When Wayne and Steph attended the ShawneeCraft Brewing Company’s tasting at the Foodery during Philly Beer Week, they met Jason Startari, the business manager of the brewery. They were so intrigued by the current happenings at the brewery, that they contacted Jason via e-mail. A few days later, he sent this information about ShawneeCraft’s philosophies, beers, and new Tap Room.
The guiding principle at ShawneeCraft is True to Nature; True to the Craft. This means a few things to them.
First, they are very fortunate to be located in such an amazing setting, on the banks of the Delaware River, surrounded by State and National Forest, at the historic Shawnee Inn. They believe in the responsibility to be stewards of the land.
Second, ShawneeCraft uses only the very best ingredients they can get their hands on to make beers that are organic and local if possible. In fact, none of their beers are less than 93% organic by dry weight. They grow their own pumpkins for Pumpkin Saison (on the Great Shawna Farm), and they use honey from their own hives in a few different recipes.
They also make beers based on traditional recipes, which they call “old-fangled” beers, taking lots of inspiration from Belgium, England, and Germany. And they support other local craftspeople at every opportunity possible (artists, musicians, blacksmiths, carpenters, etc.).
ShawneeCraft recently opened the Tap Room in the brewery, so that folks visiting Shawnee can try some beer right where it’s made! They are offering free tours at 12:00 noon Wednesdays through Sundays. All tours start in the main lobby of the Shawnee Inn, and guests are asked to check-in with the Concierge at least 15 minutes in advance.
Tours showcase the beautiful setting and amenities in Shawnee, and conclude in the Brewery with a discussion about ShawneeCraft and the brewing process.
The Tap Room is open 1:00pm – 5:00pm Wednesdays through Sundays as well, and until 10:00pm on Thursdays.
They try to reserve some special beers that can only be found in the Tap Room. For example, right now they have a beer called Sub Rosa on draft. Sub Rosa is a Belgian dark strong ale that has been aged in fresh American oak Bordeaux barrels. They’ve released a few kegs to special accounts, but mostly Sub Rosa is available in the Tap Room. Bottles are sold at the Tap Room as well.
There are a couple painting projects currently in the works, and Jason will send pictures of the finished product when they’re ready. In the meantime, there are a couple almost-finished shots of the Tap Room and Brewery below. Jason also shared ShawneeCraft’s Gospel, which provides more information about the brewery, and gives detailed descriptions of all their beers.
ShawneeCraft also hosts special events in the Brewery, such as the Rhythm & Brews music series to showcase local talent. The next show is scheduled for Friday, June 28th, 2013, and features two local bands: The Pocono Duo and the Tocks Island Band. These shows are done about every 4-6 weeks. This will be the 4th show overall, and they have all been a blast!
Shawnee also has other awesome amenities, such as a 27-hole championship golf course, great restaurants featuring local food – Gem and Keystone Brew Pub and the River Room Piano Lounge, full-service Spa, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding on the Wild and Scenic Delaware River, hiking/biking in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. More information on all of these can be found at www.shawneeinn.com.
