Guild Member Spotlight: mcCall Collective Brewing Company
It takes far more than one person to run a brewery. Between production, administration, creative, and taproom management, it requires a team of people to get a brewery off the ground. To flourish, it requires a collective effort from all parties involved to ensure the business has what it needs to sustain and grow. It was a pleasure to sit down with a brewery, who make these principles a focal point of their business, McCall Collective Brewing Company.
As of August 2022, McCall Collective Brewing Company is celebrating its 2 year anniversary of their Allentown location. Since then, much has been accomplished. Even opening in the middle of the 2020 pandemic, McCall Collective has become a destination brewery in the Lehigh Valley, offering high quality beer, delicious food, and impeccable service. As of May of 2022, a second McCall location has opened in Breinigsville, which offers cans-to-go, quick service food, and the same great beer.
The McCall Collective brand is more than a name.The “Collective” of individuals at McCall are the ones that bring texture to the brewery, and through years of hard work and planning, gave us what we have today!
Over a decade ago, Kaitlin and Chris McCall started to keep a composition book of future business endeavors the couple could possibly take on. Originally the idea for a restaurant was discussed, then a beer garden. Over the years they would discuss these ideas, change them around, develop them further, all while they built their careers in corporate America and had their two children.
During this time, Chris’s brother Matt McCall was making his way into the brewing scene. In 2014, living under the same roof as Kaitlin and Chris, Matt got a job with Sam Adams in their production facility. During this time, Matt developed his homebrewing talents and worked at a local homebrewing store in Bethlehem. Over the next couple years, Matt’s experience would grow tremendously as he would go on to work at Angry Orchard’s innovation cider house and eventually be named head brewer at Coney Island Brewing Company. Matt, along with his wife (Jenn) and their dog, moved to Brooklyn to take on this new adventure.
Having lived with Matt, Kaitin and Chris loved Matt’s beer and once he went off to Coney Island, they definitely missed it. They wish there was a better way to access Matt’s beer in the Lehigh Valley. Thankfully for all of us, during a New Year’s Eve party at Coney Island Brewing, just before the start of 2019, Kailin and Chris sparked discussion of bringing Matt’s beer and talents back to the Lehigh Valley as head brewer for their own brewery. By April of 2019, agreements had been made and things were set into motion.
A location in Allentown was eventually found and real steps had to be made to move towards opening in 2020. Kaitlin made the choice to leave her full-time job to become owner and CEO of McCall Collective Brewing Company, the first fully female owned brewery in Allentown. Chris would become CFO, “the finance and paperwork guy” as Kailin puts it and the guy who “leans forward to pull the ideas through. Along with Matt, the McCall Collective was born, but not done growing.
Early on, four individuals were brought on that have been indispensable to the success of the brewery, in both the skills they bring, along with the leadership and dedication they show. Sarah Peters was brought on originally for her art skills, but quickly moved into the role of Creative Brand Manager. Her artistic presence can be felt throughout the business, especially in her label art. Evan Horvath is the brains and talent behind McCall’s cocktail list. He was the one to demand freshly squeezed fruit be used in cocktails, to which all now agree was the right decision. Evan has also assumed the role of assistant brewer, helping Matt provide some of the best beer in the Lehigh Valley. Craig Phillips, “practically the third McCall brother” has been running the brand’s social media presence and publicity since the beginning. Finally, Chef Anthony Yannuzzi has been running the kitchen since opening day. Anthony was hired on the spot after his interview sample meal, making Kaitin cry over the excitement that her brewery will “have good french fries”. All of these individuals have been leading McCall since the beginning and have made themselves part of the “Collective”.That being said, every single person who works at McCall has ties to the “Collective” and have made McCall what it is today.
This team worked hard together to create a brand that has accomplished many things in the local beer community. From their staple “One Hop Wonders” and “Hittin Dingers” beer series to “Collective Contributions” charity beer, great things are coming out of McCall Collective and we should expect the same going forward. With Locations in Allentown and Breinigsville, it is easier than ever to enjoy the fruits of labor from McCall Collective.
Looking into the future, Kaitlin told us to expect McCall Collective to maintain their consistency, while making improvements. The “Collective” team really is a system of checks and balances which allows for proper decisions to be made. The McCalls are looking to be around for a long time and continue to grow in the community. Therefore, we can expect many more anniversaries from come!
Join us in celebrating McCall Collective Brewing Company’s second anniversary!
See McCall and all our other members at our 2022 Brewers’ Fest! October 15th at Shepherd Hills Golf Club.
Thank you for Reading. Cheers!
Research by: Leila Kaczmarek and Jerry Collins
Written by: Jerry Collins
Photography by: Jerry Collins