It all started with a home brewing kit his father received one Christmas. It became a “hobby out of control” and one of Tamaqua’s newest businesses.

Since his dad wasn’t really interested in brewing small batches of his own beer, Doug Drost took that kit in the mid 1990s and began experimenting. Those early experiments led Drost to the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, one of North America’s most prestigious brewing schools. He spent the next 20 plus years honing his craft, becoming more and more convinced that micro-brewing was his calling.

He began looking for a place to call home for his microbrewery dream and found it in Tamaqua. “I was looking at four different areas and Tamaqua just stood out. There are a lot of good people here, with a number of great things happening. It was an easy decision,” he says.

He found his dream space in a vacant dry cleaning store on Mauch Chunk Street, located directly in the heart of the town.

“The original hardwood floors, exposed high ceilings and abundant natural light made it the perfect spot to create my version of an authentic German biergarten,” he explains.

His dream, Stoker’s Brewing Company LLC, was on its way to becoming reality.

All it took was $40,000 of his own money and two loans, one from the Mauch Chunk Bank and Trust and the other from the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance.

It took months of planning and hard work before the business was ready to open, which it did in August of 2018.

Drost sees his brewery as a “social experience.” In addition to the indoor biergarten seating, imported from Munich, Germany, Stoker’s also offers three outdoor seating selections for when the weather cooperates — out front, on the side and in the back garden.

“The front and side areas are perfect spots for people watching, while the back offers privacy,” says the brewmaster.

Stoker’s Brewing always has 12 handcrafted beers on hand, eight regulars and four seasonal, all made in the backroom. The fermenting vessels are clearly visible and Drost is more than happy to show them off. It takes two weeks for a beer to be properly fermented after a full day of brewing.

While sipping the suds, patrons are also welcome to play a variety of table games.

Stoker’s also offers a variety of food events, vinyl nights, beer garden yoga, supper clubs and live entertainment. A record swap is planned from 2 to 5 p.m. May 5.

One day, in the future, Drost will mark off another item on his bucket list, a visit to Germany. Until then, he will be quite busy at his own German style brewery at 36 Mauch Chunk St., Tamaqua.