Clint Brown ’93 (Shippensburg) likes beer. After acquiring a taste for the second-rate suds of college life, he spent years “walking the earth” to breweries all over the country to sample the finer malty/hoppy delights of craft brews.
Inspired by his passion, Clint partnered with a good friend to open Farmers and Bankers Brewery in Woodstown, New Jersey.
Bringing brewskis to a one stop-light town
A resident of Woodstown, Clint said “there are about 3,000 residents and one traffic light.” When Clint’s friend, Michael Melniczuk (and his wife Becky) bought the historic First National Bank property in the center of town, Clint jumped at the opportunity to bring a brewery to the community.
The property actually consisted of two neighboring banks from the 1800s. After a year-long investment of sweat equity, they renovated the ‘new bank’ and opened the doors in June of 2022.
To honor the history of the town and the location, they named the venue “Farmers and Bankers Brewery.” The small farming borough is about 10 minutes from the Delaware Memorial Bridge, a great diversion for Pennsylvanians on their way “down the shore.”
Clint has a full time job, but is happy to be a jack-of-all-trades for the brewery. He bartends, does sales, inventory, maintenance, cleaning… whatever needs to be done to keep the beer flowing.
Negotiating restrictive NJ rules
New Jersey doesn’t make it easy for breweries. They have a list of head-scratching rules and regulations. Breweries can only sell the products that they make. They can’t sell food. They can only hold a limited number of events. They can’t promote sports events.
Clint reached back to his Pi Lam days to find creative ways to drive business. They made relationships with local restaurants (including the tavern across the street) and food trucks to allow people enjoy food with their beverages. They also hold private parties, like weddings and birthdays. These measures helped the brewery stay on it feet after opening.
The brewery even created a Sign the Bill pale ale in support of legislation loosening restrictions on breweries. A bill was signed into law in 2024.
