Yankee Brew News Archive

New England Brewing's New Venture Unites a Diverse Group

Originally Published: 01/96

By: Gregg Glaser

Marcia King, a native of Norwalk, grew up in a restaurant family. Her parents owned a restaurant in Norwalk for many years, and they now own a restaurant in Maine. Marcia never expected to own and manage a brewery. She quit work at King Industries in 1988 after ten years to begin her own home-based pottery business. She set up a kiln and studio and then three months later she and her husband, Dick, decided to form the brewery.

The head brewer at the New England Brewing Company is 28-year old Ralph Witkopp. Born and raised in Germany, Ralph took over as brewmaster at New England Brewing early in 1995. As young as he is, Ralph has an impressive list of both educational and working credentials in the beer industry. He career has included stints at a brewpub in northern Germany, the Feldschlosschen Brewery, Switzerland's largest brewer, a German malt house, and the famous Paulaner Brewery in Munich. Ralph also earned the prestigious Brew Master Diploma from the Weihenstephan Institute in Germany.

The Executive Chef at the Brewhouse Restaurant is 36-year old Joe Cizyinski of Stamford, Connecticut. He worked at several restaurants in Fairfield County before earning a degree from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Joe's first job upon graduating from the C.I.A.. was as the executive chef of Cafe du Bec Fin in Old Greenwich, a three-star New York Times European seafood restaurant. Eight months after taking this job, Joe became the owner of Bec Fin. He remained the owner-chef for ten years, selling the restaurant in late 1994.

Assisting Ralph Wittkopp in brewing the beers of the New England Brewing Company is 31-year old Keith Symonds of Greenwich. Keith fits a common profile of brewers in America's fast-growing craft beer industry -- he's a homebrewer and beer enthusiast turned professional brewer. He served as president of the New York City Homebrewers Guild, and in 1993 he became the youngest person ever to reach the exalted rank of Master Judge in the Beer Judge Certification Program.