There was a time when the word “contract” as associated with brewing was considered dirty. If you’re going to make beer, make your beer at your own location, some purists said. But there were some brewers with no other option and still others who just knew better.
The story of Two Roads Brewing Company (Stratford, Connecticut)—one of the few, but arguably the most successful, modern contract breweries in America)—goes back a few years, to another contract-beer relationship. This one was between Southampton Public House and Pabst. In 2007, it was a chance for the then small brewery to work with Pabst for sales and marketing along with distribution support. The beer would be brewed at a third-party location.
Brad Hittle, now the CEO of Two Roads, was the chief marketing officer at Pabst at the time. He and Clement Pellani, the sales director on the project, worked with Phil Markowski, the brewmaster of Southampton, to get the beer made and sold.