USA, PA: Bonn Place Brewing getting ready to open in Bethlehem soon

In south Bethlehem, excitement is brewing for Bonn Place Brewing Co., which has been under construction for about a year at 310 Taylor St., The Morning Call reported on June 23.

According to Sam Masotto, who will be operating the business with his wife, Gina, there is no tentative opening date for the brew pub, but he hopes to have it open as soon as possible.

Most of the renovations are complete and the business received its brew pub permit last week, he said.

The brewery includes three seven-barrel stainless steel fermenters, a 1,000-litre oak foudre, brite tank, hot liquor tank, mash-lauter tun and kettle.

The tasting room includes a custom-built, 12-seat epoxied wooden bar with 12 additional seats lining the walls.

Eight taps, including one nitro draft line, will dispense a variety of beers — from farmhouse and sour ales to porters and stouts.

“I happen to enjoy English- and Belgian-style beers, but we’re going to be an American brewery, which means we’ll be making anything and everything,” Sam said.

A few examples include Opus, a cream-style ale; Sanana, a session sour ale; and Mr. Harry’s Pig Tale Ale, an American pale ale.

Sam, who has been homebrewing for eight years, was an assistant brewer at Newburgh Brewing Co. in Newburgh, New York, for nearly three years. He also honed his craft at Chelsea Craft Brewing Co. in New York and New Jersey Beer Co. in Hudson County, New Jersey.

Bonn Place takes its name from the couple’s former residence on Bonn Place in Weehawken Township, Hudson County. The company’s mascot, a late French bulldog named Opus, lived nearby.

“Bonn Place became this idea of community and it was based around beer,” Sam explained. “Gina and I love entertaining and we’d often crack open my homebrews or brew with other people. That’s really where my love for the crafting of craft beer stems from.”

27 June, 2016