“Tannery Run Brew Works was born from the Tannery Run waterway that runs beneath the brewpub building,” says Carly Chedler of Tannery Run Brew Works, the CAO (chief administrative officer), one of the founders and also one of the brewers. “Myths of dragons fill local lore, fueling the creation of the hops and malt dynamic dragons. It is rumored that dragons live in Tannery Run, and we hope to work with local artists and musicians to build the fictional backstory that ties dragons to the local waterway.”
Tannery Run’s logo embodies the local lore of dragons, featuring two dragons encircling an image of the waterway in a pattern that looks strikingly like a yin-yang.
Logo courtesy of Tannery Run Brew Works
“Our logo illustrates the dual nature of our SPLATCH batch method via the hop dragon and malt dragon yin-and-yang symbol,” she explained. “The water feature separating the dragons is an homage to the water below our pub. Our logo shows the three main ingredients according to the Reinheitsgebot German Beer Purity Law of 1516: hops, barley, and water.”
So, what’s a SPLATCH brewing method?
“SPLATCH is how we differentiate ourselves from the rest of the pack, and coincidentally we just answered the SPLATCH question in our last monthly newsletter, The Brew Works Briefing. Check it out here,” Carly explains.
“Nearly all of our beer is SPLATCH-brewed. It’ll start from the same root ingredients, yet split at some point during the brewing process into two smaller batches,” she added. “These two smaller batches will be treated and fermented differently, resulting in two entirely different beers.”
Photo by Dylan Eddinger Photography
Carly adds that “these ‘sister’ beers however, will be similar in many ways as they’re derived from the same root ingredients. This process is called split-batch brewing (SPLATCH), and will virtually double the number of craft beer choices available to our customers without significantly increasing the effort required in preparing them. More importantly, we will be able to provide our customers with multiple variants of a beer at the same time. This provides us an opportunity to routinely survey our customers as to what beer they prefer, in a way that is fun and unobtrusive.”
Tannery Run also uses a process dubbed “S.M.A.S.H.” This acronym stands for single malt and single hop. By minimizing variables, S.M.A.S.H brewing allows brewers to become very familiar with the flavors and characteristics of a specific malt and a specific hop (as well as how they interact with each other). Carly explains that S.M.A.S.H. brewing was coined by a group of dedicated homebrewers on this popular forum.
Photo by Erin Wallace Photography
Shortly after starting Tannery Run, Carly joined the Pink Boots Society. “The Pink Boots Society is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring and educating women in beer. It offers scholarships, and I’m fortunate to be a scholarship recipient. I took online courses through Portland State University and achieved ‘The Business of Craft Brewing Certificate.’ That was a pivotal moment because it gave me a lot of industry knowledge that I didn’t have, and that helped to open this business. It also introduced me to a great group of ladies.”
Carly is also conscious of the need for sustainability and flavor when choosing ingredients to work with. “Local ingredients, like malt from Deer Creek Malthouse or herbs and produce from Everwild Farm in Ambler (bonus—they take our spent grains too!), are fantastic,” she said. “We recently made a beer with 120 pounds of Pennsylvania-grown squash. Also, we got this amazing blue malted corn from Deer Creek Malthouse, and I love that it allows us to do what we want with our cream ale.
“If we’re being trendy, then local is the new organic,” she added. “But, in all honesty, local usually tastes better. I spent a lot of time in food cooperative-land, talking about food miles and such. Beer is food, so we’re really just extending the conversation here into beer.
“I can’t forget my favorite, the special, annual Pink Boots Hop Blend courtesy of Yakima Chief. The group meets at GABF and holds an annual meeting that includes the hop rub blending session. I can’t wait to get my hands on the 2020 blend!”
So, with all this going on how does Carly juggle her many obligations and find the time to brew?
“It’s now October 2019, and we’ve been open for business for six months. Like every new business, you grow into your space, your roles and staff. It takes time to develop a good flow. I have a day job in legal services and have a 7-year-old son too, and in all honesty — I rarely brew. Tim has evolved into master brewer, and we have a co-brewer that was promoted from assistant brewer, as well as another staff member that works in both the kitchen and as a production assistant,” Carly says.
Photo by Barish Photography
When asked about how she’s finding success at Tannery Run, Carly offers a useful list to remember for anyone who’s choosing to open a brewery or brewpub:
- By trusting the wonderful people we have hired to do their jobs, and not get in their way.
- By practicing self-care, and respecting boundaries.
- By leaning on my support system and networks.
- By realizing that it’s not all going to happen all at once—you must have patience.
- Stop and appreciate.
- Rinse and repeat.
The Brewers of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit trade association that brings together leaders of Pennsylvania-based breweries in order to promote and protect the brewing industry in the state. Established in 2011, the Brewers of Pennsylvania serves the consuming public of Pennsylvania by encouraging brand diversity in the market. We believe in the nobility of brewing and hold dear the great traditions and history of Pennsylvania brewing.
