Pretentious? Never. PASSIONATE? ALWAYS.
JUST OVER THE COMMODORE BARRY BRIDGE, A SHORT DRIVE from the Talen Energy Stadium, home of the Philadelphia Union, sits a small brewery known for producing some of the highest quality, freshest brews in the world, DelCo’s 2SP Brewing Company. With 35 medals and 10 cups from GABF, all it takes is a sip of the flagship Up and Out IPA to know why other brewers recognize 2SP so highly. Heady Times sat down with Bob Barrar, Founder and Brewer, and Mike Contreras, Director of Sales and Marketing, to find out more.
- Barrar got his start in brewing in the early nineties when he was working construction at an old brewery that had been shut down during prohibition. One day someone asked if he wanted to make beer, and that’s where it all began.
- Barrar has won the most medals of any brewer in the country. He started home brewing before working at Iron Hill for 15 years and Red Bell Brewing Company, a small, 10 barrel brewery at Wells Fargo before teaming up with Contreras, who previously worked at Dogfishead and Rogue.
- 2SP does not offer formal tours. “We’re humble and causal,” says Contreras, “we just open the door and hang out.”
- If you’re ever in Tokyo, you can grab some 2SP brews. Contreras’ rugby and drinking buddy from grad school in California loved the beer so much he imports a few pallets every quarter. The company is also in talks to bring the beer into Taiwan, as well.
- There is so much attention to detail in 2SP beers that the brewers go to hop harvest and pick their own hops, something highly unusual for a brewery of their size.
- The brewery celebrated their fourth anniversary in July. The team jokes that their plans for 2020 are to “stay open.”
- The brewers at 2SP are committed to selling the freshest product, with most brews hitting the market under a week old. The brewery does not brew beyond the market demand to ensure the high-quality standards are maintained.
- Lagers are incredibly delicate, so to create a consistent product with no flaws is a challenge. The team believes you can judge the quality of a brewery by their pilsner and plans to focus on “Crispy Boys” in the coming months.
- 2SP has no plans to jump on the “excessive additives” trend. With a fierce “Delco attitude,” they will continue to focus on making a consistently high-quality product without cutting corners.
10. The team at 2SP expresses their views on the world through Brewery Cat. “We get more likes on Brewery Cat’s posts than we do for any of the products on our page,” says Conteras. You can follow Brewery Cat on Instagram at @brewerycat2sp
120 Concord Rd. #101-103, Aston, PA • 2spbrewing.com
@2spbrewing 
@2spbrewing 
@2spbrewing
About Kramer Beverage
Kramer Beverage is South Jersey’s largest beer wholesaler, owned and operated by four generations of the Kramer family since 1924. Kramer Beverage is based out of Hammonton, Atlantic County, and services eight counties in southern New Jersey with top brands from MillerCoors, Constellation, Yuengling, Boston Beer, Heineken USA, Pabst, Diageo, FIFCO and more. Kramer Beverage also distributes a wide variety of craft beers, from suppliers such as New Belgium and Sierra Nevada, to local favorites including Flying Fish, Double Nickel, Evil Genius, Glasstown, Sly Fox, and 2SP. For more information on Kramer Beverage, please visit www.kramerbev.com.