Weyerbacher Brewing Co - Easton, PA

Weyerbacher has been around for over 20 years now. Sometimes it's easy to forget how long some breweries have been in existence when there have been so many popping up on the craft beer scene within the past four years in New Jersey. Located in Easton, Pennsylvania, Weyerbacher has been a steady bastion of quality beers nestled quite securely closely to the PA/NJ border. I've had a few of their bombers and six packs in the past, so I was no stranger to the beers. The one thing I definitely knew about this brewery is that they specialized in a bunch of beer styles that in the past I was typically unfamiliar with or usually wouldn't drink. So now, I definitely felt up to the challenge of trying Weyerbacher out and give it a fair shot.

Cool little taproom with lots of space for activities.

Upon entry, you are immediately greeted by the bar area. The employees here are friendly and will immediately welcome you to the establishment. They don't do traditional flights here, instead you have the option of different sizes to choose from. All of the options of beverages are either on the menu or up on the wall to the right. There's a seating area to the left, some barrels to stand at, and some games and activities to keep yourself entertained while consuming cold, delicious beer. One thing I absolutely loved about coming here is that the beer menu gives you the option to purchase singles of their beer before leaving, just in case you want 1 or 2 of everything to take home. This is such a great idea and a brilliant option to have.

This is almost half of the offerings on tap - they have a LOT of variety.

The options for beer can be overwhelming at first. The beertenders walked us through some of the finer points of the styles and what to try. Weyerbacher easily has over 15 taps and plenty of styles to choose from. Want a lager, a Hefeweizen, an IPA, a stout or a belgian dubbel? They have ALL of those covered and then more. I had already been familiar with some of the beers like the Wit, the Blithering Idiot, and the Last Chance IPA, so we decided to navigate into uncharted territory.

So a pilsner, a Hefeweizen, and two IPA's walk into a bar...

Right off the bat, we decided to just start with four of the tasters. We were unsure of what to expect and knew we'd eventually go heavier into the lineup. This is what we ordered:

• Jester's Choice #5: A Hefeweizen brewed with citrus peels, this beer impressed. Now with summer in full swing, we're looking for lighter bodied beers to enjoy during the hotter temperatures and this was great.
• Line Street Pils: This is a hoppy pilsner hopped with Centennial and Mandarina Bavaria. This pilsner was amazing. I can't even begin to try to explain how good this was. It was reminiscent an IPL, but not quite. I've honestly had nothing like it before, and the reason I say it's almost an IPL is because the closest thing I can compare this to is Jack Abby's Hoponius Union, but this beer stands on its own. We took some home.
• Single IPA #1: This one didn't do too much for us. It's hoppy but didn't feel like it had that great of a body to it. It's a lighter option and better served as an introductory IPA to someone new to the craft beer scene.
• Double Simcoe: This was our favorite IPA of the day. It rings in heavily at 9% and is a hard-hitter, but at the end of the day, I felt this was Weyerbacher's best IPA.

Time for this session to get a little darker.

With the four first offerings out of the way, we felt confident heading into deeper waters.

• Last Chance IPA with Apricot: We wanted to give this a try. Not really being a fan of Last Chance, we decided to give this a try and see if maybe the addition of apricots helped out the beer, but unfortunately, it was a bit too much for us. The flavor was a little too tangy. I'm sure there are those that would enjoy this, but not for us. Double Simcoe takes the IPA crown.
• Jester's Choice #4: Smoked porter. I'm a fan of this style as long as someone can absolutely nail it. Unfortunately, a lot of breweries can't seem to quite bringing the smokiness to balance well with the beer. Fortunately, Weyerbacher actually got this style down right. It's full of balance with just enough smokiness to provide an enjoyable beer. I'd have this as a "cordial" after a nice meal.
• Insanity: 11.1% and aged in whiskey barrels? This one is just asking for trouble. It's their elevated version of Blithering Idiot and boy, did I greatly enjoy this. You just have to try this if you are into much darker and full-bodied beers.
• TINY: Dear god, this beer is anything but tiny. If you like Imperial Stouts, you will love this Belgian inspired Imperial. This beer is made to be sipped, enjoyed, and talked about. It was good enough to order a second taster all for myself. The roasted chocolate notes are at the forefront here and very delightful. I could see myself having this on those cooler nights where I want to feel some inner warmth brought upon by quality beer.

We loved certain beers, but not the ones you would expect. These two were awesome.

We definitely enjoyed our visit to Weyerbacher. In a world of who has the juiciest IPA or the latest hop bomb craze, it was nice to dial it back a little and find a place where some of their best beers weren't an IPA. Don't get me wrong, the ones we tried were okay and by no means bad, but they were easily outshined by the rest of their offerings. The Line Street Pils is something amazing to behold. We took a few bottles of that home because it's going to be absolutely perfect at a BBQ or at the beach or just at home on a summer afternoon. I know that saying that a pilsner is a great summer option usually isn't the sexiest choice of words, but believe me, this one definitely needs to be tried.

If you're into trying an almost seemingly endless assortment of beers and want to take a trip out, you won't be disappointed. From their imperial stouts to their Hefes to the Wild Ales, there's certainly a style of beer for everyone at this wonderful brewery in Easton. In fact, I personally challenge any of you out there willing to step out of their beer comfort zone to head over to Weyerbacher and try everything. Just give it a chance, let the beertenders educate you on the different styles and nuances of each. 

We're looking forward to what else Weyerbacher will be producing in the Jester's Choice series and to hopefully try more of the different varieties produced here. A return visit in the future is a definite and hopefully we'll be able to sip on some more of that TINY or just simply try more of everything.