Sherman Street Beer Company is the latest brewery to open in Lehigh Valley. We recently caught up with Beau Baden, who along with his wife Casey DeCeia, both own the brewery. Through our conversation, we learned more about the operations, the brewing history, and what customers can expect when visiting.
Sherman Street officially opened on April 16th of 2021 at 1825 E Tremont Street in Allentown. Operating seven days a week in what was previously the old Mink’s Candy Factory.
Read our full conversation with Beau below:
BIPA: How did Sherman Street Beer Company start? What is your brewing history?
Beau: In 1993, I had been home brewing, and decided I wanted to open a brewery. I built a 2bbl brewhouse at my house, and there was really no market for craft beer at the time. I then decided to enroll in the American Brewers Guild. I then worked at Gordon Biersch Brewery and then moved on to 150,000 bbl Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley. I then worked for Fegley’s Brew Works, and then most recently Susquehanna Brewing Company. It’s crazy to think I went from 2 bbls to then 150,000 bbls!
BIPA: Can you describe the location that the Sherman Street Beer Company is operating from?
Beau: Well, we bought the building 4 years ago. This 5,000 sq/ft building was once the Mink’s Candy Factory. We have 3,000 sq/ft dedicated for the taproom, 1,000 sq/ft for the brewery, and also 1,000 for an apartment on site.
Our system has a 25 bbl kettle capacity. We have a converted dairy mash tun and fermenters that range from 8-15 bbls. We may be getting a 30 bbl in soon. We also have two 15 barrel lagering tanks.
Outside we have a large beer garden area that is 2,400 sq/ft on the side of the building. We have parking for 32 cars as well. We also have outdoor seating at our bar once we roll up the window!
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BIPA: What styles of beer do you plan to offer to the public?
Beau: We have 12 taps for beer, and also offer seltzers, PA wine, and maybe eventually some PA liquor. In addition to cans soon, we will be doing a lot of wholesale distribution hopefully soon!
As far as beer styles, I am aiming to put out a little of everything: Lagers, IPA’s, Fruited Sours, Belgian Styles. I am also looking to put out some Wild brews and also barrel-aged beers in both wine and liquor barrels.
BIPA: Does the brewery have food?
Beau: Yes! Right now we serve specialty hot dogs with different kinds of toppings. In total, we have 12-14 different combinations. We also have soft pretzel varieties as another choice. We will be adding more menu options once we have a full-time chef in house. You can then expect items such as sandwiches to join the mix.
Make sure to keep up with Sherman Street Beer Company by following them on both Facebook and Instagram.
