HAWLEY, PENNSYLVANIA
Residing at a large 10,000 square foot facility with a 20 barrel brewing system, WALLENPAUPACK BREWING COMPANY opened for business September 30, 2017. Along rustic Route 6 in the northeastern Pennsylvania borough of Hawley, an old coal mining community now home to many summertime activities, this pristine microbrewery certainly impressed its nearby citizenry. During my initial July 4th, 2018 sojourn, the place is packed by lunchtime with local minions readied for fine pub fare and well-crafted brews.
Inside its capacious high-ceilinged confines were an 8-stool L-shaped right side bar with ample side and back room dining. Wooden tables and metal chairs also adorn the echoey aluminum-roofed space. A left side hearth adds warmth and the wood-enclosed side patio offers extra seating.
20-plus tap handles serve homemade brews from the large silver brew tanks in a glass-encased room behind the bar. I got to try four samplers on-site and brought 4-packs of popular fare including Lake Haze Double IPA, Largemouth IPA and Paupack Cream Ale (reviewed in Beer Index).
Engaging moderation, Smoke On The Water, let mild rauchbier-like beechwood smoke to spritzy lemon zest above brown breading.
Brisk Seeing Double Red Ale plied sharp India Pale Ale fruiting to biscuit pale malts, leaving orange-peeled grapefruit and pineapple tanginess alongside mellower apple and pear illusions.
Approachable collaboration with Bonn Place Brewing, Nattmara Black Lager, took an interesting twist blending mild molasses-sapped maple, coniferous spruce and mossy fern.
Busy Riverbed Black & Tan regaled molasses-sapped black chocolate malting with appealing cherry snips to counter dry wood-charred hops.
Wallenpaupack Brewing was extremely packed when my wife and I visit for Sunday brunch early December ’25, grabbing a small side table to down ten previously untried brews.
Fluffily cream-headed No Frills Pilsner, a light-bodied German, let floral-spiced lemon musk settle atop cracker-like pilsner malting.
Dry Scotch-like malting drifted into bohemian moderation, Magnifico Czech Pale Lager, a rather common stylistic blend compared to pinkish-cleared For The Love Of Lager, an offbeat blue corn-based elixir with Scotch-dipped corn grits receiving lemony champagne spritz.
Utilizing half the water of flagship Paupack Cream Ale, 8th Anniversary Cream Ale packed a punch as its 9% ABV allowed corn sugared vanilla to infiltrate its spelt-grained tortilla chip crisping and grassy hop stead.
Conditioned on Madagascar bourbon vanilla, Ethiopian coffee beans and espresso, Vanilla Latte Cream Ale doused Paupack’s maize profile with powder-sugared vanilla coffee sweetness.
Moderated banana-clove entry gained sour lemon spritz for Hawley Hefeweizen, placing light vanilla creaming upon its sourdough base.
Salty coriander sprinkled the lightly acidic lime-dried lemon souring meandering thru Cracking Weisse, a crisp Berliner Weiss.
Sessionable dry-bodied Party Cove Tropical IPA occupied zestfully fruited Citra-Mosaic-Azacca hops with sugary wheat-flaked oats, scattering tangy pineapple, grapefruit, orange and mango juicing.
Floral-perfumed pine lacquering spackled the bittersweet orange-peeled yellow grapefruit tanginess of Inside Edge IPA, leaving a cologne-soaked juniper snip.
Nitrogenated cherrywood-smoked rauchbier, Smokestacks, brought Band-aid astringency to campfire-glazed molasses, meat-cured salami and peaty moss.