Whim’s Brewing has been on my radar for Weekend Philler, since literally before they opened. I have a lot of friends in the NJ Brewing community, South Jersey especially, Camden County ESPECIALLY, especially. So I had heard the name Dorien Saunders from a lot of my home brew aficionados and home brew FB groups. Dorien had won some brewing competitions at the local and national level and a lot of people I know and liked, knew and liked his beers.

So when I heard he was opening in Atco, NJ, in my backyard and in a spot formerly the home of another brewery I loved, I had really high hopes.

And I wasn’t disappointed! The beer was excellent and so was the vibe. Truth be told, neither thing surprised me. That’s not to say there were not more than a few pleasant surprises. The first of which, was the amount of really easy drinking, lower ABV beers I had to choose from. Some people like to brew in a style that is heavy in alcohol content. At Whim’s I found plenty that were not that, but still had full robust flavor.

Another surprise and my favorite, was Dorien’s family. It’s a true family affair at Whim’s, not the least of which is Dorien’s father, Lance Saunders. He is tasked with sales and distribution at Whim’s and they are already in 10 retail outlets and 5 restaurants. Some hyper local breweries never make it to that level and I am sure by the time this story hits the interwebs, the totals will be higher. Lance is also a beertender on Saturday’s, with his wife Nancy, and they are tasked with making sure you have a good time. And you will. Speaking of wives, Dorien’s wife is also on hand working in the taproom when she’s not occupied with the best thing the Saunders “brewed up” last year, their newborn!

Please check out my good friends in Atco and tell them the Weekend Philler sent ya!