When I first started brewing beer at home, it wasn’t about owning a business—it was about trying to create something that felt good. Something that tasted like where I came from. Somewhere along the way, pizza got folded into the picture too, and suddenly, I wasn’t just brewing. I was building something.
I’m Brendan Breslin, and with my wife Jackie, we opened Wishful Thinking Brewing in a building that used to be the Bavarian Tavern in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A place with history, grit, and a lot of old stories buried in the floorboards. Today, it’s a place for new stories—served with Detroit-style pizza and poured from a tap tower that traveled here in spirit from Prague.
From Home Kitchen to Taproom
I’d been brewing for a few years when I started getting serious about pizza—especially Detroit-style. Thick crust, crispy edges, caramelized cheese. During the pandemic, what started in my kitchen turned into a mobile pizza operation called Pizza Post Co. We’d park at breweries and markets, slinging pies, and dreaming of something bigger.
That dream became reality when Sam Masotto from Bonn Place Brewery, who owned the old Bavarian Tavern building, told me he was looking for someone to breathe new life into the space. He wanted a friend to make something exciting happen with the space and I wanted a brewery of my own. The stars aligned.
We opened our doors in 2024. Pizza in the oven, beer in the tanks. We wanted the whole experience to feel intentional—crafted—not just what’s in your glass, but how it gets there.
The Pour Is the Point
In 2023, Jackie and I traveled to the Czech Republic to study beer culture—specifically, the way they pour it. I’d been fascinated by Czech side-pull faucets (from LUKR) since I first saw them in action in 2020. The foam, the ceremony, the care.
We met with the folks at LUKR and walked away with something special: a custom-built, eight-faucet draft tower—one of the first of its kind in the U.S. It sits at the heart of our bar now, not just as a showpiece, but as a symbol of our philosophy: how we pour matters.
Everyone on our team is trained by LUKR’s team. Certified. It’s not just a pour—it’s a performance, a ritual. And for our guests, it’s part of the experience. Watching that creamy head build in the glass, watching our bartenders pour with intention—people love it.
Beer That Belongs Here
Of course, what we’re pouring matters too. Every beer we serve is made with 100% local malt—from Double Eagle, Rabbit Hill, or Hudson Valley Malt. Mostly Double Eagle, honestly. I’d say 60-70% of our grain comes from them.
It’s important to me that we support local agriculture. During the pandemic, I saw how fragile local food systems were, and I knew we had to build something stronger. Using local grain isn’t just a personal value—it’s part of the beer’s identity. And it helps us tell a story that connects the farm to the glass.
Sometimes I worry that people won’t notice. Like, I’ll watch them drink a hazy IPA and say, “That tastes like a Tree House beer,” and I’m thinking, “Yeah—but did you read the menu? Did you see what went into that glass?” Over time though, I’ve seen the shift. Guests are starting to ask more questions, engage with our ingredients, and appreciate what makes our beer different.
The Czech Influence
The trip to Prague changed everything. We stood at the top of a hill, sipping fresh Pilsner and staring out at the rooftops. Everything about that moment—how the beer was poured, the hops, the malt, the attitude—clicked.
I realized then that we didn’t have to choose between quality and locality. We could have both. We should have both. So our flagship beer, Sense of Source, is inspired by that moment. It’s a nod to the Czech word for “origin”, Pilsner Urquell, and a reflection of what we’re doing here—bringing that same reverence for beer back home.
We mapped it all out once—our malt houses, our hop farms—and everything we use is within about 100 miles of us. That’s a pretty incredible feeling.
A New Chapter Along the Delaware
This summer, we’re opening our second location in Riegelsville, PA, right on the Delaware Canal Trail. It’s a beautiful space with huge windows that look out on the river. The plan is to keep the same menu: Detroit-style pizzas, five to seven beers on draft, and plenty of cans to take home. We’ll brew everything in Bethlehem and drive it up—same beer, same love, new setting. Of course, we’ll be installing another LUKR tower. At this point, it’s non-negotiable. That’s who we are.
A Space Reimagined
People are always surprised when they walk into our current space. “This used to be that bar?” they say. The Bavarian Tavern was a shot-and-a-beer kind of place—dark, rough, no windows. Now, it’s full of light, laughter, and people asking about spelt malt and Czech side-pours. That’s transformation.
We kept pieces of the past—the old red lettering outside, some cabinetry that once belonged to a neighborhood apothecary—but we built something new around it. Something that invites conversation, connection, and community.
Wishful, Not Accidental
People ask what the name means—Wishful Thinking. It’s not blind optimism. It’s belief backed by work. We believed we could create a brewery that stood out not just for its beer, but for its values. We believed people would care about the grain in their glass. We believed in the power of foam. And we were right.
Now, every day we’re here, we’re building a culture. A tradition. A place where you can sit down, share a pint, and taste the story behind it. And that, to me, is worth every long night, every bag of flour, and every perfect pour.
