Kromer and Robinson have been friends since they were kids.
The group has bonded in recent years over their mutual love of craft beer, and they eventually decided to name their brewery after a few partners’ fantasy football team.
“This project has been about four years in the making,” Kromer said. “We originally wanted to rehab an existing structure on this site, but the foundation was deemed unsafe. So, we knocked down that building and started from scratch on a new one. In the end, it all ended up working out because we have a beautiful new brewery.”
Country Club Brewing will feature an industrial look, with epoxied flooring, metal pendant lighting, reclaimed pallet wood behind the bar and reclaimed bricks from the site’s former building in the bar’s base.
An accordion-style, sliding glass door will open to the front porch during nice weather, and a side patio with a bike rack will be installed next to the greenway by the spring, Kromer said.
To start, a temporary outdoor seating area will be available on the other side of the building.
“The neighbors are just as excited as we are,” Kromer said. “People are peeking through the windows and stopping to chat with us nonstop. It’s a great feeling to get that kind of welcome.”
The brewery will feature 12 taps dispensing flagship and rotating beers, along with Country Club’s own hard seltzers and craft cocktails (a smoked old-fashioned and Moscow mule).
There will be an array of beers, including IPAs, lagers and pilsners, with many being named after prominent Bethlehem people and places such as the SteelStacks campus and former Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan.
One IPA flagship will be called “John A,” in homage to longtime Allentown School District teacher John Annoni.
Annoni, who also started Camp Compass—a program introducing urban youth to outdoor activities such as archery and fishing—played a key role in Kromer’s life and remains a close friend.
Beers will be available in various-sized pours as well as flights of four 5-ounce pours, Kromer said. To-go beer crowlers and growlers will be offered down the line.
“We’re going to cater to everybody’s tastes when it comes to our beer,” Kromer said. “We’re also going to be open to requests. So if enough people are asking for a certain type of beer, we’d definitely look into bringing that to them.”
Kromer and his partners have made their beer at an off-site location for the past few years. They’ve tested recipes and brought their brews to events near and far, including Allentown Beer Fest, Schuylkill County Brew Fest in Pottsville, Free the Whales beer festival in Miami and Pontoon Brewing’s Brownie Bash near Atlanta.
The team has taken home several awards, including best dark beer and best overall beer for Coconuts Falling—a coconut-flavored stout—at the 2018 Allentown Beer Fest.
On Oct. 29, the partners will bring their fruit punch hard seltzer and “Putter Putter Peanut Butter,” a coffee stout with peanut butter, cinnamon and vanilla, to Mostraland Halloween Beer Fest in San Diego.
“We love to get out in the community and meet fellow beer fans face-to-face as much as possible,” Kromer said.
In addition to its beers, seltzers and cocktails, Country Club also plans to feature wines from Franklin Hill Vineyards in Lower Mount Bethel Township and canned cocktails from Boardroom Spirits in Lansdale, Montgomery County.
Live music will be featured at least once a week, and televisions will display sports games and other programming, Kromer said. The partners also are contemplating offering other entertainment, such as trivia and karaoke on select nights.
Country Club Brewing, featuring adjacent off-street parking, will welcome local food trucks on a regular basis, Kromer said. The team also is looking into partnering with the neighboring Nest Bar & Grille to offer delivery of its food orders.
Hours are being finalized, but the partners tentatively plan to operate the brewery Tuesday through Saturday.
“We’d probably be open 4-11 p.m. most nights, with weekend nights maybe staying open until midnight,” Kromer said.
To stay up-to-date on Country Club’s progress, including its opening announcement, follow the business on Facebook, Instagram andTwitter.