In honor of his 25 year anniversary of professional craft brewing, Two Roads Brewing Company will doff their English cab hats to the man that makes their beers truly unique- brewmaster Phil Markowski.
Since 1989, Phil has been brewing palate-pleasing and award-winning craft beers at several notable breweries in the Northeast, most recently Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, CT.
Phil started his professional brewing career at New England Brewing Company in Norwalk, CT. “Phil’s first brewing job was manning a patched together 1 bbl. “nano” brewery – long before the term was invented,” said Ron Page, who brewed alongside Phil at New England and now is the Brewmaster of City Steam in Hartford. Page added, “It was located in a cramped, decrepit garage on the then “bad’” side of the Norwalk River, and was wedged between an abandoned seed warehouse and a dusty cement plant. Every afternoon when the trucks returned to the yard and released the brake pressure with a loud burst, he would jump up in panic, thinking one of the homemade fermenters had exploded. It’s true- I was there!” It was at New England Brewing where Phil won the first of his many GABF medals and began to get national accolades for his brewing prowess.
One of the early influencers in the craft beer industry, Phil is not just a brewer but a scholar of brewing who used his knowledge to become an author as well. Phil’s book “Farmhouse Ales” (published in 2004) is the go-to for any enthusiast looking for information about the renowned saisons and biere de gardes of the French and Belgian countryside. He has also contributed to The Oxford Companion to Beer,Zymurgy, The New Brewer, American Brewer, Brewing Techniques and All About Beer magazine as well.
Humble by nature, Phil has been one of the winningest brewers in the history of American craft beer. His beers have been awarded over 35 medals at prestigious brewing events including the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup, the Real Ale Fest, and the Great International Beer Festival.
Phil also was a recipient of the prestigious Institute for Brewing Studies Russell Scherer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing at the 2003 Craft Brewer’s Annual Conference in New Orleans. Each year, this award honors a single American Craft Brewer for innovation and quality in brewing as well as making significant contributions to the Craft Brewing Industry. He is one of only 18 brewers to be selected for this award.
After a very successful 15 years as Brewmaster at Southampton Publick House on Long Island, Phil returned to his Connecticut roots as partner and Brewmaster of Two Roads Brewing in Stratford, CT.
“I have known Phil for a long time and I cannot think of anyone I’d rather have at the brewing helm and as a partner,” said Two Roads CEO Brad Hittle. “His collection of awards and citations over the past 25 years speaks to his extraordinary brewing skills, but his humble nature, integrity and camaraderie are what make him a great leader and a terrific person to work with.”
“Phil has been a fixture and a legend in the New England craft brewing community,” said Two Roads Partner and VP of Sales and Marketing Clem Pellani, “he’s a rare bird in that he is equally adept in both the art and science of brewing. It’s hard to find someone who excels at both. That’s why he can conjure up a sour beer made with balsamic vinegar while also running a brewery of our scale. And to top it off, he is a great human being and a great friend as well. We are lucky to have him as a partner and leading our brewing team.”
The entire Two Roads team is honored to have Phil as Brewmaster and couldn’t be more proud of everything he has done for Two Roads and the brewing community as a whole.
Cheers to you Phil.
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