Wet-Hopped: Manayunk Brewery Working to Recover from Floods

 

A mainstay of Main Street since 1996, Manayunk Brewery and Restaurant is known as much for its large, open-air deck and expansive views of the Schuylkill as for its award-winning craft beers. But its enviable waterside perch turned into a liability last month, when rain from Hurricane Irene caused the river to crest at historic levels, spill over its banks, and induce massive flooding along nearby streets and buildings. By the Sunday of the storm weekend, the restaurant’s interior was filled with nearly three feet of water.

The brewery had flooded once before – when Hurricane Floyd hit in 1999 – so the entire staff spent Saturday prior to Irene carrying out pre-emptive preparations. Sandbags were filled and placed as barriers, furniture was moved and pumps were at the ready, brewmaster Doug Marchakitus told us. But once the squall came through, drenching the region with rain, there was nothing more anyone could do but go home and wait it out.

Though Marchakitus did discover several live fish swimming along the floor on his return, the brewery itself withstood the deluge well. “We didn’t loose any beer, because all of our tanks were filled and held their pressure,” he reassured us, adding, “A brewery is actually made to get wet, because that’s part of the beer-making process.” Trench drains line the tank room floor, and most of the equipment is elevated.

The rest of the building interior, however, was not so fortunate. The kitchen and dining room were hit the hardest. Most of the cooking equipment was ruined,  all of the carpeting had to be torn up and replaced, and the bar had to be completely rebuilt. Working day and night, the brewery owners, managers and entire team scrambled to renovate, setting a target re-opening date of Thursday, September 8 (11 long days after the flood).

In an adverse turn of events, rainstorms throughout the early part of this week caused the Schuylkill to rise again. (In fact, rainfall in Philadelphia this year so far has been close to 20 inches above normal.) On the Wednesday prior to the intended relaunch, the river was threatening to spill over again, floating level with the outdoor deck. Yesterday, instead of opening, the restaurant was again dealing with water seepage. Barring any additional floods, the brewery should be ready for business again by the end of next week. As soon as they do, we’ll be there to raise a glass of ale and toast their return.