You’re hard-pressed, these days at least, to find an area that is still largely underserved by craft breweries. But up until last summer, the Pocono Mountains region in eastern Pennsylvania was one such swath of the United States. Sure, there were some small taprooms and brewpubs that had opened over the years, and the cities on the outskirts, such as Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, house some legacy and larger breweries, but among the mountains and lakes proper, there was little that was big.
Then along came the sister and brother duo of Becky and Christopher Ryman. Their family has run a propane tank–refurbishing business in the area for years, lives nearby, and has a lake house on Lake Wallenpaupack—a well-loved and well-known recreational area. “We’d be here on the weekends and thinking about what the area needs, what the people are doing, and how can we capitalize on the area and contribute,” says Becky Ryman.
The idea for the Wallenpaupack Brewing Company, however, came from their cousin, the owner of Marker 48 Brewing in Spring Hill, Florida. He began homebrewing in his garage before going pro and extolled the benefits of the business. As Ryman traveled the country for work, she began visiting breweries, taking notes, asking questions, and tasting her way through all the offerings—both beer and food—that places had. A business plan began to form in her mind, and by Christmas 2016, when she and her brother exchanged homebrew kits with each other, they knew it was time to start a business.