Our Story
It all started with a dream over a couple of homebrews (boy, doesn’t that sound cliché?) Mark Henson had this idea. And what a delicious idea it was. Why not provide his award-winning homebrews to the masses? What would that take? Could we just snap our fingers and make it happen? Well, no. There is certainly more to it than that, but passion is a good start.
As a frequent European traveler, Mark recognized a distinct difference in the quality and variety of brewed beverages found in the old country when compared to the US. In Europe, there seemed to be a more artisanal attitude about beer, even with the large breweries. In the US, you had your choice of this mass marketed pilsner or that mass marketed lager. The import and burgeoning craft market seemed to provide the bulk of the variety here, but that market was still rather small. Well, Mark turned to homebrewing. What a cool way to drink exactly what you want and have fun while doing it. There is an immense pride in imbibing in something of your own making. And, you know, the beer was really good!
He’s the French teacher and trilingual conversationalist who likes nothing more than to regale you with stories of how this lager came to be or how that ale is supposed to look. He’s the scientist that is more of an artist, …or the artist with a touch of a scientist. Either way, he’s the brewer.
After years of homebrewing, Mark was getting that itch for something much bigger and better so he reached out to his brother-in-law to see if he was interested in taking a big jump with him. Mark knew that if this was going to work, he needed more than good beer. He needed a plan. He needed Doug Farrell. Doug liked beer, liked his beer in particular and was a successful Physical Therapist and operational manager in the healthcare industry and seemed pretty organized. Would Doug be interested?
Mark is the kind of guy you expect to see amongst all the shiny stainless at your local brewery.
He’s the checklist-driven pilot. He’s the one that makes sure all the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted. After nearly thirty years of patient care and executive management, Doug is the guy that doesn’t do anything without a plan. Now, his plan is to help Mark make this dream a reality. He’s the Operational Manager.
Now, clearly this is not the work of only two people. Our families, friends, neighbors, colleagues (and probably more than one instance of divine intervention) have all conspired to make this a reality. We thank you all!
Separately, this dream stays a dream. Together, we’re bringing you Skint Chestnut Brewing Company. Cheers!