Inside Funk Brewing Company

by theelvee_w2oe3m

The Lehigh Valley’s latest brewery, Funk Brewing Company, has been pumping out tasty brews since February, when the company held its first product launch at The Trapp Door Gastropub in Emmaus during Lehigh Valley Beer Week.  Since then, the crew of the Emmaus brewery has been working on expanding their line-up and readying their tasting room.  We got a sneak peek inside of the brewery prior to the public unveiling and chatted with the co-owner Kyle Funk and head brewer (and now partner) Joe Percoco.

The brewery, a nearly 2800 square foot facility, is just blocks away from the Emmaus Triangle, and features a 15 barrel (or ~472 gallon) brewing system that currently feeds into four fermenters, with the possibility of expansion.  Focusing on IPAs, saisons, and sour beers, head brewer Joe Percoco has already created a very solid line-up of beers.  After stints around the area at Weyerbacher, Saucony Creek, and Barley Creek, Percoco has taken over the brewing helm at Funk.  His creations include Citrus IPA, brewed with Mosaic, Citra, and Simcoe hops, Savage Sour Saison, Efflorescence saison, Crimson Kriek Saison, Redolent Rye Pale Ale, Brood Farmhouse IPA, Table Beer, a sessionable IPA/kolsch hybrid.  Percoco also mentioned he hopes to start wine barrel aging some of their beers in the near future.

So what about that tasting room?  According to the owner and more recent reports at WFMZ (we visited in late May), Emmaus is currently reviewing an ordinance that would allow the tasting room to finally open.  Currently brewpubs and tasting rooms aren’t permitted under Emmaus’s zoning, and a decision on the new ordinance should come in early September.  Afterwards the brewery will have to present their tasting room plans to the council to receive approval, after which the tasting room can open.  As long as everything goes to plan, the taproom should be open not long after.In the meantime, the Funk’s beers can be had all over the Lehigh Valley as well as Philadelphia.  While the brewery doesn’t currently have an intention to bottle (their beers sell fast enough through keg distribution that it doesn’t make sense right now), plenty of bars are carrying their line-up through Shangy’s distribution, also in Emmaus.  Some local bars that typically have at least one of their offerings on draft or rotate them on and off include the 2nd Street Tavern in Emmaus, Broadway Social in Bethlehem, Strange Brew in Allentown, The Mint in Bethlehem, and the Keystone Pub in Whitehall.  We’ll keep you updated on when the tasting room will be open to everyone.




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5 comments

Brett S July 29, 2014 - 10:36 pm

Youell’s Oyster House had them on tap a couple weeks ago. Great stuff.

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Funk Brewing Taproom Now Open, New Fall Beer Released | The El Vee August 30, 2014 - 11:16 am

[…] Brewing Company, who we profiled in July, has officially opened their taproom.  Located at 19 S 6th St, the new brewery is open for yours […]

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Funk Brewing Company | Resident Tourist – Bethlehem, PA June 24, 2015 - 10:44 pm

[…] history prior to their ability to sell beer by the glass.  The article can be found here. Since the article’s publication (July 2014) the tasting room has opened and the prices […]

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Funk Brewing releasing collaboration DIPA this weekend | The El Vee April 29, 2016 - 1:12 pm

[…] Funk Brewing Company in Emmaus is releasing a collaboration beer brewed with Two Brothers Brewing Company out of Chicago at their brewery this Saturday at noon.  An 8.3% double IPA, “Right About Now” has aromas of papaya and fresh cut mango.  It’s only available in draft, so belly up to the bar for a pint or 12oz glass and bring a growler along for fills.  You might also want to stop by Friday evening, as Funk is previewing their latest canned beer, Tumble Weed, a 5.5% IPA described as “an aromatic dank and juicy east coast pale ale exhibiting pungent pine, citrus, and a hint of earthy spice balanced by a slight malty character.”  It’s a good weekend to be at Funk. […]

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Funk Releasing Rye Pale Ale Cans Tomorrow – The El Vee February 10, 2017 - 9:42 pm

[…] Funk Brewing in Emmaus is gearing up for another release tomorrow of their 365 Pale Ale, initially named Redolent Rye.  Seeing cans for the first time, this 5.7% Rye IPA has been amped up for this round with a half pound of dry hopping per barrel.  While we haven’t tasted this batch yet, previous batches were solid, and the brewery touts the new recipe, saying the dry hopping gives “give this rye pale ale a crisp, and exceedingly aromatic notes of pine, elderflowers, and tropical fruit entangled with a dry earthy finish.” […]

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