USA, NY: 1787 Brewing Co. planning soft opening on May 17

Berks County's newest brewery soon will be open, The Reading Eagle reported on May 10.

1787 Brewing Co., which is located in the former Miller's 5 & 10 store at 43 S. Fourth St., Hamburg, will open for business next week. Co-owners Steve Macbeth and Jim Gerner plan to have a soft opening May 17.

The brewpub's name comes from the year Hamburg was founded, said Macbeth, a real-estate investor who owns several properties in Hamburg.

Macbeth said he's both excited and nervous to open the doors.

"I'm nervous about delivering on what everybody's expectations are," he said. "I don't want to let anybody down. We're trying to do it right and first class."

1787 will have seating for about 100 people, including about 25 at an L-shaped bar just inside the front door. There is also a small bar in the back that will be used for overflow seating as well as for private events. There are pocket doors that can be closed to separate the front and back so the back can be used for special events and private functions.

Perhaps the most interesting feature is a large hole in the floor that looks down on the brewing system, which is located in the basement.

The front and back bar will both have 12 taps, although they might not have the same beers at both bars. They will also have a selection of Pennsylvania wines and spirits.

Gerner, who has been homebrewing for about 10 years, will be the primary brewer. He said he is a big fan of IPAs, but he plans to brew a variety of styles. The brewing system has been up and running for over a month, and Gerner already has brewed several styles, including an oatmeal stout, an American stout, an IPA, amber ale and a pale ale.

"It's definitely a learning curve when you go from brewing in your garage to something like this," Gerner said. "We're figuring it out as we go and getting some help from other breweries, which is always nice."

Gerner said he plans to have several beers that will be available year-round, likely a stout and an IPA at the minimum, and the other taps will rotate with seasonals and other styles.

"Before I was always stuck on saying we're going to be consistent and have this 10 or this 12, and that's what we're going to stick with for a while," he said. "But the more I'm brewing, the more I'm understanding it's fun to do different styles and try different things."

In addition to the main brewing system, a five-barrel system, 1787 also has a 1/2-barrel system, which Gerner will use to brew beer for promotional events and experimental batches.

As far as food, Macbeth said 1787 will be somewhat of an upscale restaurant. Although the menu will include items such as sandwiches, burgers, tacos and flatbread pizzas, they're not serving food just to serve food, he said.

"We're going to be a little bit on the upper end, even as far as microbreweries go," he said. "It's not going to be a huge menu, but it's going to be a high-quality menu."

Terry Printz, who recently left his position as executive chef at Lebanon Valley College and previously was co-owner of the Black Dog Cafe in Stouchsburg and Bistro on the Green in Flying Hills, is the head chef.

"He's French trained, and he's a beer nut," Macbeth said about Printz. "He knows craft beer in and out, and he's big into pairings, he's big into fusing beer into his sauces and stuff like that."

Macbeth said he has received a lot of good feedback since announcing the opening late last year.

"People are jacked up, they're excited," Macbeth said. "I think it's going to be a good thing. It's something the town needs."

1787 will be Berks County's ninth brewery, joining Broken Chair, Chatty Monks, Golden Avalanche, Hidden River, Oakbrook, Saucony Creek, Schaylor and The Other Farm.

13 May, 2018