Two weeks after calling New York City’s vaccine mandates “a crime against humanity” and igniting a maelstrom of social media backlash, Threes Brewing co-founder and CEO Josh Stylman has resigned, the Brooklyn-based craft brewery announced Tuesday.
Chief operating officer Jared Cohen will replace him, Threes said. Stylman is listed as a principal in the business on Threes’ license from the State Liquor Authority. Eater reported that Stylman will divest from the business, but no timeline for that process has been established.
In comments made last month, Stylman described the city’s requirement of proof of vaccination for indoor dining and drinking as “biomedical segregation,” and said it “echoes early sentiments expressed in the Jim Crow South, Nazi Germany, Stalinism, Maoism, and other dark times in human history.”
As anger built on social media from drinkers who opposed Stylman’s viewpoint, he tried to urge consumers not “to hate on the brand [because] of one person’s personal views.” Drinkers pointed out that, as the CEO, consumers can conflate his opinion with that of the company, and Stylman acknowledged that, as a “middle-aged man who is far more financially stable than the people who work here,” he would be shielded from the backlash.
Ultimately, Stylman’s desire to speak freely became more important than retaining his title, Threes said.
“He believes that his fiduciary responsibilities as CEO of Threes Brewing are in conflict with his duties as a parent and citizen and is choosing to be able to speak his mind without concern that the team at Threes will be held responsible for his personal views,” the brewery wrote.
Threes issued an unsigned statement distancing itself from Stylman’s tweets on February 17, which was the last post made to its Twitter, Instagram and Facebook profiles until today when it announced Stylman’s departure.
“We know many of you out there who have been long-time supporters of Threes Brewing may have felt frustrated with the radio silence,” the brewery wrote. “We appreciate your patience with us.”
Nearly a week after the backlash began, Stylman doubled down in an open letter on Substack.
“As to the specific tweets comparing vaccine mandates to historical atrocities, I stand by my comments: if we are silent about these unjustifiable and discriminatory mandates (and the consequences people are facing because of them), we are capitulating to fear, and abandoning the dream of an inclusive, just society – we are forgetting what it means to be human,” he wrote.
In the letter, Stylman told Threes’ staff they have to “follow [their] own hearts and judgment in regards to [their ] future at the company” and stressed that “no one understands more” than he does how important they are in the brewery’s success.
Stylman addressed Threes’ business partners, saying he “hope[s] and trust[s]” they would not walk away from their relationships with the brewery.
“While I take full responsibility for my words, if you are thinking of leaving and terminating your collaboration with Threes it is true that may put our business in jeopardy,” he wrote.
However, some Brooklyn retailers had already removed Threes from their shelves and taps, including BKLYN Larder Cheese & Provisions, an off-premise shop in the borough’s Park Slope neighborhood, and Colonia Verde, a restaurant in the Fort Greene neighborhood, according to Brooklyn Patch.
Threes operates taprooms in the Gowanus and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn and runs a seasonal outpost on Governors Island. In 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, Threes produced 5,530 barrels of beer, according to the Brewers Association.
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 1:45 p.m. ET on March 2 to reflect that Stylman will divest from Threes.