JIM THORPE, Pa. — Alex Franko and Dillon Smith are best friends turned business partners. They're getting ready to open Bright Path Brewing – the first microbrewery in Jim Thorpe.
"It's been a long time coming. We've put a lot of hours in, so now we're finally getting to the fun part of the project – being able to share the beer and hang out with people in the community and people from all over," said Dillon Smith, one of the co-owners of the brewery.
Construction started on Bright Path Brewing on North Street almost a year and a half ago.
Being from the area, the friends say they wanted to bring their idea back home.
"We were born and raised here, and I've been brewing professionally for about ten years, And then Dillon's been doing it for about five, so we worked together for a little bit in New Jersey at a brewery, and then we were just kind of surprised that nobody has ever done it in town yet," said Alex Franko, co-owner of Bright Path Brewing.
With names like Pisgah and the American Standard, the brewery is creating a place that showcases some of the personalities and places in Jim Thorpe.
"The American Standard, that's a motocross and mountain biking trail," Smith said. "We've both mountain bikes and our families as well. The Chunkers is an old term for someone from Mauch Chunk. Pisgah Mountain Brew is a mountain in town."
"Our main focus for the brewery is what's called session beer and lager beers," Franko said. "So everything pretty much below five and a half percent for the ABV, and that's just kind of based on what styles of beers we like to drink and what we like to make as brewers."
The brewery's grand opening is this weekend from noon to 9 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
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