Our Story

Drinking Problems

“Beer” is good, but “beers” are better

Jackass Brewing Company started as a homebrewing hobby between founders Skip Kratzer and Larry Winans. At first they brewed every month or so. And then every few weeks. And finally, every weekend had a day dedicated to brewing. But the more they brewed, the more they realized they both had a drinking problem – they made so much beer they couldn’t drink it all. So Skip and Larry started sharing their beer with friends, and that solved the problem in a hurry. In fact, they couldn’t keep up with demand. Not long after, a rather irreverent brewery was born.

Our love for Lewisburg

Our Lewisburg location opened 5 whole days before the Governor shut down the state for Covid in March of 2020. It turns out Covid made people very thirsty, so we opened a to-go table at the garage doors and found people lined up way into our parking lot, buying Growlers to go. We are humbled and forever grateful for their support.

Williamsport for the Win

In 2023, we knew it was time to expand. Good fortune and great timing led us to Williamsport, where we meticulously restored a late 1800s warehouse into a 22,000-square-foot tap room, restaurant, event space, and rooftop bar. We expanded our brewing capacity, added a barrel aging program, and discovered that the people of Williamsport are our kind of people.

No dogs in Williamsport. Trust us, we’re just as bummed as you are. But we’re hoping the rooftop bar (coming summer 2026), with its spectacular views of the mountains and river, makes up for the lack of fluffy companionship.

Jackass Brewing Company - Lewisburg

Skip Kratzer
Co-Founder

I began brewing in 2001 with a Charlie Pappazian book, a bucket, and a stovetop. My daughter and son would help stir the boil kettle and pitch yeast. I made some really bad beer but created some great family memories back then.

One night a few years ago (and Larry remembers this more clearly), I suggested that our group of friends brew a batch of beer. We had decided to brew a bourbon porter but somehow drank all the bourbon during brewing. As you can imagine, the end product was an abysmal failure. We ended up pouring that batch down the drain when I realized half of the ingredients were still sitting on my kitchen table the next morning. A new rule was invented – no drinking while brewing – and our product got significantly better. Larry and I continue to obsess over our beers and our processes to this day.

Larry Winans
Co-Founder

My friends will be the first to tell you that I have always been a bit of a beer snob, but until I met Skip, I was actually a home-brewing virgin. As a college student, I majored in Chemistry, and the exact science of brewing beer immediately felt at home to me. I was obsessed with documenting the systems and processes needed to brew high-quality, repeatable recipes. As a result, my home basement became home-brewing headquarters for several years, where we invented recipes and brewed most weekends until demand outgrew supply, and we finally opened the Jackass Brewing Company.

I spent my first 25 years as a dentist in Lewisburg and eventually hung up the drill to make beer full-time. I loved dentistry, but nothing compares to the smiles I can bring to people’s faces with a delicious beer.

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