Benny Brewing Company, the Nanticoke microbrewery inside Marty's Blue Room, is one step closer to expanding its distribution beyond Luzerne County.
The Luzerne County zoning board voted 2-0 - one member was absent - Tuesday evening to allow a use variance that would permit the microbrewery at 100 Old Newport St. to expand its building to allow a 900 percent increase in its production. Benny Brewing currently has a single 31-gallon barrel to brew its three year-round beers and one revolving seasonal beer; the building expansion would allow for 10 31-gallon barrels.
"I want to look into Lackawanna and some up north as well," said brewmaster Ben Schonfeld, adding that about 10 locations currently carry its beer. "Maybe we'll go down to the Allentown area. I guess it depends on what distributor I choose."
Although there are many other steps left for construction to begin - getting the OK from the USDA, Liquor Control Board and planning commission - Schonfeld and his father, restaurateur James Schonfeld, hope to open the expansion by the spring of 2013.
At first, the Schonfelds would simply like to produce more of their three trademark beers: amber lager, india pale ale and wheat. As time progresses, brewmaster Ben might experiment with limited-edition beers, such as those aged in wooden barrels.
"We can't keep up with the demand we have right now," said James Schonfeld, owner of Marty's Blue Room. "We can't make it fast enough."
James Schonfeld said the microbrewery is already permitted to sell anywhere in Pennsylvania but, once the expansion is built, it will be a while before local residents spot the beers in a city like Philadelphia.
"We'd like to hit other markets slowly but surely," he said. "It's a slow climb, and it's something where you have to crawl before you walk. People enjoy it, and then you take it to another place."

3/31/2012

A thirst for Ben Schonfeld’s beer has led the aspiring brewer from Nanticoke to expand capacity as he looks to become a microbrewer.
Schonfeld, 32, through his “Benny Brewing Co.,” has been brewing about a half-barrel of beer per day since August 2010 inside Marty’s Blue Room, his family’s Newport Township restaurant and bar. With three year-round varieties and a rotating seasonal brew, he said business is good and getting better.
About 10 bars throughout Luzerne County carry his beer on tap and 22-ounce bottles are sold at Marty’s. While he hasn’t run out of beer, supplies have been tight. So he made the decision to invest a lot of money, which will mean the investment of a lot more of his time, into expanding his brewing capacity to 10 barrels per day. Just how much money, Schonfeld isn’t saying, but he expects it to pay off.
He said if the plan is approved by government officials, work will start on a new 2,607-square-foot building adjacent to the restaurant. He hasn’t purchased equipment or hired a contractor because he first needs approval from the Luzerne County Zoning Hearing Board.
His request for variances is before that body Tuesday night.
“Everything’s been on hold until this hearing,” Schonfeld said.
The Schonfelds purchased an adjoining property and home a decade ago with the idea the lot could one day be used for expansion or overflow parking. The house was razed but the property hasn’t been used … until now.
The new building will be dedicated to brewing equipment and the brewing process.
Schonfeld’s father, Jim, who owns the property and Marty’s Blue Room, also is requesting approval to build a 455-square-foot addition to the restaurant itself. The two buildings will be attached but there will be no public access to the brewing area, though tours may be given.
A glass wall will be installed so people in the restaurant will be able to see the brewing process take place.
Schonfeld said his current brewing capacity is about 60 barrels a year. With the new equipment and space, he said he will be able to brew up to 1,400 barrels a year. That will result in his beer being sold in a 10-county radius as far away as the Lehigh Valley, Bloomsburg and the Northern Tier.
While half-kegs and sixtels – a canister that holds about two and a quarter cases - will still be sold, 12-ounce bottles will replace the 22 ounce size sold now.
If business continues to boom, Schonfeld said expansion on the property is not likely.
“If I decided to go larger, I’d probably move,” he said.
Kristen Kochanski, a bartender at JJ Bankos, said the Benny Brew Amber Lager has been selling well since it entered the draft offerings at the West Nanticoke establishment. She said customers seem to be ordering it again and again. Once they learn it’s from a local brewer, she said, they’re impressed.
In the past week, the Oatmeal Stout has been added to the draft lineup at JJ Bankos, but it hasn’t been as popular as the original lager.

12/20/2010
Ben Schonfeld brews 5 different kinds of hand-crafted beers inside his nano-brewery and plans to add more
Keeps him hopping
sdelazio@timesleader.com

Ben Schonfeld is sort of like a mad scientist in the nano-brewery he owns inside Marty’s Blue Room in Nanticoke.
Ben Schonfeld stands with some of his head-crafted beers in his brewery inside Marty’s Blue Room. Schonfeld brews five different beers and has plans to add more.
Aimee Dilger PHOTOS/The Times Leader

Ben Schonfeld stirs the mash in his brewery as he prepares another batch of beer.

What Benny has to offer

• Amber Lager
• Wit (Belgian Style Wheat Beer)
• Hopenstein (India Pale Ale)
• E.S.B. (English Style Pale Ale)
• Dunkel (Dark Lager)

Available at Marty’s Blue Room, 100 Old Newport St., Nanticoke, or in 22-ounce bottles at Antonio’s Pizza, 204 W. Main St., Nanticoke.
Call Ben Schonfeld at: 735-4395 or visit the brewery inside Marty’s Blue Room
Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/Benny-Brewing-Co/

Beer ingredients

Barley: The seed of a grain that looks a lot like wheat. Before barley can be used to make beer, it must be malted, which involves a natural conversion process.
The barley must be germinated by soaking in water for several days, called malting. Starches are converted into sugar. That sugar will then be used to feed the yeast that makes the alcohol in beer.
Most breweries purchase barley that has already been malted
Hops: They come from the hop vine and contain acids, which give beer its bitterness. Hops also contain oils that give beer flavor and aroma. Hops also prevent bacteria from forming that can spoil beer. There are several different types of hops, and each one has a different taste and smell.
Yeast: It’s responsible for creating the alcohol and carbon dioxide in beer. Different types of yeast can give beer different tastes.
He concocts and boils; he measures and ferments.
A big change can make a small impact, and a small change can make a big impact.
“I started brewing in my garage five or six years ago with some friends, and they liked it,” Schonfeld, 30, said. “(Marty’s Blue Room) had some extra room and I decided to give a nano-brewery a try.”
He’s brewing five different kinds of hand-crafted beers inside the small brewery – a separate business from the restaurant owned by his father, Jim – and hopes some day to expand his business to offer his hand-crafted creations to a larger clientele.
Schonfeld began the businesses, Benny Brewing Co., about three months ago after securing a license from the state Liquor Control Board.
“When someone takes a sip and smiles, that’s the best part,” Schonfeld said.
After securing the license and getting things needed for the business approved by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Schonfeld was on his way to brewing after purchasing barrels and upright chest freezer, hops, barley and everything in between.
Schonfeld brews on days he isn’t working at the restaurant as a cook. He first began researching recipes when brewing in his garage.
" I try modifications of an original and brew it several different times before I get the final product I want,” Schonfeld said.
Schonfeld brews one 31-gallon barrel of beer at a time that then ends up in kegs or 22-ounce bottles, both available currently at Marty’s Blue Room. The 22-ounce bottles are available at Antonio’s Pizza on Main Street in Nanticoke.
Schonfeld’s newest brew is the Dunkel, a seasonal winter lager, which he will offer for the next several months, as well as the four other beers: Wit, a Belgian-style wheat beer; an Amber Lager; E.S.B, an English-style ale; and Hopenstein, an Indian pale ale.
The brewing process begins with water, water hardeners and chemicals in large silver barrels called “hot liquor tanks,” Schonfeld explained. Crushed, malted barley is mixed with the water, where it steeps, followed by grains to bring out starches to begin fermenting any sugars.
That mixture, called a “mash” is boiled and hops are added for a floral aroma.
Schonfeld says the beer ferments for one to two weeks. It’s then cooled and cold filtered. The beer is then aged and carbonated and packaged in a bottle or as draft beer.
An average ale, Schonfeld says, takes between two and four weeks, while a lager takes between six and eight weeks.
“You really have to pay attention to details,” Schonfeld said. “Temperatures are very critical.”
Schonfeld said the beer brews at about 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and is cooled at about 50 degrees.
The grain waste product that is left after the brewing process, Schonfeld said, is either given to a local farmer to use as a filler in feed for animals or to his sister, who uses the grain waste as fertilizer in her yard.
“It comes out at 150 degrees and I brought it over to my sister’s the other day, and she thought her shed was on fire because of the steam that was coming off the grains,” Schonfeld said, laughing.
Schonfeld said different hops – used for their bittering, flavoring, and aroma-enhancing powers – can give a beer a totally different flavor.
“It’s like adding a super hot pepper to an alfredo sauce. … It doesn’t belong there,” Schonfeld said. “The pepper was meant for something spicy. That’s how hops are … each belongs to a certain type of beer.”
The next brew Schonfeld will make is a summer ale, which will come out in May, a German-style golden ale. In the fall, Schonfeld whips up a namesake Oktoberfest-style beer: BennyFest.
Schonfeld’s work day often begins at 6:30 a.m. and usually doesn’t end until after 11 p.m.
“Brew days are really long,” Schonfeld said.
Schonfeld said it took a year to secure the LCB license, and a long time to get logos, signage and labels approved by the TTB.
Schonfeld hopes to expand his company in the near future from his current 31-gallon process to a 300-gallon process.
“But, you have to crawl before you run,” Schonfeld said.
He hopes to expand to a different, larger location so he can brew a larger amount of beer.
Schonfeld said he is open to suggestions on new brews to try out.
The hour-and-a-half cleaning process is never any fun, Schonfeld said, nor is the paperwork required. But, he says he’ll be doing it for a long time to come, as he feels he’s found a niche.
“And, there are hundreds and hundreds of beers to try,” Schonfeld said.

WILK Friday Beerbuzz – 30 July 2020
(Benny Brewing Co Hopenstein IPA and Wit)
30 July 2010

WILKFridayBerbuzz7 It’s been a lot of fun having guests on the Friday Beerbuzz, especially three weeks in a row. I think it’s important for us to talk to our local brewers and let you hear from the men and women that brew your beers. Stay tuned for more guests (local and not-so-local) in the future AND please feel free to contact us with suggestions for guests.
This week we welcomed Ben Schonfeld from the new Benny Brewing Co in Nanticoke. And not only is Benny Brewing Co new, it is in fact so new that it’s not even officially open yet. We’ve been very lucky to get to taste some pre-release beers on previous shows, and today we were lucky enough to taste two. We sampled Ben’s Wit (a spiced Belgian-style wheat ale) and his Hopenstein IPA, and we really enjoyed both.
It was also fun to hear about the process of opening a brewery. All too often I think people just assume you simply start brewing and selling beer, but there is a lot more to it than that. Months, sometimes years worth of paperwork and approvals with the PLCB and TTB, not to mention the branding, marketing, packaging and sales plans. It’s quite a process, so believe me when I say that anyone brewing and selling beer has gone through a LOT of work to do so.
Benny Brewing Co will be sold exclusively from Marty’s Blue Room in Nanticoke on tap and bottles…and stay tuned for details on further distribution. You can find details on mybeerbuzz as well as the Benny Brewing Co website. There will also be a Beernauguration event on Aug 17th 5-10PM @ Marty’s Blue Room to launch the new beers.
We had a lot of fun visiting and tasting with Ben today.
I want to say thank you to Ben, John, Nancy, Joe & Bosco for yet another fun Friday.
The Friday Beerbuzz…bringing good beers and good people together.
As always you can check out the video on-line at the WILK Friday Beerbuzz page by clicking HERE

Benny Brewing Co.

We are located at in Marty's Blue Room..."The Home of Cajun cooking" in the heart of downtown Sheatown, Pa. @ 100 Old Newport St.
Come on down and see our little piece of heaven in Pennsylvania. Combine the beer with our food and you'll have the recipe for a great night.
We've been brewing our beer since August, so save your tastebuds and come on down and enjoy!

We are open
Tuesday thru Saturday
5:00 P.M. to 10:30 P.M.
Closed Sunday and Monday