The Lion Brewery in Wilkes-Barre has been sold but officials said the buyers will keep making beer here

The Lion is known for its Stegmaier and Pocono Lager brands and is one of the last big brewhouses left in our area. The brewery has been making beer in Wilkes-Barre for more than a century.

Reports that the Lion has been sold for the third time in the last 15 years brought mostly silence from the big brewery in the north end.

Management at the brewery had no comment about the sale. An employee said the place is going through a transitional period right now and promises an official statement on Tuesday.

At the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry President Todd Vonderheid said he’s been assured the new owners are committed to keeping the brewery open in the Diamond City.

"I’m pleased to know that the company that’s buying them is going to make that same type of commitment to that calibre of people and to this region," Vonderheid said.

He credits Lion Brewery for establishing its own niche in the highly- competitive beer business against some of the biggest companies in the world.

Lion produces Stegmaier, Pocono Lager, and several smaller private-label brews.

The chamber president isn’t sure how many people are currently employed at the brewery but he doesn’t expect the workforce to change drastically after the new owners take control.

"We’ve been brewing beer here in northeastern Pennsylvania for a long, long time, as long as there have been people here we’ve been brewing beer," Vonderheid added.

Scott Schaffer