Chris Spinelli – Roc Brewing Company
Statement:
After 3 years on the board, it has challenged and helped me to see the needs and goals for craft beer in NYS. If elected again, I would work to continue to educate, promote and protect NYS Breweries. I would focus on community and building the collaborative nature that has helped build the great success here in NYS. We make some of the best beer in the world and I want to help promote that fact on a state level and beyond.
Bio:
Kevin Mullen – Rare Form Brewing Company
Bio:
Kevin Mullen is a co-owner and head brewer at Rare Form Brewing Company, a farm brewery in Troy, New York that opened in 2014. Kevin started in the industry as a bartender for a craft beer-focused bar in Colorado in 1998 and been brewing since 1994. Since then he has lived and breathed the craft beer culture working with breweries in Colorado, Washington, and New York. Along with the sitting on the University of Vermont Beer School Advisory Board, Kevin currently is the secretary of the New York State Brewers Association.
Kurt Borchardt – Artisanal Brew Works
Statement:
I’m a 50 year old guy who’s had 3 different careers, a chemical engineer/manager for International Paper and General Electric, High School Biotechnology and Digital Electronics teacher, and now brewery owner/operator. At the end of the day, my resume doesn’t mean much, just that I’ve seen and experienced a ton over my years. I think Kevin Mullen has done a great job, and I’m not remotely suggesting that I would do better. I just threw my name in the hat not knowing Kevin is running, I’m offering to help because like Justice Kavanaugh, I really like beer, and I also care about the direction of our great industry on a local, state, and federal level.
Bio:
Kurt is a co-owner and brewer at Artisanal Brew Works in Saratoga Springs, NY. We opened our doors in the summer of 2016 and have experienced great growth year-over-year. In order do make “creative” beers that use unique ingredients, or the cool kid hops, we’ve transitioned from being exclusively a farm brewery to a dual license. We have first hand experience with city governance changing significant rules on us (no more food trucks) after having been permitted to do so for 2 years.
If you were wondering how I ended up a brewery owner after a successful career in Industry, and as a school teacher, here is the quick story: I was an uber competitive rower for 25 years, when I had free time I home brewed. I suffered an injury that ended my athletic career, and I had waaaay more time to devote to home brewing. This led to me playing around with some Belgian style beers, having my own yeast lab at home, and after having a few rooms of my house dedicated to all my brewing “stuff,” an opportunity presented itself where I could open up a brewery in Saratoga Springs. My wife was really happy to get some rooms back so we could have more guests, go figure. I ran the brewery and maintained my teaching career for the first year we were open, but growth of the business led me into running the brewery full time in 2017, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Hutch Kugeman – Brewery At CIA
Statement:
It’s been a privilege to serve on the Board these past three years as an at-large member. We’ve made great progress in promoting New York Craft Beer and personally I’ve enjoyed assisting in the development of the New York Craft Beer Competition, the New York Craft Brewer’s Conference, and the upcoming launch of the Draft Quality Program. If elected to represent the Hudson Valley, I hope to be able to continue to work on behalf of the breweries and brewers of New York State on these initiatives and help to develop more programs that directly benefit our members and reach out to consumers.
Bio:
Hutch has been brewing professionally in New York State since 2002 including time at Great Adirondack Brewing in Lake Placid, Ithaca Beer Company in Ithaca, and Crossroads Brewing in Athens, before assuming his current position as the first Head Brewer for the Brewery at the Culinary Institute of America working in partnership with Brooklyn Brewery and the CIA. . At the CIA he works with culinary students to create beers for the restaurants and student commons of the campus that reflect the high standards of the school while teaching the students more about brewing and the world of craft beer. Hutch’s beers have won numerous GABF, World Beer Cup, and most recently New York Craft Beer Competition medals. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the American Brewers Guild.
Jeff O’Neil – Industrial Arts Brewing
Statement:
The brewing industry in New York State is growing up right before our eyes. Now more than ever, we need leadership that both appreciates how far we’ve come and recognizes how much work there still is in front of us. We must question the status quo and look at our overall business with a realistically critical eye in order to continue to evolve and thrive. We must become advocates for accountability and compliance, more responsible employers, and better stewards of the entire supply chain. We need to apply lessons learned in other more mature markets and industries. If elected, I promise to ask and help answer the complex questions about how best to sustain New York’s vibrant craft beer business for generations to come.
Bio:
Jeff is the founder of Industrial Arts Brewing, one of the fastest-growing and most tech-forward breweries anywhere. His career spans 3 decades and both coasts and he brings a unique and passionate perspective to the industry every day. He’s been a visible, vocal advocate for New York’s brewers on the national stage for many years, and he is a proud Hudson Valley native and father of four.
Kenan Porter – Clemson Bros Brewery
Statement:
To me, owning a brewery is about more than just brewing beer and serving food. It’s about bringing people together to share in good times while enjoying their surroundings. As an owner of soon-to-be three brewery locations in the Hudson Valley, I would be honored to serve on the board and continue strategizing ways to promote, protect, and further grow the craft brewing industry in New York State.
Bio:
Back in 2012, Kenan and his brother started brewing beer out of their garage in Pine Island. After his brother spent years apprenticing with the owners of a brewery in Vermont, Kenan decided to open a brewery of his own, and he purchased an old hacksaw metal-cutting factory in Middletown, New York. Paying homage to the former owners of the hacksaw factory, Kenan named the brewery Clemson Brothers Brewing. Fast forward 7 years, Clemson Bros Brewery now has its second location in New Paltz, New York and is working on its third location where it all began in Pine Island, New York.
Tom Crowell – Chatham Brewing
Statement:
As the Hudson Valley Representative to the NYSBA board, I would endeavor to continue the fantastic work that has been accomplished in recent years by the Association. The growth in the industry is the result of the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit of our fellow brewers, but ultimately can be traced back to the consumer embracing the products being produced. The Hudson Valley is perfectly situated to be the epicenter for food and beverage tourism in the State. I would like to see further efforts to promote this as an economic development strategy for the region and State, building cross-promotions between allied industries and the agri/culinary tourism. We are fortunate to be brewing in this time, but we need to realistic about future forecasting and need to continue to work hard to ensure continued success.
Bio:
Tom is the co-founder of Chatham Brewing, which will be celebrating its 13th year of operation in December. His first commercial brewing experience was in 1995 when he worked as the project manager and assistant brewer for Harbor Brewing, a pioneering project on the waterfront in Brooklyn led by Dick Ponzi of Bridgeport Brewing. That project afforded him the opportunity to work with brewers from Long Island to Memphis. Upon moving to the Hudson Valley, Tom saw the opportunity for farm-based beverage production, Tom founded one of the first farm distilleries in the State before returning his attention to craft beer. Chatham Brewing started with a 3.5 bbl brewhouse in 2006 and has since expanded seven-fold, anticipating production in 5,000 barrel range this year. The Chatham brand continues to be 100% self-distributed, and is now widely recognized throughout the Hudson Valley.