ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An Easton-area favorite brewery appears to be coming to Allentown.
Weyerbacher Brewing, which has been in Easton since its founding in 1995, will open a tap room in the former Pines Dinner Theater space adjacent to Fairgrounds Hotel in Allentown, the building's owner said.
Weyerbacher will have a full kitchen and performance stage in the former theater at 448 N. 17th St., building owner and operator Dominic Germano said in a Facebook post late Friday.
Weyerbacher also will operate the outdoor MainGate Beer garden next door, Germano said in the post.
"They have [an] incredible profile of beers/beverages and [I] think they are gonna create some new vibrant history on the corner, and I could have not asked for a better tenant in Weyerbacher."Building owner Dominic Germano
"I feel very good about their brand, their team," Germano said in the post.
"Especially their CEO Eddie Lozano, who I got to know well over the last couple months and I trust wholeheartedly to bring the location back to its original beer garden roots that my family started in 1980.
"They have [an] incredible profile of beers/beverages and [I] think they are gonna create some new vibrant history on the corner, and I could have not asked for a better tenant in Weyerbacher."
Pines Dinner Theater, which operated in the space for 14 years, said in January 2024 that its lease had not be renewed.
The Pines announced in March 2024 that it had relocated to the Shops at Cedar Point at 315 S. Cedar Crest Blvd., South Whitehall Township, where it now operates.
Third Weyersbacher location
The new location would be Weyerbacher Brewing's third. It recently held a one-year anniversary of opening a taproom in Emmaus in June 2024 at 518 Bank St., in the former location of the popular Funk Brewing.
Weyerbacher was founded in a livery stable in downtown Easton and eventually outgrew that small space and moved to the 30,000-square-foot facility at 905 Line Street, Easton, that it still occupies, according to its website.
Weyerbacher was acquired in 2022 by the former chief executive officer of Pittsburgh Brewing following a bankruptcy filing that year.
More than a year ago, MainGate owner Germano said that after four decades as a family-run business, he wasseeking a business partner to breathe new life into one of the Lehigh Valley’s longest-running clubs.
Germano said at the time that the right partner — someone who’s “an entrepreneur and an idea maker” — could make sure MainGate and “the legacy of the corner of 17th and Liberty continues in the right way."
'Exciting addition to the West End'
Germano's father, Michael “Skip” Germano, acquired the property in 1980 and “turned MainGate from a beer garden into a full-service nightclub.”
He also took over the Allentown Fairgrounds Hotel around the same time, after that property was “abandoned and pretty much left for dead,” Germano said.
"In my opinion, these brew pub operations are the taverns of the future and the future is bright for Wayerbachers on the Fairgrounds."Building owner Dominic Germano
Shortly after, crews made “extensive renovations” from “top to bottom” on the Fairgrounds Hotel, which “is what you see today,” German said.
He said he’s been part of the family business for most of his adult life.
Skip Germano and his wife, Joan, ran the business for several decades until their son took over as manager and owner about 15 years ago.
Germano also serves as head chef at the Allentown Fairgrounds Hotel, a full-service bar and restaurant that can serve more than 200 people at a time.
Germano, who is in his mid-40s, said he has taken “more of a liking to the restaurant business” as he’s matured in the hospitality industry.
In the new Facebook post, Germano said that "in my opinion, these brew pub operations are the taverns of the future and the future is bright for Wayerbachers on the Fairgrounds."
"And I may also assist with some of the food provisions. It’s an exciting addition to [Allentown's] West End. Stay tuned."
