TAPPING INTO THE FUTURE
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.’s new owner ready to pour more after double bankruptcy
There’s a new future brewing for Easton’s Weyerbacher Brewing.
The veteran craft beer maker — bottled up since it filed its second bankruptcy in three years — is now under new ownership by Savant Beverages LLC. Edwin Lozano of Palmer Township is the CEO.
“We want to get Weyerbacher Brewing back to its heyday, when it was one of the pioneering leaders of the craft beer industry,” Lozano said.
For Weyerbacher fans, this new ownership means the return of the Line Street taproom, which Lozano hopes will be open starting Thursday.
One of the Lehigh Valley’s oldest craft breweries, Weyerbacher was founded in 1995 and quickly established itself as a premier producer in the region. Weyerbacher built a reputation on its award-winning, full-flavored beers especially Belgian-style — like its popular Merry Monks.
But as the years went on, Weyerbacher slipped deeper into financial trouble.
As craft beer’s popularity exploded in the mid-2010s, Weyerbacher expanded rapidly to meet the demand. In 2014, Weyerbacher opened a new brewhouse, capable of producing 40 barrels of beer at once, essentially allowing the brewery to make twice the beer in half the time.
But the market became saturated with craft-beer options for consumers and Weyerbacher, saddled with $2.1 million in debt, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2019. Filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy frees a company from the threat of creditors’ lawsuits while it reorganizes its finances.
Weyerbacher restructured and emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2020. But that wasn’t the end of the brewery’s financial difficulties, and it again struggled to stay on its feet. On June 27, the brewery filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and in July announced its taproom would be closed indefinitely.
Now the brewery has a chance at a new future under Lozano’s leadership. Details of the sale were not released, but it was completed on Oct. 3.
Lozano brings experience in the beverage industry, served in high level positions in the Miller Brewing Co., PepsiCo International and Coca-Cola, as well as president and CEO of Pittsburgh Brewing Co.
“Ed will be very good for Weyerbacher Brewing,” said Easton Mayor Sal Panto. “It’s the leadership they need. Ed has the vision for what Weyerbacher needs to be.”
For Weyerbacher fans, this new ownership means the return of the taproom, which Lozano hopes will be open starting Thursday. He also assures Weyerbacher drinkers that the core styles — Merry Monks, Blithering Idiot, Imperial Pumpkin Ale — will be back in the company’s portfolio. (He said fans should check Weyerbacher’s social media accounts and website next week for the latest on hours of operation for the taproom.)
In more good beer news, Lozano also said the industry award-winning Double Simcoe IPA will return, he hopes, by January.
“We want to get it back up there with the premiere leaders of the craft beer industry,” Lozano said of Weyerbacher. “That’s our goal.”