Our Brewmaster
Brewery owner. Brewmaster. Craftsman. Team player. And head of maintenance.
Given the number of hats he wears, we just call him Kevin.
Raising wooly pigs and running a brewery simultaneously on the same land doesn’t sound all that compatible. But once you get to know the team, it will make perfect sense. Kevin Ely, a former brewmaster of Salt Lake City’s Uinta Brewing Company, a top-50 craft brewery in the U.S. by volume, holds a degree in brewing science from UC Davis. In short, he knows how to brew good beer.
But about those pigs? That’s a story that is best told over a beer.
Our Team
Top Row: Patti and Todd, Lauren and Aaron. Middle Row: Jael and Kevin. Bottom Row: Soren and Astrid, Auggie and Silky Nils. Present in spirit: Nate and Lucy. Photo: Ben Croghan.
Meet the Malenkes. It’s a family affair.
Kevin’s wife, Jael Malenke, grew up less than a mile from the site of the Wooly Pig Farm Brewery. She and her beer-loving family have been involved from day one, helping plan, build, and run the brewery and tend the 90-acre farm that surrounds it. This eclectic and talented bunch includes:
Jael Malenke, a biologist-turned-businesswoman and mother of Astrid and Soren
Aaron Malenke, a farmer and fix-it-man, and his wife Lauren Malenke, a large animal veterinarian
Todd Malenke, a blacksmith artist and carpenter, and Patti Malenke, museum curator and grandma extraordinaire
Nate Malenke, a blacksmith knife-maker, and his wife Lucy Bryan Malenke, a writer and college professor
It takes a great team to make great beer, and this team is united by love for each other, dedication to the land, and a shared quest for the next great brew.