Retriever Brewing Co. to debut beer hall in Orefield

A brewing company that launched during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is now — at last — opening its doors to the public.

Matt Andersen, an attorney specializing in the alcohol industry, announced in October that he was starting Retriever Brewing Co., despite the challenges of starting a new business in the midst of a pandemic.

His company took over the Willow Tree Grove in Orefield, at 2844 Township Line Rd. in April.

The space had served for many years as a wedding and event venue.

A grand opening for The RBC Beer Hall is now set for July 30 at noon.

The beer hall will have seating capacity for nearly 200 people inside and another 50 seats on outside patios.

There will also be an RBC Beer Garden, which will consist of picnic tables and Adirondack Chairs with fire pits, which will add more outdoor seating capacity.

Andersen said RBC will operate on a bar-service model, where customers will go to the bar to order their drinks and either return to their seat for a server to bring the drink their table or receive their drink from the bar.

Besides Retriever Beer, RBC will offer a full bar of Pennsylvania-made wine and spirits, including the increasingly popular canned cocktails being made by Pennsylvania distilleries.

Initially RBC will be scheduling food trucks to come to the property to serve different dining options to guests, or people can bring their own food.

And, because the brewing company was named after Andersen’s love of dogs, particularly his retriever, he notes good dogs are always welcome on the property.