My brother got married this past weekend… At Stoudt’s!

That’s right, my big brother finally wrastled him a wife. And one of the best parts about the whole thing is that they both share a love of beer. So what better place to celebrate their wedding day than at a brewery?

So on Saturday, November 7th, Ray and Melissa exchanged vows in the lovely courtyard at Stoudt’s Brewing Company, adjacent to the fabulous beer hall. The beer hall is wonderfully funky, and we spent the previous afternoon decorating it for the big occasion.

The beer hall at Stoudt's, complete with dance floor.

My favorite part — you can see the bottling line and some of the tanks from the beer hall. Awesome.

We could smell the brewing on their wedding day!

The cocktail hour/reception was open bar, and there was a plethora of Stoudt’s beer on tap. The usual suspects were there (Pale Ale, Gold, Scarlet Lady, and Pils), as well as some of the bigger beers, like Fat Dog (one of my personal favorite beers), Triple, and Smooth Hoperator.

Also on tap were some wonderful rarities. I started my evening with the Peppercorn Pumpkin Ale, a draft only brew, made with roasted pumpkin, spices, and peppercorn tea. I absolutely loved it.

Next up was their Winter Ale, the recipe for which changes every year. This year it’s a hoppy red ale, and it is faaaantastic! Look for it in bottles this winter, it rocks.

My only wish is that they had served the beer in smaller glasses so that I could have tried more of them! Nevertheless, I loved every one I tried, it was a beautiful day, and it ended with a very happy Mr. and Mrs. Ray Merkler. I’ll leave you with a couple pictures from the ceremony. Cheers to the bride and groom!

Best man (Tim) and Matron of Honor (yours truly)

The Merklers (By the way, she sculpted the bouquets out of clay!)