A Tamaqua microbrewery is once again the toast of the town — and the toast of the commonwealth.

Stoker’s Brewery Company won four awards at the Pennsylvania Farm Show for a trio of craft beers it brews on-site at 36 Mauch Chunk St.

Brewery owner and brewmaster Doug Drost took home ribbons for Stoker’s “Fantasifull Dream” Hazy IPA, “Yo Bot!” Apricot Sour and “Kindling Kwad” Belgian Dark Strong Ale.

“It’s truly an honor for Stoker’s Brewery to be recognized by the Brewers of Pennsylvania at the statewide craft beer competition,” Drost said. “I’m overwhelmed with gratitude and an immense appreciation for the journey.”

Judges awarded Kindling Kwad a first place in the Belgian style beer category, and a third place as Best of Show. Fantasifull Dream scored a third place in the Hazy IPA category, and Yo Bot! earned second place in the Straight Sour Beer category.

“Scores of breweries submitted hundreds of different beers from across the state and competed in 22 classes in the contest which was judged in December,” Drost said, noting that winners were announced last Saturday.

The recent win brings Stoker’s total number of farm show awards to 11. Kindling Kwad scored six of them — including two times for Best of Show and two first places in other categories — since Drost first entered the annual contest in 2023.

If anything is behind Kindling Kwad’s success, Drost is not telling.

“Inspired by Belgian monks, its secrets lie in the mash paddle that I’ve been using for 30 years now, and whispering the words, ‘God is good’ while pitching the yeast in the sign of a cross and a circle,” he said.

Yo Bot! Apricot Sour and Fantasifull Dream are first time winners for Stoker’s, and among the 25 varieties he hand crafts.

He explained that Yo Bot! is a straight sour beer re-fermented with apricots. As for its name, it’s from a phrase heard in and around ‘da Shook, which is a coal region slang for “Schuylkill County,” Drost noted.

“’Yo Bot’ is really just another way of saying ‘hello’ in Schuylkill County,” Drost said, as he broke into a situation and dialect that locals can translate: “If you respond (to Yo Bot) with an upward head nod and say, ‘tsup,’ then maybe you could ‘bum’ a ride on over to Stoker’s Brewery in da ‘qua (coal region slang for Tamaqua) and drop a couple, two, tree a dem ‘Yo bots!’ wit yo bots, aight?”

As for Fantasifull Dream, it is Stoker’s anniversary Hazy IPA that got its name from a legal opinion written in 2017 when Drost was planning to start the microbrewery.

The opinion, Drost said, read, “His self-consuming use of his retirement funds to pursue his FANTASIFULL DREAM of opening a brew delivery pub as reviewed before is neither credible nor realistic.”

Drost said that opinions only matter if you allow them to, so he thought it only fitting to pay tribute to this one by naming the anniversary brew “Fantasifull Dream.”

“These words grow more and more meaningful with each passing year, and even more so, today,” said Drost, who opened the brewery a year after the legal opinion and has been at it ever since.

Drost displays the awards in the brewery and biergarten, which is open from 4-10 p.m. Fridays and 2-10 p.m. Saturdays.

“Each award isn’t just a recognition; it’s a reflection of countless late nights, experimentation and the passion poured into every batch,” Drost said. “It’s also a reflection of our awesome customers and friends for helping make all of this possible. I am truly grateful and thankful for each and every one of them.”