Inside a Closed Brewery, a Familiar Jingle Plays On

When breweries close, regulars and employees gather one last time to share memories over pints, to toast to the good times, and to take pictures that will pop up annually on social media.

Two Rivers Brewing Co. in Easton, Pennsylvania, closed in mid-August. For its patrons and owners, however, the brewery will live on through a television commercial with an immediately recognizable jingle.

Two years ago the brewery played host to a J.G. Wentworth commercial which still runs on a variety of cable stations during the daytime, targeting viewers who need cash now.

The finance company bills itself as “the leader in structured settlement and annuity purchasing,” and its earworm commercials feature opera singers reminding viewers that their money can be in their pockets sooner.

The commercials are set in real-world locations and are on just enough that over time sharp-eyed (or bored) viewers can suss out identifiers. Such is the case with Two Rivers Brewing, where merch and glassware featuring the brewery’s logo can be spotted in the background.

A local film group called Fade In, Fade Out (FIFO) frequented the brewery, and one of its members was given the opportunity to shoot the Wentworth commercial, says Troy Reynard, the owner of Two Rivers.

“We were one of three locations pitched to them by FIFO to shoot the commercial in the valley,” he says. “They gave us a rental fee for the day, plus they used our kitchen to cater to meals for everybody involved in the commercial that day. It really was a big day for us. They shot it in February, which is a slow time, and they picked our slowest day of the week, so we made four times the money we would on a normal Tuesday.”

After the experience was over, Reynard says he just kind of forgot about the experience until he was working from home one afternoon and heard the familiar jingle on the TV in the background.

The calls and messages of congratulations, awe, and amusement quickly came pouring in, and would continue after most airings.

For Reynard it was a satisfying experience. The brewery opened in 2015 and worked to be a community gathering spot. The brewery gave space to local groups to meet on a regular basis, without charging a fee. FIFO was one of those groups and saw the value in the space.

“They order some drinks, some order some food, it’s not a big boom to the bottom line, it’s a service that we do for the community,” he says. “Sometimes you do that kind of stuff, and it pays off down the road. They appreciate the ability to come and meet there. If they’re able to do something for you, they’ll do it.”

Reynard cited changing consumer habits, decreased sales, and local construction as reasons he and his partners decided to close. They put the historic building in Easton up for sale earlier this year and are in the process of selling off a satellite taproom.

The brewery was pivotal in promoting the growing Lehigh Valley beer scene, impacts that will continue to be felt by existing and future members.

Through the memories and for as long as J.G. Wentworth plays the Two Rivers spot, the brewery will live on, and Reynard says he and the team are walking away with no regrets.

“Not everyone gets to live their dream,” he says. “I was able to do that.”

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