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<p>CARBONDALE &#8212; For craft beer fans in Northeastern Pennsylvania, 2012 was a good year. It&#8217;s when three regular guys &#8212; plus one with a whimsical beard &#8212; opened a microbrewery, 3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d Brewing Company, in their hometown ensuring good-tasting beer was more accessible.</p><p>Matt Zuk, Dave Oakley, Jon Bronson and Johnny Waering a.k.a &#8220;The Beard,&#8221; solidified the area as a contributor to the craft beer game and started an explosive empire. Their product is available in 16 counties throughout Pennsylvania. Local bars such as Backyard Ale House in Scranton and R Bar &amp; Grill in Nanticoke pour their tap beer to loyal followers. The locally made product can even be found in bars as far south as Philadelphia.</p><p>Their latest endeavor is a taproom opening Sept. 25. Waering and Zuk hope the taproom will revitalize their hometown and serve as a testing ground for experimental beers. Appetizers, salads and sandwiches will be served along with perhaps the most important item on the menu &#8212; beer.</p><p>AND SO IT GOES&#8230;</p><p>It all started about 10 years ago with a group of drinking buddies who got together every other Sunday to brew some beer and barbecue. Zuk and Oakley were working in the culinary industry, Bronson was in the Air Force and Waering was a laborer working a warehouse job.</p><p>These friends, who grew up together, decided to brew good craft beer as a hobby. After brewing for four years, they had brewed more beer than they could drink Waering said.</p><p>&#8220;All of our friends and family loved it, so we decided to see what other people thought,&#8221; Waering said. &#8220;We had an abundance of beer, so we called different bars and restaurants and asked if they&#8217;d mind if we came down and sampled some beer to see what they thought about it. It was a way to get rid of some beer and gain some feedback.&#8221;</p><p>Following a favorable reaction to their product from taste testers, the tight circle of friends began flirting with the idea of turning their pastime into a business.</p><p>&#8220;One night in 2009, we were sitting on Dave&#8217;s porch, having a few brews &#8230; and we threw out some ideas of how we could keep good beer around and have it more accessible in the area,&#8221; Waering said. &#8220;The first idea was to open our own six-pack shop where we could sell our own beer and have a little brewery in the back. Then we decided, &#8216;Let&#8217;s just open a brewery.&#8217;&#8221;</p><p>So they decided to &#8220;rock and roll&#8221; with the idea, Waering said.</p><p>It took a few years for them to get there, but they made it happen. &#8220;We decided to do it all on our own,&#8221; Waering said. &#8220;We didn&#8217;t want to borrow money or take out a loan. We&#8217;ve been funding this on our own by brewing beer since we started. And we take pride in that right there.&#8221;</p><p>The 3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d Brewing Company finally opened its doors on New Year&#8217;s Day in 2012 &#8212; and their product has been thriving ever since.</p><p>THE TAPROOM</p><p>Opening a taproom was always a goal in the works for the brewing company.</p><p>&#8220;We wanted to be able to sell pints at the brewery, but we needed a brewpub license,&#8221; Zuk said.</p><p>Their license allowed the brewery to sell 64 ounce growlers and cases of beer. But in May, the laws changed, Waering said, allowing small breweries to sell six-packs, 12-packs and pints of beer.</p><p>Now the guys are ready to offer an opportunity for craft beer lovers to sit down and enjoy a Carbond&#8217;Alien Pale Ale, Chewhoppa IPA or Soul Patch Pumpkin Ale with them &#8212; while getting a first look at what the brewing buddies are working on.</p><p>&#8220;The taproom will be a testing ground for our experimental beers to see what people think of them. If people like them a lot, then it might become a year-round beer,&#8221; Zuk said. &#8220;Our Shaving Cream Ale &#8230; was supposed to be a one and done type thing. People loved it so much, it just made it to the year-round. Now it&#8217;s one of our best sellers.&#8221;</p><p>Waering and Zuk hope the taproom will help introduce their product to more people. And for anyone who already has their favorite 3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d brew, they hope they will get exposed to a new favorite. Anywhere from five to nine beers will be available on tap.</p><p>An example of a limited beer now available is their Oyster Stout, available at Cooper&#8217;s Seafood House in Scranton and Cooper&#8217;s Waterfront &amp; Tiki Bar in Pittston.</p><p>KEEPING IT LOCAL</p><p>Waering said he and the guys will never forget where they came from. &#8220;We&#8217;re local. We&#8217;re not a big company,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We&#8217;re still little guys from Carbondale and that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re always going to be &#8212; guys from Carbondale.&#8221;</p><p>To show their gratititude, they intend to support the people who supported them. Local ingredients will be incorporated into food menu items to be served at the taproom, as it is in their beer.</p><p>The food menu will change each week, based on season and available ingredients. One item slated for the menu is a cheese platter.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m picking up cheese from Calkin&#8217;s Creaming for our cheese platter,&#8221; Zuk said. &#8220;They&#8217;re out of Honesdale. They use one of our beers for one of their cheeses, too, actually.&#8221;</p><p>Zuk, who is looking forward to using his culinary skills, raved over the pulled pork sandwich that will be on the menu. The pork will be hand-pulled and cooked in their Chewhoppa IPA.</p><p>A grand opening party will take place from 4 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 25. The event will feature a live performance by Tom Graham, with more festivities to be announced.</p><p>Regular business hours for the taproom will be from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturdays.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">3 Guys And A Beer'd Brewery in Carbondale. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer01.jpg</photo0><caption0>3 Guys And A Beer'd Brewery in Carbondale. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer02.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A cheese platter will be one of the menu items prepared for customers at 3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer02.jpg</photo1><caption1>A cheese platter will be one of the menu items prepared for customers at 3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer03.jpg</photo2><caption2>3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </caption2><photoCredit2>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer04.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer04.jpg</photo3><caption3>3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </caption3><photoCredit3>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer05.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Visitors will be able to test different beers, said Matt Zuk of 3 Guys And A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer05.jpg</photo4><caption4>Visitors will be able to test different beers, said Matt Zuk of 3 Guys And A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </caption4><photoCredit4>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer06.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">3 Guys And A Beer'd Brewery in Carbondale. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer06.jpg</photo5><caption5>3 Guys And A Beer'd Brewery in Carbondale. (Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader)</caption5><photoCredit5>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit5></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer07.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo6>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_3guysbeer07.jpg</photo6><caption6>3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d taproom in Carbondale. </caption6><photoCredit6>Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader </photoCredit6></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Here&#8217;s a first look inside the 3 Guys and a Beer&#8217;d taproom</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Justin Adam Brown</p><p>jbrown@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>IF YOU GO</p><p>What: Grand opening of 3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d Taproom</p><p>When: 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday, September 25</p><p>Where: 3 Guys and A Beer&#8217;d Taproom, 49 N. Church St., Carbondale</p><p>More information: Facebook.com/3guysandabeerdtaproom</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Justin Adam Brown at 570-991-6652 or on Twitter @wkdr</p></shirttailMeta></div>

3 Guys and a Beer’d to start serving food in their new taproom