DOWNERS GROVE, Ill.– Alter Brewing Company has added an industry veteran to its brew team to kick off 2019. Matt McCowan, former lead brewer at Lagunitas-Chicago, joined the brewing team as of Jan. 1. He will transition to the head brewer position at Alter, while current brewer and co-founder Mark Hedrick will turn his focus to growth and innovation.
“We are a small but growing brewery, and we couldn’t be happier that Matt is joining us,” said Hedrick, when asked about McCowan’s addition to the team. “His wealth of knowledge will help us elevate our beer and our company to the next level.”
McCowan has been brewing professionally for the past eight years, but truly dove into the craft when he journeyed to Central Waters Brewing Company (Amherst, Wisconsin) in 2013. It was there that he honed his brewing skills and became an integral part of one of the oldest and most established barrel-aging programs in the country. In 2014, when an opportunity to become one of the founding brewers at Lagunitas presented itself, he jumped at the challenge. Thus began a five year journey of working for the largest brewery in Illinois.
Alter approached McCowan in late 2018 about the position of head brewer, and they formed an immediate connection. “I came to Alter because it has all the ingredients to make whatever beer we can imagine, and they [owners Mark Hedrick and David Yob] were on board with that from the beginning,” he said. McCowan also believed the town of Downers Grove had all the ingredients of a great place to live, and now resides there with his wife and son.
“The craft of brewing is an old one that has several paths to navigate,” said McCowan. “It is my intention to maintain the trails we have already walked, and discover new ones as we experiment. While the unexplored can be full of surprises (good and bad), I am confident that we will find new heights that both Alter and the community will be proud of. Cheers to that.”
About Alter Brewing Company
Alter Brewing Company opened in December 2015. They are passionate beer lovers dedicated to producing beer of the highest quality while pushing the boundaries of traditional styles. They seek to leverage their passion and craft into serving and improving the local community and beyond. The Alter space features a state of the art brew house and a beautiful modern-industrial taproom that is open seven days a week. For more information visit them online: www.alterbrewing.com.