Two Roads Brewing Company in Stratford, Connecticut is marking its tenth anniversary this year and it has been an eventful journey. Leading this voyage is Masterbrewer, Phil Markowski, known for his authorship of Farmhouse Ales, Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition but also for the fact that he has been in craft brewing for over 3 decades. We stopped by the brewery to have a chat with Markowski about Two Roads and his take on the brewing industry today.
In 2012, Two Roads Brewing Company was founded with the philosophy to “Take the Road Less Traveled” in their beer, lives, and the operation of their brewery. The four partners, including Markowski, were set on reviving an abandoned factory building, ultimately choosing the former U.S. Baird Factory, a 103,652 sq. ft. building dating back to 1912 located in Stratford, CT. Immediately, Markowski began brewing beers with a Road Less Traveled twist such as dry hopped pilsners, double west coast style ipas, russian imperial stouts, and double juicy IPAs, uncommon to the industry at the time. The brewery grew quickly and became one of the Top 50 Independent Craft Breweries in just 7 years. In 2019 they opened a product development and innovation hub called Area Two Experimental Brewing. “Area Two is really my playground, a place where I can try new things and be creative,” said Markowski. “When we develop a new beer at Area Two we do so with the intent of handing it off to Two Roads to produce it for wider distribution”, he added. Both facilities feature a dedicated tasting room with a large selection of beers to sample on the premises, or to take home.
Phil Markowski has been a professional brewer since 1989. Much has changed since then, but one aspect of the industry has remained constant – craft brewers still steadfastly support each other now as they did in the beginning. “Despite being a competitive industry with everyday struggles, craft brewers still have each other’s backs”, said Markowski. “As our industry evolved I would have expected it to go cutthroat as most industries do, but we still help each other out all the time. It’s one of my favorite aspects of our industry that I hope never changes”.
Markowski’s innovation and creative spirit continue to play a key part in making Two Roads Brewing Company what it is today. Looking towards the future, Markowski says “This industry continues to evolve in surprising ways. I look forward to fielding more curveballs, I enjoy the creative challenges, but what I’d like to see is an eventual return to more traditional styles. As craft brewers I feel it is our mission to provide variety to help expand the palate and experiences of the consumer as we did back in the beginning, by revolting against monolithic offerings.”
If you haven’t tried any beers from Two Roads/Area Two, you can find their beer distributed nationally. On that note, let us say, cheers to taking the Road Less Traveled!