PITTSTON — As an interior wall is deconstructed at Susquehanna Brewing Company, the owners are imagining the new picture window that will replace the cinder blocks and drywall, a new window through which customers will be able to look upon SBC’s brewing process as they sip a pint of craft beer.

Demolition began Dec. 11 at the brewing company on South Main Street to build a new tasting room, where, for the first time, customers will be able to sit and purchase draft beers just like they would in a pub. Company president, Edward Maier said the addition is an attempt to capitalize on a Pennsylvania law that changed earlier this year.

“The state, just this past spring, reinterpreted a law that said that as a brewery … you could open up and sell pints of beer,” Maier said. “Prior to that, we could sell anything we wanted as long as there was a cap on it and it left for off-premise consumption.”

Maier said the new tasting room will be a place for people to appreciate established SBC products and perhaps try new brews.

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“All our brands will be on draft. We’ll have various sized glasses. We can do some small batch experimental stuff and sell it here. It’s a good opportunity to open up a tasting room, bring in some revenue, and see what people like.”

Chief operating officer, Mark Nobile said at the end of SBC’s weekly tours, people often ask where they can go to drink more SBC beer.

“Now we’ll have the tasting room,” Nobile said. They might “have some food trucks and things like that.”

Vice president, Fred Maier said having food trucks involved would be a good opportunity for cross-promotion with other area businesses.

“We don’t want to get into the prepared-food game,” Fred Maier said. “We want to sell beer, so we want to work with local companies.”

Edward Maier said the tasting room will be a good place to start an evening. They hope to open Thursday through Sunday for a few hours each day.

“The hours are going to be short,” Edward Maier said. “It’ll be a 4 to 9 p.m. kind of a thing. Then at 9 o’clock, we’ll point out whoever in the area features our beer.”

The owners described the tasting room expansion, which they hope will be full of patrons in February, as dipping their toes in the water, and they said they might try new things depending on what kind of response the get from their customer base.

Featuring some small-batch beer, Nobile said, is a good first step in trying something new.

“We’ll be able to show just how crafty we can be,” Nobile said. “We think this will generate some buzz and excitement. We get excited about everything we do.”

Builders begin demolition to make way for a new tasting room at the Susquehanna Brewing Company in Pittston.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_SBC1.jpg.optimal.jpgBuilders begin demolition to make way for a new tasting room at the Susquehanna Brewing Company in Pittston. Matt Mattei | Sunday Dispatch

From left: Mark Nobile, Fred Maier and Edward Maier, co-owners of Susquehanna Brewing Company are adding a new tasting room to their facility in Pittston.
http://www.psdispatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/web1_SBC2.jpg.optimal.jpgFrom left: Mark Nobile, Fred Maier and Edward Maier, co-owners of Susquehanna Brewing Company are adding a new tasting room to their facility in Pittston. Matt Mattei | Sunday Dispatch
Susquehanna Brewing Company to build new tasting room to pour pints

By Matt Mattei

mmattei@timesleader.com

Reach Matt Mattei at 570-991-6651 or Twitter@TLArts