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Property transfers for the week of Feb. 27, 2017

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Your view: Democrats need to offer solutions, not fight Trump

<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; Fans thirsting for Breaker Brewing Company to put their coal-themed creations in cans will soon get what they&#8217;ve been waiting for thanks to an expansion that promises to produce enough product to keep the containers coming.</p><p>Brewers and co-owners Mark Lehman and Chris Miller have poured hours of labor and upwards of $350,000 into transforming St. Joseph&#8217;s Church into the home of their new 10-barrel brewing system, which they say will increase their current output five fold.</p><p>Still occupying the neighboring schoolhouse turned brewpub is the current three-barrel system. A barrel produces about 31 gallons, Miller explained one recent afternoon as improvements were still underway inside the church.</p><p>Longtime friends Miller, 43, and Lehman, 45, say they&#8217;ve played it largely by ear when it comes to expansion. They added a second bar and large dining room to their brewpub last year. A pet-friendly patio is nestled between the church and brewpub, and the view from nearly atop Northampton Street makes for a scenic backdrop, they noted.</p><p>All told, Miller and Lehman have drank in plenty of praise since opening in 2013, but no matter what new features they added the same question always came up.</p><p>&#8220;Everybody&#8217;s always asking us when we&#8217;re going to have cans,&#8221; Lehman said. &#8220;The answer is very soon.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;As soon as we possibly <em>can</em>,&#8221; Miller joked.</p><p>The demand for cans isn&#8217;t exactly a surprise. Whereas drafts and bottles used to be king, cans have exploded in popularity in the craft beer industry in recent years, spiking from two- to 10-percent of total craft sales volume from 2011 to 2014, according to data from the Brewer&#8217;s Association, a national organization of brewers.</p><p>The reasons? Cans go places bottles can&#8217;t, for one. They block out the light and oxygen, keeping beer fresh longer. Moreover, they&#8217;re less costly from a distribution standpoint, the Brewer&#8217;s Association says. Maybe most importantly, they&#8217;re a niche in a growing market.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s what&#8217;s popular right now,&#8221; Miller said. </p><p>The new brewing system and canning line should be up and running by next month, the brewers say. It&#8217;s an accomplishment that they say has lent perspective to a business that got its start more than a decade ago in Miller&#8217;s garage.</p><p>They began selling to local bars in 2009 and in 2011 bought the 2.5 acre St. Joseph&#8217;s Monastery and School. In 2014, they obtained a license to sell food and pints of beer, most of which draw their name from the region&#8217;s rich anthracite coal history.</p><p>The three-barrel system got them this far, but Miller and Lehman say the new system will allow them to put their product in the hands of even more customers. It arrived from Connecticut in mid-April.</p><p>Before then, the brewers spent about $70,000 converting the church, which involved tearing out and replacing the floor, among other projects Miller and Lehman tackled largely on their own. In all, they say the effort to renovate the church and add the new brewing system cost around $350,000.</p><p>Once the system is ready to go, the brewery will be able to can a case of beer per minute, host release parties, brew more beer and distribute their product further. They currently ship as far as Clarks Summit.</p><p>The brewers hope their can releases live up to what their fans have been waiting for.</p><p>&#8220;When we release a new beer in cans, we&#8217;re going to try to model it like a really big party,&#8221; Lehman said. &#8220;We want to make this the coolest.&#8221;</p><p><ins>For other local business stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/business" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Breaker Brewing Company co-owner Mark Lehman talks about the brewery&#8217;s coming canning operation while standing among their new 10 barrel brewing system on Thursday. Once up and running, the system will allow Breaker to produce five times as much beer as their current system. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL051917breaker1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Breaker Brewing Company co-owner Mark Lehman talks about the brewery&#8217;s coming canning operation while standing among their new 10 barrel brewing system on Thursday. Once up and running, the system will allow Breaker to produce five times as much beer as their current system. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL051917breaker2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Breaker Brewing Company co-owner Chris Miller remincies about how far the business has come on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL051917breaker2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Breaker Brewing Company co-owner Chris Miller remincies about how far the business has come on Thursday. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL051917breaker3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Brewing assistant Carl Venosh is reflected in a brewing tank at Breaker Brewery in Wilkes-Barre Twp. on Thursday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_TTL051917breaker3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Brewing assistant Carl Venosh is reflected in a brewing tank at Breaker Brewery in Wilkes-Barre Twp. on Thursday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Joe Dolinsky</p><p>jdolinsky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>IF YOU GO</strong></p><p>Breaker Brewing Company</p><p>787 E. Northampton St.</p><p>Wilkes-Barre Twp., PA 18702</p><p><strong>HOURS</strong></p><p>&#8226; Tuesday 5-9 p.m.</p><p>&#8226; Wednesday 5-9 p.m.</p><p>&#8226; Thursday 4-9 p.m.</p><p>&#8226; Friday 4-9 p.m.</p><p>&#8226; Saturday 12-9 p.m.</p><p><strong>ONLINE</strong></p><p>www.breakerbrewingcompany.com</p><p>www.facebook.com/breakerbrewing</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Joe Dolinsky at 570-991-6110 or on Twitter @JoeDolinskyTL</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Yes they can: Breaker Brewing Company’s expansion means canning line, more beer