This week, Uncapped podcast host Chris Sands spoke with Cushwa Brewing Co. co-founders Garrett Chambers and Marcus Thomas. They told us how the Williamsport Brewery came to be, gave us all the details about their amazing anniversary party (which is already sold out), and talked about the craft beer industry in general. Here is an edited excerpt from their speech.
Uncapped: You have a nice little shindig coming.
Garrett’s Chambers: I think for the past few years we’ve wanted to invite friends into town and provide beer options and just do something cool to celebrate [our fifth anniversary]. Obviously, the last two years haven’t been very good for that. This year we decided to go ahead and have a little party…with 50 couple breweries sending beer.
Uncapped: This just proved you’re from Maryland.
Bedrooms: What did I say ?
Bedrooms: What are the others saying? … We have over 52 breweries coming up. There are 53.
Uncapped: I don’t think it’s a Maryland thing; I think this is a Washington County specific thing.
Bedrooms: Something mountainous. I have lived here all my life. I picked it up from the locals.
Uncapped: So: 50 couple brews. Some of the best breweries in the country.
Bedrooms: Yeah, we’ve been really lucky to make friends and build relationships over the years. We’ve paid for several of their parties and birthdays, so it’s nice to be able to accommodate them for a change.
Uncapped: It’s a trend that I love in craft beer. For two or three years now, when breweries celebrate their birthdays, instead of doing all that stuff, it’s almost like a mini beer party with friends.
Bedrooms: Yeah, it’s fun. It’s one of the interesting things about this industry, and I’m sure other guests have talked about it. We all run businesses and try to do our best. For the most part, we all get along very well. There is a camaraderie between brewery owners and brewers, we all share ideas, we like to brew together, sometimes pushing the limits. I think a lot of collaborations are flashy, but we also have a lot of good discussions when we hang out, around processes and things we can do to improve the quality of our beer and get things done.
Uncapped: And it’s cool too, because you meet people. It’s an opportunity for people to meet people involved in these breweries that they often only have access to through trade or if they travel.
Bedrooms: I think it’s one of the coolest things about having breweries in town, especially in places like this neighborhood. COVID has changed [distribution], so we have a lot of options than before. Yet for this holiday we will have beers here that have never been here before, from breweries that do not ship beer to Maryland. I’m pumped to drink some of that stuff that comes to town.
