A decade after pouring its first pints in a town built on tavern history, Lost Tavern Brewing is marking 10 years in Hellertown on Saturday, June 27, 2026, with a milestone Triple IPA, a full-circle musical reunion, a pack of adoptable dogs and, fittingly, a little rain.
The brewery is calling the celebration “10 Years Lost,” a nod to its tongue-in-cheek invitation to “get lost” with them for an afternoon. “What started as a passion became something truly special because of the people who chose to be part of the journey,” the brewery wrote in marking the milestone.
From Homebrew to Hellertown Staple
Lost Tavern began around 2014 as the homebrewing hobby of childhood friends Anthony Gangi and Robert Grim. In 2015 the pair joined forces with Ken and Kenny Rampolla, and on July 1, 2016, they opened the doors to their Hellertown brewery and taproom. The name itself is a tribute to the borough’s roots: Hellertown’s first recorded business was a tavern, licensed to Christopher Wagner in 1746, whose exact location was eventually lost to history, inspiring both the brewery’s name and its motto, “Honor the Past, Craft the Future.”
Ten years on, the operation has grown well beyond that first taproom, growing to three Lehigh Valley locations, including a downtown Bethlehem taproom in the Moravian Book Shop, and becoming a fixture of the region’s craft-beer scene, one that leans hard into live music, food trucks, local artists and neighborhood causes.
The Lost Tavern crew toasts a decade outside the Hellertown taproom.
A Full-Circle Celebration
Saturday’s party centers on the release of the brewery’s 10 Years Lost Triple IPA, brewed for the occasion. From 4 to 7 p.m., The Smoke Mitote Group featuring Ricky Delgado takes the stage, a deliberately sentimental booking. Delgado was among the very first musicians ever to perform at Lost Tavern when it opened nearly a decade ago, and having him back, the brewery said, “feels like everything coming full circle.”
The food comes courtesy of The Gastrotruck, one of Lost Tavern’s original food-truck partners, brought back for the milestone. And from noon to 4 p.m., Freedom First Rescue will be on site with adoptable dogs, a family-and-pet-friendly touch in keeping with the brewery’s community bent.
There is, of course, one more long-running tradition. As the brewery tells it, almost every anniversary since Year One has come with at least a little rain. “We like to think it’s just good luck at this point,” they wrote. “Rain or shine… thanks for supporting us!”
The 10 Years Lost Triple IPA, a 10% triple brewed with Motueka, Nectaron and Elani hops, released for the anniversary.
‘Some Things Are Bigger Than Beer’
For all the beer, Lost Tavern’s founders say the milestone is really about the community around it. “We are very proud of our team and its effort, but equally proud of the ‘love’ we receive from our patrons and the neighborhoods we call home,” the brewery said in a note marking the anniversary. “We try to give back as much as we receive.”
The clearest expression of that is Hops 4 Hope, the brewery’s signature charity beer fest benefiting the fight against pediatric cancer. According to Lost Tavern, the event raised $34,000 last year for Penn State THON, which directs funds to the Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, and has raised roughly $175,000 since it began. “Some things are bigger than beer,” the founders wrote. The 11th edition of Hops 4 Hope is set for September 19, 2026.
From Bethlehem Steel to the Taproom
There’s an only-in-the-Lehigh-Valley backstory behind the beer, too. Co-owner Ken Rampolla, who launched Lost Tavern with his son, Kenny, after homebrewers Robert Grim and Anthony Gangi brought them the idea, spent the first decade of his career in sales and marketing at Bethlehem Steel before founding Hellertown’s Responsive Marketing, Inc. in 1990 and building it into what is billed as the largest steel sales agency in America. Just this week, he was named board chair of the National Museum of Industrial History, on the very Bethlehem Steel site where his career began, a steel-to-suds journey worth its own telling.
Why It Matters
Independent breweries have become some of the Lehigh Valley’s most active community gathering spots, hosting musicians, food vendors, nonprofits and rescues that might otherwise struggle for a stage. Lost Tavern’s 10-year mark is a reminder of how a homebrew hobby can grow into a neighborhood institution, and of how much of that staying power comes down to the regulars who keep showing up, umbrella in hand.
Lost Tavern’s 10th Anniversary at a Glance
What: “10 Years Lost”, Lost Tavern Brewing’s 10th-anniversary celebration
When: Saturday, June 27, 2026
Where: Lost Tavern Brewing, Hellertown
On tap: Release of the 10 Years Lost Triple IPA
Music: The Smoke Mitote Group featuring Ricky Delgado, 4–7 p.m.
Food: The Gastrotruck, an original Lost Tavern food-truck partner
Dogs: Adoptable dogs from Freedom First Rescue, noon–4 p.m.
Giving back: Hops 4 Hope has raised about $175,000 for pediatric cancer via Penn State THON, per the brewery; its 11th edition is Sept. 19, 2026.
History: Founded by Anthony Gangi, Robert Grim and Ken and Kenny Rampolla; Hellertown taproom opened July 1, 2016, and the brewery has since grown to three Lehigh Valley locations.
