SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — The new Frog Alley Brewing Company, located in the Mill Artisan District on lower State Street in downtown Schenectady, is getting ready to launch, and the craft brewery today announced the hiring of Master Brewers Rich Michaels and Drew Schmidt. The new brewery is named after the infamous Frog Alley baseball team that lived and worked near the site where the Mill Artisan District is located. The team was arrested for playing baseball on a Sunday in 1903 making regional and national news headlines.
“Frog Alley Brewing is about having fun and making great craft brews even on Sundays,” said Company founder JT Pollard. “We are launching with two of the most respected brewers we could find and we are very excited to welcome them to our team.”
Rich Michaels was most recently the Quality and Innovation Manager at the F.X. Matt Brewing Company in Utica, NY. He also teaches brewing at Schenectady County Community College. Rich serves on the Board of Governor’s for the Master Brewer’s Association of the Americas. He started brewing commercially 25 years ago and completed his Diploma in Brewing at the Siebel Institute in 1997. The Siebel Institute, founded in 1868, is the oldest brewing school in the United States.
Drew Schmidt began his brewing career early on in the Craft Brewing revolution. He apprenticed in 1992 at Zip City Brewing Co., New York’s second brewpub. In 1993, he attended the Siebel Institute and graduated with a diploma in Brewing Technology. After graduation, Mr. Schmidt moved to the Baltimore area and became the Head Brewer at the Oxford Brewing Company.
Frog Alley Brewery is projected to employ 65 people in production and taproom operations, targeting to serve 4,000 barrels on site in its first year. At full capacity, the operation can additionally contract brew 10,000 barrels annually.
Frog Alley Brewing Company is on schedule to pour the first glass from its new operation later this year.
About Frog Alley Brewery Company
Frog Alley Brewery and the Six Pack Taproom are the cornerstone of Schenectady’s newly revitalized Mill Artisan District. New York’s craft brew culture is flourishing and Frog Alley promises to fuel that growth with both classic and innovative brews and brands. Frog Alley Brewing Company is named for the Schenectady, NY baseball team that was famously arrested in 1903 for playing on a Sunday. For more information, visit www.frogalleybrewing.com or find them on Facebook.