Wednesday, September 29, 2021

BUSINESSES OF THE SKOOK: Pilger Ruh Brewing in Pottsville


Today we launch our new series of posts "Businesses of the Skook" with People of Skook.
We will be using these to highlight the many businesses in and around Schuylkill County!

Episode #1 - Pilger Ruh Brewing in Pottsville

Local businesses in Pottsville gain support from the community.

Pilger Ruh Brewing had a rough start trying to open a business during the pandemic. However with family and local support they were able to make it happen. Their passion for brewing has now become a local hot spot.

“Once I turned 21 I started getting into the business which was more or less of us venturing out amongst the United States, we’ve traveled all the way to Boston, down to Florida brewery hopping. We went to try the different beers they had to offer, check out different atmosphere’s. We also became friends with a lot of breweries around the area. I’ve worked for Troeg’s, and Snitz Creek, met employees there, and eventually it was a hobby that came into a profession.

Covid was tough, we had a loan to start up and then we lost the loan. We had to max out credit cards, etc. but everything we did is locally sourced. Community crafts is our things, so we had a lot of local friends and family willing to help. A lot of the stuff in this building is original, part of the floor is from the 50’s (we have a picture that was given to us of the floor being installed back then). The bar was done by a good friend, it’s all repurposed wood from the keystone pipeline. Getting over the hurdles was tough, but everyone came together in helping us with what we needed to get. We are finally actually to generate revenue now that everything is running smoothly. We are piecing together some things that needed to get done now that we can make money.

We officially opened the second weekend of July. We are partnering with Bake Shop VI, they’ll be our main food source Thursday-Saturday, they’ll be offering flatbreads, charcuterie, bar snacks, salads, etc. We still plan to offer food trucks occasionally on Sundays for brunch. We always have a seltzer, sours, IPA’s, we offer wine from Long Trout which is also locally sourced, and we also offer spirits from tattered flag distillery. We usually offer about 12 beers at a time; we make everything in house. It’s always changing, what’s up on the board now may change next week.

It’s me (Conlan), my brothers Tony and Tyler that have been behind this coming together. “

Pilger Ruh Brewing now runs open mic nights, trivia nights. Plus, this Thursday the brewery is going to have their first ever Beer Bingo in the taproom, where they will be serving their beer of course, and their menu from their partnership with Bake Shop VI.