It all started in 2017 with four guys who shared a vision to revive an integral part of Lebanon’s history…
The pride of the valley.
In 1856, the historic Lebanon Brewery opened at 840 North 7th Street in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. (Yes, that means some of the original brewery employees could have taken a break from brewing beer to fight in the civil war.) Throughout the years, the brewery changed owners and names several times and eventually closed in 1959 as the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company. The original brewery buildings still stand today, including the boiler house and horse stable.
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Brewery Employees
Owners and employees of the New Lebanon Brewery celebrate in front of the boiler room circa 1900.
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Brew Kettle
A Lebanon Valley Brewing Company worker watches over the original brew kettle in the 1930’s. This kettle was enormous for the time, standing almost 2 stories tall and holding 165 barrels.
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Brew Kettle & Machinery
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Kegging
Brewery employees operating the kegging machine.
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George Ehrhorn
Originally born in Germany, Ehrhorn came to Lebanon in 1883 and established the Lebanon Brewery with S.S. Seibert.
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WM Conrad Sr
One of the original brewmasters, WM Conrad Sr., analyzing a beer sample in his office. This brewmasters office remains almost intact since the brewery was last in operation over 60 years ago.
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WM Conrad Jr
Brewmaster WM Conrad Jr. weighing ingredients.
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Frank Conrad
One of the original brewmasters, Frank Conrad, performing lab testing. The small sink in the background is still stands in one of the upper rooms of the brewery.
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Brewery Employee
Tom Winklebleck carrying a keg of Lebanon Valley Export.
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North side of the Brewery
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Skating Pond
Children ice skating on a pond across from the North side of the brewery building. The pond was formed from a dam in the Brandywine Creek which was used to harvest ice for the brewery before refrigeration was available.
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Barley Mill
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Grain Hopper
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Cooler
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Cooling Tower
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Original Tanks
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Original Tanks
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Fermentation Tanks
The original fermentation tanks were located in the sub-basement of the brewery, 2 stories underground. Before refrigeration was available, this was the best way to keep the beer at the desired temperature during fermentation.
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Original Tanks
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Bottling Machine
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Bottle Filler & Capping Machine
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Bottle Inspection
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Pump Works
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Taber Pump
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Bar in Lebanon Valley Brewery
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Delivery Wagon
A New Lebanon Brewing Company wagon making a beer delivery in town. The original horse stable still stands on the brewery property today.
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Delivery Truck
Employees loading kegs into a delivery truck.
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Delivery Truck
Employees pose with a chain driven delivery truck loaded with kegs from Lebanon Brewing Company.
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Delivery Truck
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Boiler Room
Built in 1887, the boiler room housed the boiler that provided steam for the brew kettle and powered the engines for the early ammonia refrigeration system. Fun fact: There is a hidden underground tunnel that connects the main brewery building to the boiler room.
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Original Steal Beam
We’ve had quite a few interesting finds during the renovations, like this beam. After taking down a wall, the metal beams were exposed and this turned out to be the support beam for the original brew kettle, which had a capacity of 165 BBL.
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Original Bottle Cap
We came across this original bottle cap with the cork and foil still intact on the back while sweeping the floor in what is now the fermentation area.
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12 Vat Ale Label
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Export Extra
On original bottle of Export Extra produced by the Lebanon Valley Brewing Company in the 1940’s.
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Original Blueprints
Blueprints for Lebanon Valley Brewing Co. dated 1934.
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Original Brew Sheets
During renovations we found a box of original brew sheet recipes from 1955, handwritten in pencil.
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Brew System Delivery
Our brew system arrived via several tractor trailers from Atlanta, GA on August 2nd, 2019.
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Brew System Delivery
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Brew System Delivery
It took some maneuvering to fit the new brew system into the building.
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Copper Brew System
Our copper brew system is one of only two of its kind manufactured by Specific Mechanical in Canada (the other is currently on display!). It traveled all the way from Five Seasons Brewing in Atlanta to make its new home at Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery.
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Future Brewpub
New lighting in the brewpub area.