Meet the Staff

Hugh J. Sisson

A sixth generation Baltimorean, Hugh J. Sisson has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing. General Partner of Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sisson’s, located in Federal Hill.

In the mid-eighties, Sisson observed the potential for a small brewery in Baltimore, a historically "big beer" town. After researching the industry at its heart - in Germany, England, and the west coast of the United States – he, along with the help of Senator George W. Della, Jr., successfully lobbied the Maryland General Assembly in 1987 to pass legislation required to open a brew pub in Maryland.

After the inception of craft brew in Baltimore, Sisson immersed himself in the development and market recognition of both Sisson's and its beers. In 1994, he left Sisson’s to begin a new venture, Clipper City Brewing Company. Clipper City has been in operation for over 15 years and markets fine beers in 19 states, as well as Washington, DC.

Sisson is a member of the Master Brewers Association of America, the Brewer’s Association, and is past President for the Brewer’s Association of Maryland. He has served as President of the Cross Street Irregulars Home Brew Club, and co-hosts a weekly program on WYPR Radio entitled Cellar Notes that critiques fine wine and beer.

Sisson is a graduate of the McDonogh School in Baltimore County. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Arts from Washington and Lee University in 1976.

Ernesto Igot
Brewmaster

Ernesto Igot has worked in the brewing industry for over 30 years. He has been a member of the Heavy Seas team for nine years, serving as the brewery’s Shift Brewer from 2000 to 2006 before moving into his current position as our head brewer.

Igots’ expertise has enabled him to personally contribute to many techniques at the brewery such as spray wort boiling in the brew kettle, warm maturation of lager beers, adjusting the proper grist-to-waterratios in the mash, correct pre-coating procedures during beer filtration plus many other improvements in the brewing process and raw materials usage.

From 1976 to 1997, Igot worked at San Miguel Corporation, Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage, and packaging company. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous awards recognizing his talent and proficiency. In 1979, Igot topped the Supervisor’s Brewing Course in the San Miguel Corporation. He earned that honor again in 1984 from the San M

iguel Brewing School in the Philippines. In 1986, he placed third at the Versuchs-und Lehranstalt fur Brauerei (VLB) Brewing Course in Berlin, Germany. He was promoted to Assistant Brewmaster in 1987 and subsequently, to Brewmaster

and Production Manager in 1990. In 1994, he became Brewing Technical Services Manager overseeing the day-to-day brewing operations of 11 San Miguel breweries in the Philippines, China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Igot is a member of the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Toastmasters Club (Philippines), and the University of the Philippines Beta Sigma Fraternity Alumni Association.

Ernesto Igot is a graduate of the University of the Philippines in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering.

Chris Mallon
Senior Brewer & Barrel Herder

Spent years in the IT field while dreaming about beer. Not because he’s an alcoholic, but for the ‘awesome’ store on the way home that carried hundreds of beers. A hophead at heart, he learned to appreciate every style of beer. As a homebrew junkie for years, he dreamed of working at a brewery. That dream came true when he started with Clipper City on the bottling line. In a matter of weeks he became part of the brewing team and has held the job of brewer for nearly 4 years. 

“I go to work every day to make beer. At the end of that day, I look in the fermenter full of handcrafted beer and can say that I made that. Awesome.”

Kevin Ashford
Brewer

Got his start in the restaurant industry. Dishes were washed. Tables were bussed. Meals were prepped. Orders were taken, and beers were poured with precision and haste. After earning an International Affairs degree from  James Madison University, Kevin found post-graduate employment opportunities to be fairly limited, so he chose to get back behind the bar. It was his fate... He developed a passion for well crafted beer and tried his hand at homebrewing.  Kevin's approach to beer is all about respect. "I like to consider beer history. The process of brewing has been taking place for a long period of time, so we should appreciate the tradition. Anytime I drink a beer, I look for something to appreciate about it. It may not be a style I prefer, but the color, aroma, taste, or viscosity could be perfect". When Kevin isn't brewing beer he is probably painting and staging his vast array of cast iron beer miniatures or counting and re-alphabetizing his collection of beer labels.

Tristan Gilbert
Brewer

Tristan discovered a need for craft beer while refueling after track and cross country meets at Salisbury University.  Sure, light beer is great for staying well hydrated after long runs, but what about taste, complexity, aroma, overall enjoyment, or carbo-loading?  Once the switch was made from Gatorade to Loose Cannon, records were shattered and a degree earned. Following college, Tristan dove full force into the Baltimore music scene as well as the home brewing world, creating off the wall beers that he couldn’t find on the store shelves and music he couldn’t find on the radio.  If you give him beer, he will play drums... trust us.  Tristan’s advice for the music/beer lover in your life, “Beer is like music. You can take what the industry shoves down your throat, or you can seek out for more substance and depth.”

David Sauer
Brewer

David's interest in craft beer started in college when he strayed away from the ‘macro’ beer that his friends were drinking. A craft beer ambassador from the beginning, he would showup to parties with a six pack of his latest craft find. As he became more and more infatuated with different styles, he started learning about how beer was made and what components produced the flavors and styles of his favorites. This  led to a passion for homebrewing and eventually a spot among our Heavy Seas brewers.

Christopher Schultz
Brewer

Chris likes beer. He likes it so much he studied it. No seriously. He’ll tell you that he daydreamed his way through a biochemistry degree with thoughts of brewing enzymes and happy yeast fermentation. Chris then took to the road to formally study a passion long brewing (pun intended). While at the Siebel Institute in Chicago, Chris studied all aspects of brewing from raw materials to packaging in a classroom setting. At the Doemens Academy in Munich, he learned the practical aspects of brewing then visited breweries throughout Europe absorbing special techniques. Once back in Baltimore he joined the Heavy Seas crew to add his expertise to his favorite hometown brewery.

Steve Marsh
Cellarman

A third generation homebrewer, Steve learned the craft at an early age. At Heavy Seas, he is the keeper of the casks creating more than 2000.  His other passion is gardening and uses his homegrown ingredients in our firkins. These include Cascade, Centennial, Magnum, Zeus and Northern Brewer hops plus spices which are handpicked, peeled, and prepared.  "Creating and producing real ale is just a part of the attraction for me. It is also being part of something grand, and believing in yourself and the product. Meeting great people, while drinking a cask conditioned Loose Cannon that has been dry hopped with local Cascade hops: that clinches the deal.”  Steve also holds a BS in Environmental Science from UMBC.