Dockside Brewery Hires Andy Schwartz as Brewmaster
Long-time brewmaster Andy Schwartz has landed the top brewing job at Milford, Connecticut-based Dockside Brewery, according to a press release.
“We’re thrilled to have Andy on board,” Dockside co-owner Bob Chicoine said in a press release. “He’s a seasoned pro who brings a tremendous amount of experience in brewing award winning craft beer. As we move closer to opening our brewery, Andy will play a pivotal role in making Dockside a widely sought-after destination not only in Connecticut, but the entire New England region.”
“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go back to my roots and the small brewpub setting,” Schwartz added. “My first brewmaster job was in a small brewpub in Colorado, it’s where I met my wife and it where I fell in love with brewing. I’m stoked to get back to true hand-crafted innovation.”
In a Facebook post, Schwartz wrote to “expect an ever changing assortment of beers,” including lagers, West Coast IPAs, hazy IPAs, fruited beers, sours and “bug infested collaborations” from a 10-barrel wooden foeder.
Dockside, a waterfront brewpub with a 7-barrel brewhouse, is slated to open on St. Patick’s Day.
Schwartz, a 25-year brewing veteran, had served as brewmaster of Branford, Connecticut-based Stony Creek Brewery for five years before being laid off in August 2019. Before Stony Creek, Schwartz served as the innovation brewer at Craft Brew Alliance during a seven-year stint.
Mispillion River Brewing Names Claus Hagelman Director of Sales
Milford, Delaware-based Mispillion River Brewing has hired Claus Hagelman as its new director of sales.
Hagelman last served as national accounts manager for Baltimore’s Heavy Seas Beer for nearly five years. The move to Mispillion marks a return to Delaware. He previously worked as sales and marketing director for more than three years at 16 Mile Brewery and national sales manager for more than six years at Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.
In his new role, Hagelman will be tasked with developing relationships with the brewery’s wholesalers in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Ohio.
“We are excited to welcome someone with the wealth of industry understanding and insight that Claus has to our team,” Mispillion River president Eric Williams said in a release. “Our co-workers and board members expect great things.”
Mispillion River produced 3,048 barrels of beer in 2018, according to trade group the Brewers Association.
Athletic Brewing Hires First Marketing Manager
Non-alcoholic craft brewery Athletic Brewing has hired Rosalie Kennedy as its first marketing manager.
“We are really excited to have Rosalie join our team at Athletic Brewing Company,” Athletic founder Bill Shufelt told Brewbound. “She’s a dynamic, talented, and high-ceiling professional and comes from Boston Beer, a great organization and true role model for us as a company.”
Kennedy will start at Athletic on January 20. At Boston Beer, she worked on the Angry Orchard brand team for five and a half years and oversaw marketing activations such as the brand’s partnerships with the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and the Kentucky Derby, as well as the launch of Angry Orchard Rosé.
“One of the most valuable lessons Jim Koch and Boston Beer Company taught me is the importance of a high-quality product. Athletic is focused on brewing fantastic beers and I’m excited to join a team with similar values,” Kennedy told Brewbound. “My job is to create consumer relevance, which is an exciting challenge in an emerging category.”
Prior to joining Boston Beer, Kennedy worked at New York City-based advertising agencies Geometry Global and G2 Worldwide, where she supported the Heineken, Amstel Light, Dos Equis and Strongbow accounts.
Chief Economist No Longer with Beer Institute
Michael Uhrich has left national trade organization the Beer Institute after his position as chief economist was eliminated.
Uhrich served as chief economist for the BI from July 2015 through January 2020, and he’s credited with building the group’s sales-to-retailers program.
Uhrich told Brewbound that he “will be pursuing new opportunities, including both full-time positions and contract research projects.” He added that he’s hoping to find a job within the beer industry, and he would also love to do consulting work.
Uhrich has a history of working in the food and beverage space. He started as a marketing insights intern at MillerCoors in April 2007, and joined the company as a pricing analytics specialist in October 2008. He spent more than six years working at MillerCoors, last serving as marketing insights manager.
Before joining the BI, Uhrich worked as a marketing analytics manager for Yes Lifecycle Marketing in the Chicago area.
Avery Hires Craig Consigny as National Sales Director
Boulder, Colorado-based Avery Brewing Company has hired Craig Consigny as national sales director, founder Adam Avery confirmed to Brewbound. Subscription newsletter Craft Business Daily first reported the news.
Consigny previously led a team of 22 Ballast Point salespeople as VP/general manager for the brand’s craft beer portfolio across 15 states from October 2017 through April 2019. He previously spent nearly 17 years working for MillerCoors, last working as regional sales director for craft and import brands for the company’s craft division, Tenth and Blake.
Consigny takes the role formerly held by Brian Krueger, who departed the brewery in October 2019 to become VP of business development and portfolio strategies at Bump Williams Consulting.
In other Avery news, chief financial officer Shauna Callahan departed the the company after five years in November to become CFO of CampMinder, a summer camp management software firm in Boulder.
Texas-Based Real Ale Brewing Hires Evan Smith to Lead Sales
Former Lagunitas regional sales manager Evan Smith has left the Heineken-owned craft brewery and will join Blanco, Texas-based Real Ale Brewing Company as sales director, according to subscription newsletter Craft Business Daily.
Smith led Lagunitas’ sales team in California, New Mexico, Arizona and Las Vegas.
Real Ale, which was founded in 1996, does not distribute outside of Texas.
“The biggest reason why we don’t sell beer outside of Texas is because we don’t have to,” the company writes on its website. “We’re independent and we don’t answer to insatiable investor demand.”
Smith will start with Real Ale in February. He told Brewbound he is excited for the new opportunity.
“Being a native Texan I’m excited to get back to my home state. I am honored to be representing such a formative Texan brand that helped give rise to the state’s robust craft beer culture,” Smith wrote in an email. “Even though RABC’s distribution footprint is in one state, Texas has many diverse and highly populated markets within it. My experience working with multiple distributors in many different states throughout my career will give me the ability to approach each individual market with specific strategies that will help the Real Ale sales team be successful.”
Anheuser-Busch Taps Dan Keniry to Lead Federal Government Affairs
Anheuser-Busch InBev has named lobbyist Dan Keniry as its new head of federal government affairs, according to a memo shared by A-B. Keniry brings nearly 30 years of experience working on Capitol Hill, including serving in two different presidential administrations, to the world’s largest beer manufacturer.
In 2018, Keniry was appointed staff director for the U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee by Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR). Keniry previously worked as deputy assistant to the president for legislative affairs under President George W. Busch. He has also held the role of staff director for the House Rules Committee and senior floor assistant to former Speaker Dennis Haster (R-IL). He has also lobbied for Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association and UnitedHealth Group.
Keniry has also served for more than a decade on the Board of the Faith & Politics Institute, an organization whose stated goal is to cultivate “ mutual respect, moral reflection, increased understanding, and honest conversation among political leaders to advance productive discourse and constructive collaboration.
Keniry’s first day is Monday, and he will report to A-B’s VP of legal and corporate affairs Cesar Vargas.