Crooked Eye is a “brewing” business in Hatboro
By Matt Schickling
Wire Staff Writer
Wandering into a beer store can be a dizzying ordeal for those who are unfamiliar with the craft beer market, but a Hatboro brewery is starting to set local sights straight, if not slightly awry.
Crooked Eye Brewery is a family business run by partners Paul Mulherin, his son Jeff Mulherin, and his brother-in-law Paul Hogan. It’s been in operation for a few months now, but last month it opened its doors for the public in general and newcomers especially.
“Right now, a lot of our beers are tailored to first-time craft beer drinkers,” Jeff Mulherin, who heads the brewing operations at Crooked Eye, said. “They’re not so wild and crazy that your average macro beer drinker wouldn’t want to try it.”
Mulherin got into brewing about eight years ago, when a friend asked him for assistance with his first homebrew. Eventually, he was able to get all of his own equipment to hone his craft, and years later, along with his dad and uncle, turn his passion into a business.
Crooked Eye has yet to break into a full-time endeavor, but the small brewery off East Montgomery Avenue has gained some attention. They currently occupy taplines across the region, most notably at Connelly’s Pub in Hatboro, Fritz’s Place in Warminster, The General Davis Inn in Southampton and Serrano’s in Philadelphia.
While they cannot sell beer for consumption at their Hatboro location, they do offer samples and sell growlers for people to take home a taste.
They have also discussed the possibility of extending their license and becoming a brewpub. “We don’t have the space to do that now,” Paul Mulherin said. “We need 300 square feet and seating for thirty separate from the brewery to get a brewpub license.”
The brewery is small, but capable in the hands of Jeff Mulherin. With the new system, they are able to produce about 80 gallons per run, which includes a six-hour brew, 10 to 14 days of fermentation, a day or two to carbonate depending on style and temperature and an hour or so to keg. All told, it’s about a two-week process from brew to tap.
The partners are interested in expanding their operation, though not immediately. All three have separate careers from the Brewery. Jeff works as respiratory therapist at Doylestown Hospital, Paul Mulherin is a tool and die maker and Paul Hogan is involved in commercial lighting sales. Their day jobs don’t prevent them from moving forward with the brewery, and a larger-scale operation seems more likely with each brew.
Crooked Eye will be represented in the Yardley beer fest this Saturday, May 10, alongside more than 60 breweries. They have plans to bring their seasonal double chocolate oatmeal stout to the table along with their blonde ale and IPA, Crooked Eye standbys. There they hope to announce an official grand opening tentatively scheduled for May 18 at the Hatboro location to celebrate with a community that has welcomed them with open arms.
“Fate worked somehow,” Paul Mulherin said, talking about establishing Crooked Eye in Hatboro. “That’s why we have the Top Hat Brown Ale, because the top hat is the symbol of Hatboro.”
After researching the borough, Mulherin discovered that one of Hatboro’s earliest residents opened the Crooked Billet Inn, named for Revolutionary War’s Battle of Crooked Billet, which took place in present-day Hatboro.
“Before that, we had no idea about any connection with the name. We figured something must be right, because the borough’s been so great and the name wound up working with something that was here so long ago,” he said. “It’s really been that way all along.”
Crooked Eye Brewery, 13 East Montgomery Ave, Hatboro, PA, 19040, is open Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. Read more about the Yardley Beer Fest at www.MidweekWire.com/2014/05/07/drink
