What began as Jim Crossland’s backyard brewing project has grown into Naked Brewing Company, a brewery making the “pub style” beers poured at its Bristol and Huntingdon Valley taprooms. Crossland, an original owner for 13 years, now serves as head brewer alongside co-owner Shawn Dulee, who oversees production and helped expand the company to two taproom spaces. The team also includes co-owner Danny Ceisler, a U.S. Army veteran who joined after first working with Naked as its attorney.
Cinderlands Beer CompanyFounded in Pittsburgh in 2017 by two married couples, Cinderlands Beer Company grew from garage brewing at its original Lawrenceville site into an independent brewery with three locations. Its 17,500-square-foot Warehouse in the Strip District is the company’s main production center, while Long Story Short preserves the original space as a neighborhood bar and sandwich shop. Cinderlands’ beers have earned gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup, including recognition for its Brett and experimental beers.PITTSBURGH, PA
Crooked Eye BreweryEstablished in February 2014, Crooked Eye Brewery grew from Jeff Mulherin’s kitchen experiments into a Hatboro brewery producing beer on a seven-barrel system. Its founders—Jeff and Paul Mulherin and Paul Hogan—combine different work experiences around a shared passion for brewing, while the taproom adds a distinctly local gathering place with live music from area bands and its own house band.HATBORO, PA
ESP Brewing CompanyFounded by Larry and Michele Esper, ESP Brewing Company grew from a brewing-services business into an Amherst community gathering place. The couple and their small team built the 4,000-square-foot brewery and tap house, which opened in 2022 and includes a patio. Its 200-member Growler Club helped finance the brewery’s beginnings and remains part of its identity.AMHERST, OH
Union Craft BrewingFounded in 2011, Union Craft Brewing makes beer in Baltimore’s Medfield neighborhood, where its brewing operations began with the 2012 release of Duckpin Pale Ale. Now housed in a former Sears warehouse within the Union Collective hub for small local manufacturers, the employee-owned brewery balances brewing tradition with new ideas and operates a taproom and beer garden built around its belief that beer unites people. Its Zadie’s Lager also carries a family story, honoring co-founder Henry “Zadie” Benesch, who worked at the brewery until age 101.BALTIMORE, MD