ShawneeCraft Brewing Company and Wallenpaupack Brewing Company launched a new collaboration beer series, Lakes & Rivers, on Thursday, April 6th, 2023. The first two beers in the series, an Imperial Pilsner and an Imperial Schwarzbier are available now in both brewery’s taprooms and through their distribution channels.
“This was all about the brewers from each brewery coming together to do something fun, and to learn from each other,” said Logan Ackerley, Head Brewer, Wallenpaupack Brewing Company. “We love brewing lagers, but we wanted to do something that was a little out of both of our comfort zones; something that would challenge us. We are super happy with the outcome; these beers are awesome.”
Speaking to how the partnership began, ShawneeCraft’s Head Brewer, Devin Vogel said, “both of our breweries recently received Silver Medals at last year’s US Open Beer Championship. Wallenpaupack medaled for their Hefeweizen and ShawneeCraft for our Belgian Wit – essentially the German and Belgian equivalents of the same classic wheat beer. That got us to thinking, we both make great beers – maybe we should do a collab.”
There are currently three beers in the Lakes & Rivers collaboration series: an Imperial Pilsner, an Imperial Schwarzbier, and a Barrel-Aged Imperial Schwarzbier. All three of these beers are “big” lagers – all with alcohol by volume (ABV) over 8.5% – something that is somewhat atypical for these two breweries who tend to focus more on session beers (lower ABV beers where multiple glasses can be enjoyed in one “session”), usually around 5% ABV or less.
“This whole process really came out of our brewing teams, who honestly just really like each other’s beers,” said ShawneeCraft Chief Operating Officer, Michael Albert. “This industry is all about collaborations. The more we work together, and strengthen each other’s work, the more people will shift away from mass-produced domestic brews towards locally brewed craft beer. It’s less about protecting proprietary info on our products, and more about creating great beer and great experiences as active and engaging members of our communities.”
“There is such a wealth of talented brewers in the Poconos, and we really subscribe to the high tides raising all ships mentality,” said Brad Beneski, Director of Business Administration and Development, Wallenpaupack Brewing Company. “So, getting to collaborate on such unique beers with another brewery that’s in our backyard was a no-brainer.”
Lakes & Rivers beers are available on tap, and in 16 oz cans in both ShawneeCraft and Wallenpaupack taprooms. The Lakes & Rivers Barrel-Aged Imperial Schwarzbier is anticipated to be available at the end of April.
