Monday, May 21, 2018

Lancaster Stop #2: History cherished at Wacker Br.

    At one point in the nineteenth century, in the industrializing decades after the civil war, Lancaster was reputed to be brewing seven percent of all the beer consumed in the U.S.  One of the leading producers was Eagle Brewing Co., founded in 1853.  Joseph Wacker purchased the brewery in 1870 and he and his sons and grandsons ran it up to and then after Prohibition until 1938, a sixty-eight year run.  The brewery closed in 1956 along with hundreds of regional brewers in that era, and after another fifty-eight years, the business was reborn under the same name, Wacker Brewing Co., in 2014.
    Both the website and the interior of the taproom pay homage to this history. Along with photos of the original brewery, now demolished a few blocks away, the owners have framed and hung labels that once festooned Wacker bottles back in the day.  The Bohemian Pilsner, a best seller for the brewery in draft or 12-oz cans, was a leading brand back then, too.  The Kolsch is another popular style, according to brewer Michael Spychalski.

     The ten-barrel brewing system with four fermenters down in the basement keep about a half-dozen styles on tap here.  Wacker II just celebrated three years of business May  15. On the left, a glass of Marzen, somewhat lighter in color than many brewers make (isn't Marzen the style of choice for many oktoberfest beers?).  Or is memory tricking me here in the springtime? This led with the malt and went down very well.




(Visited 05/02/18)

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