SCRANTON — As a cash-strapped college student in 2003, Sean Wolfe wanted to buy a case of Samuel Adams Boston Lager but couldn’t afford it.
He wrote to the company president explaining his dilemma and received a letter back saying essentially “try making your own” home brew.
So, he did — and still does.
On Saturday at the Rhythm and Brews Festival at Montage Mountain, Wolfe, who is president of the Scranton Brewers Guild, held an informal class on the basics of how to make beer.
The guild, which has 30 members, began in 2011 and has been participating in the brewfest at Montage since it began several years ago, Wolfe said.
“This is one of the things we do for community outreach,” said Wolfe, of Clarks Summit.
He fielded questions about filtering and clarifying homemade beers and the different types of grains used in brewing.
Attending the festival for the first time, Michael Snopek and Candy Bednar of Ashley sat in on the class and found it interesting. Snopek has friends who make their own beer, but he doesn’t plan to try his hand at it.
“I don’t have the patience” for the weekslong undertaking, Snopek said.
They were among a large crowd of people who attended the festival that also featured live music and unlimited sampling of over 120 craft beers from throughout the nation. Small beer-drinking glasses were handed out to patrons for sampling the numerous varieties of beer, including IPAs, ales, lagers, stouts, porters and ryes, as well as ciders and seltzers.
Snopek and Bednar noted they used Uber for a ride, paying $32 one way, to get to the festival, and would do the same to get back home.
The festival admission — $35 in advance or $45 at the door — included tribute bands covering Bruce Springsteen, Journey and Bon Jovi, as well as local musicians, including Jay Orrell from Olyphant on guitar and singing, and local craft brewers, including Wallenpaupack Brewing Co. of Hawley.
Crowds packed the main lodge and side barroom, and a smaller building across the entrance plaza. Many people also gathered on the outdoor decks around several fire pits that provided warmth on the cold, crisp day at the base of the mountain.
Other classes held during the festival by Scranton Brewers Guild included:
Hot Rocks, Steinbier: This age-old brewing process uses super-heated rocks dropped into the wort to flash boil it in a wooden vessel. This method is attributed mainly to Austria, where the last original brewery making this style of beer closed in 1917. Today, this unique and labor-intensive style is limited to a few commercial breweries and homebrewers looking to keep the process alive.
What’s all the FIZZ about? Exploring the seltzer craze: Hard seltzers have been growing in popularity. Are they here to stay or just a fad?
Pass the Bourbon: Bourbon-aged stouts, a rich dark beer with roasted coffee and chocolate notes, pair up with caramel and oak complexities of bourbon. Based on alcohol and sugar contents, these beers also age well, and collectors keep different vintages for years to explore how they change in taste.
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