The story of Chatham Brewing started more than a decade ago, when Tom Crowell and Jake Cunningham were introduced to each other through their wives who learned the two shared a love for beer. This was then followed by news that Albany’s Big House Brewing was selling their former 3.5 barrel brewing system — the two quickly moved to form Chatham Brewing. Soon after setting up shop in a small garage in the back alley of Main Street, and just three months after their first batch, Tom and Jake went down to TAP New York and won a bronze medal for their porter. They spent the following years alternating brewing duties, trying to keep up with their ever-growing following until 2008, when Matt Perry, a local home brewer (now head brewer and partner) approached them with an interest in trying his hand at a larger scale system.
With the addition of a new brewer, and a few new fermenters in 2012, they returned from TAPNY with the coveted Mathew Vassar Cup for Best Craft Brewery in the Hudson Valley. With the new accolades, the newly formed trio found themselves in need of an expansion that came Christmas Eve of 2013 when they moved their tanks down Main Street and into their new space. The following year, the laws changed again and they were able to pour and sell individual beers directly to the customers. Today, Chatham Brewing is a destination for all craft beer fans in and around New York’s Hudson Valley.