Wallenpaupack Brewing Comany is a production brewery and brewpub located in Hawley, Pennsylvania, established in 2017. In the recent receipt of sample beers from Bolide Communications, a selection of Wallenpaupack brews were included, with an emphasis on seasonal summer drinking. I also got a follow-up shipment of Smallmouth Low-Cal IPA, the brewery’s latest. The first arrived early-mid July, the low-cal about a week later.

The brewery is new enough and far enough that I hadn’t heard of it prior to receiving the beers. The small town—really borough—of Hawley, is located in the Pocono Mountains, about 45 minutes east of Scranton, and near the shore of Lake Wallenpaupack, a popular summer recreation destination. Hence the tagline on the marking material I received: “Brewed with lake affection.” Here’s more:

At Wallenpaupack Brewing Company, the lake serves as an inspiration for brewing great beers—and our way of life. It offers beauty and bounty—a quiet escape for some, an adventure for others, and a beloved home for many.

The lake is where things slow down and refreshment takes center stage. It’s where you’re surrounded by friends and family, sharing good laughs and making memories that last a lifetime.

So whether you’re able to visit our brewery in the Poconos (Pennsylvania) or enjoying our beers remotely, we hope you’re reminded of a time and place that inspires you as much as the lake inspires us.

Which makes sense as to the lake- and recreation-themed names behind the beers. Let’s get to them.

Party Cove Session IPA

This ale is 4.4% ABV and 45 IBUs, “crushable for days on the lake.” Since the Wallenpaupack website is a bit lacking on details (not sure how much of that is because of COVID), here’s the Untappd description:

A crisp, crushable low-ABV IPA designed to keep the party going. All the delicious fruity flavors and aromas of Amarillo, Azacca, and Mosaic hops combined with a light body and pleasant dry finish.

If you’re keeping track of such things, this beer was packaged on June 27 (I drank it July 20).

Appearance: Copper-orange, on the darker hue of that spectrum, with a bit of haze. Creamy off-white head.

Smell: Stone fruit, tropical notes, prickly pear, candied orange notes. Touch of allium but it’s light. Bready, lightly toasty malts are subtle.

Taste: Moderately bitter hops with nettle greens, pine/resin, earthy and spicy (forest floor), dandelion greens—generally a good balance of flavors here though it is tending towards hop burn. Fairly neutral malts with a light graininess and bread crust. Grassy with some black tea notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and clean with a long lingering earthy bitterness that almost goes into hop burn.

Overall: Tasty and nicely bitter for the style, just on the edge of too going harshly bitter, but stays this side of the line. Finishes dry.

United We Stand American Pale Ale

This special/seasonal pale was brewed for the 4th of July, with all American ingredients. It’s 5.5% ABV and 45 IBUs, and the (Untappd) description reads:

A pale ale brewed entirely with American-grown hops & barley. Nugget, Amarillo, and Azacca hops provide pleasant citrus flavors balanced by a medium malt backbone.

Also packaged on June 27, with drinking on July 23.

Appearance: Clear, a pretty copper color that’s dark(ish) and brassy and honey-gold when held to the light. Ample and dense, creamy off-white head.

Smell: Malty and toasty, with an understated hop aroma that’s lightly resiny and exhibits some classic C-hop notes (citrus, pine). Caramel and bready cereal malts go for an old school malty pale.

Taste: That old school pale character carries into the flavor, with a nice Munich-y maltiness that goes a bit dry, with a balanced forest floor bitterness from the hops. Pine and resin hop flavors and a cakey caramel note, with a bit of dark bread and some wheat chaff.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, with a nice lingering bitterness going into a dry finish.

Overall: This is a good beer with a classic nostalgic profile.

Big DIPA Double IPA

Here’s a bigger beer, meant to be “enjoyed under the stars on a summer’s night.” Even though the description doesn’t mention it, it’s pretty much a double hazy. It’s 8% ABV and 55 IBUs.

Luscious DIPA brewed with Galaxy, Comet, and Vic Secret hops. Exploding with tropical fruit and citrus bitterness followed by a touch of malt to round out this big beer.

This beer was canned on May 21, I drank it July 24, and it held up pretty well.

Appearance: Hazy orange with a thick, fine, and lacy head.

Smell: Tropical yellow fruits, hay, unripe berries, touch of allium. Green papaya? For all that it’s a bit light and white wine-ish. Malts are quite light with a touch of wheat.

Taste: Spicy-fruity hop flavor that’s a bit papaya, a bit wild greens, a touch of garlic greens. Soft malts and grains with a creamy oat texture and mellow cereal note. Touch of orange rind marmalade, spicy resin hop burn, and a hint of alcohol.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full body yet soft and pillowy in the malts, a bit dry at the back, with a lingering papaya hop bitterness at the end.

Overall: Decent double and hazy all the way, that comes out nicely drinkable with a touch of alcohol in the body though it’s not too strong.

No Wake Zone Helles Lager with orange peel

Here’s one that’s a bit different: the brewery took a well-brewed helles German-style lager and infused with orange peel. I was a bit skeptical of the combination but it works, and is pretty easy to drink at 5.3% ABV and 18 IBUs.

Munich style Helles Lager brewed with Orange peels and citrusy German hops. Light and refreshing German style lager with notes of fresh baked bread and orange zest. It goes down fast in this No Wake Zone!

Canned on June 27, and drank on July 25.

Appearance: Clear, copper-orange, a fizzy head that fell relatively quickly but left a nice skiff. It’s bright and attractive.

Smell: Clean aroma, lightly grainy, with subtle notes of orange, almost like orange oil. No DMS or similar notes which is nice.

Taste: Clean, crisp lager with a light orange peel bitterness with a hint of fruity flavor. Slightly earthy, there’s a touch of grain dust, otherwise it’s really clean with a dry body and a nice orange finishing bitterness that’s still quite mellow.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and clean with a good snap of orange oil bitterness; refreshing.

Overall: This is quite nice, a well-brewed helles with just the right kiss of orange.

Smallmouth Low-Cal IPA

This is the newest addition (at the time I received it), a lifestyle-influenced small IPA that’s the companion to the brewery’s Largemouth IPA. “Smallmouth” refers to bass, true to the lake theme, and this angles into the low-cal category pretty well with only 102 calories per 12-ounce serving and 3 grams of carbs. It’s 4.4% ABV with 25 IBUs.

Bursting with flavors of citrus and berry and less than half the calories of an average IPA, Smallmouth Low-Cal IPA is the perfect Summer sipper.

No mention of the hops (or grains) used to brew it, but according to the press release it is joining the year-round lineup. This can had a date of July 10 on it, I drank it July 26, so very fresh considering it shipped from back east.

Appearance: Pale gold, decent clarity, white head that’s finely bubbled.

Smell: Green fruity hops that are a touch sweaty and a touch dank. A bit of melon, papaya, herbal jasmine tea. Mellow and light, with no malt character.

Taste: Light, crisp, herbal and lightly tart greens in the hop flavor (think lamb’s quarter). Tobacco, black tea bitterness is slightly tannic though mellow, and it doesn’t overwhelm, especially against such a light malt body that’s a touch crackery and dry.

Mouthfeel: Crisp, light-bodied, and dry, with a good finish that leaves a touch of bitterness, and an easy herbal snap.

Overall: Nice for what it is—it could just as easily billed as a session IPA, so attaching “low-cal” is smart branding. Drinkable with a nice showcase of hops.