Patrons can sample a variety of brewpub classics and craft beers at Wallenpaupack Brewing Co.
Siblings Becky and Chris Ryman transformed a vacant property, building a new facility at 73 Welwood Ave., Hawley, where they could cultivate their passion. The venue — which opened Sept. 30, 2017 — seats 300 and includes a beer garden with outside seating with fire pits, which was added in July.
In addition to enjoying pub food and beer, guests can participate in a variety of events, such as seasonal beer pairing dinners and cornhole tournaments. The craft brews, meanwhile, incorporate ingredients from local businesses, such as Shemanski Maple Syrup in Waymart and coffee from Black and Brass Coffee Co. in Honesdale.
Managing owner and president Becky Ryman spoke to Chef’s Table about how the business has grown in just a few years.
Q: What is the history of the restaurant?
A: Siblings Becky and Chris Ryman were frequent visitors to the Lake Region for many years, enjoying the lake and all the surrounding community has to offer. After their family purchased a vacation home on the lake, they looked to see how they could contribute to the area. The Rymans purchased the property in Hawley, where an old Arby’s building sat vacant for over 12 years. They tore down the building and constructed a brand-new, 12,000-square-feet facility to pursue their passion to bring delicious craft beer and unique foods to the Lake Region and Northeast Pennsylvania.
Q: How did your menu come to be?
A: Our food menu rotates seasonally. Our executive chef, Scott Jones, works closely with our head brewer, Logan Ackerley, and president and owner, Becky Ryman, to develop a menu that pairs with the flavors in the seasonal beers being produced in our brewery and availability of local products.
Q: What type of food do you serve?
A: Many of our food items are brewpub classics that pair well with beer, but our chefs add their unique spin to make them fresh and unique. We also have a children’s menu available.
Q: What’s your specialty?
A: On the brewery side, our seasonal IPAs and lagers along with our flagship Largemouth IPA and Paupack Cream Ale. In the brewpub, we also have a weekly rotating chef’s specialty burger, nachos and grilled cheese. Our year-round Sunday brunch also is very popular.
Q: What are your most popular dishes?
A: Our burgers and wings are by far the most requested items on our menu.
Q: Tell us more about the beers that you have to offer.
A: Our draft list has something for everyone. We curate our brews to ensure our taps showcase a variety of styles and flavors, all of the highest quality. You will always find our flagship beers, Largemouth IPA and Cream Ale, along with a seasonal IPA and a seasonal lager. Our other brews are made for a variety of reasons and are inspired by everything around us at the lake. We currently have a beer called ’Pack & Brass Coffee IPA, which is conditioned on Yirgacheffe coffee beans from Black and Brass Coffee Co. in Honesdale. Each fall, we brew our Wet Hop Farmhouse Ale in which we use fresh, local hops grown by Hop Barons in Honesdale and Avery Mountain Bines & Twine in Wyoming. Our Lake Haze series is definitely a customer favorite and is a series we do that showcases our exploration into hazy beers. We release barrel-aged beers throughout the year as the beers reach the appropriate level of flavor — some require aging up to 18 months. We recently launched our small-batch pilot beer series. These beers are brewed on the smaller of our two brew houses and are available in a very limited amount in our brewpub only when we release them. Our most recent beer created on this system was our Breakfast Stout. We used local maple syrup from Shemanski’s farm and coffee from Black and Brass Coffee Co. As a local brewery, it is important to us to incorporate local products into our business wherever we can — from our kitchen to our brewery. We are fortunate to have great availability and quality of local products we can build into all of our recipes.
Q: What type of seating do you have?
A: We have open seating and have brewery-style service, where drink orders and food orders are placed at our service counters.
Q: What kinds of entertainment and specials do you offer?
A: We always have a variety of board games available on our fireplace shelves. In the summer, we have lawn games in our beer garden including guest favorite games giant Jenga and cornhole. On Fridays and Sundays, we have live music. We hold events throughout the year celebrating holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest. We have lots of different entertainment, such as axe-throwing, paint-and-sip nights, KanJam and cornhole tournaments, yoga classes and seasonal beer-pairing dinners. We also will be offering brewery tours starting this spring.
Q: Do you offer catering , event space, etc.?
A: Yes. We have several space options and packages available for all size groups. We’ve hosted many events including team builders, fundraisers, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions, luncheons, class reunions and birthday parties. Our flexible space and menu options make the brewery a unique location for any group occasion or celebration.
Q: Where do you see the restaurant headed in the future?
A: Our goal is for the brewpub to continue to be a destination for exciting beer, food and entertainment options. We look forward to continue welcoming craft beer seekers and food enthusiasts into our brewpub to enjoy our latest creations and our unique atmosphere for an experience unlike any other in NEPA.
Wallenpaupack Brewing Co.
Address: 73 Welwood Ave., Hawley
Phone: 570-390-7933
Established: 2017
Owners: Becky Ryman and Chris Ryman
Cuisine: Brewpub/American
Hours: Mondays, noon to 9 p.m.; Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 10 p.m.; and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.Online: Visit the Facebook and Instagram pages and wallenpaupack brewingco.com.
Laura Rysz is the features copy editor and calendar editor at The Times-Tribune and runs the Talk of the Times column, which focuses on local fundraisers and other events. She also writes Chef’s Table that profiles restaurants around the region. Additionally, Laura curates events online on AccessNEPA.com. Laura is involved in the special Mother’s Day edition and curates occasional features Marry Memories and Times Travelers. She is a graduate of Haddonfield Memorial High School, New Jersey, and earned an English professional writing degree with a minor in mass communications from King’s College, Wilkes-Barre. She also earned a certificate in Social Media Marketing from Rutgers Business School. Contact: lrysz@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5228.