Fat cats do brew: Two months in, East Hampton couple’s craft beer farm already a hit Hobby becomes business: Two month’s in, couple’s seasonal farm-crafted beer already a hit

On its website, Fat Orange Cat Brewery in East Hampton gives a tribute to the farm’s namesake. “We miss brewmaster Billy so much, but his love and passion for hanging out for hours and brewing will always live on through the name.” less On its website, Fat Orange Cat Brewery in East Hampton gives a tribute to the farm’s namesake. “We miss brewmaster Billy so much, but his love and passion for hanging out for hours and brewing ... more Photo: Eileen McNamara — Special To The Press Photo: Eileen McNamara — Special To The Press Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Fat cats do brew: Two months in, East Hampton couple’s craft beer farm already a hit 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

EAST HAMPTON >> It’s about 11 a.m. on a recent Tuesday and Mike Klucznik’s thoughts are on beer. Specifically, whether he has enough for the weekend.

As a craft brewer, Klucznik thinks a lot about beer. He and his wife, Sheila Mullen, opened their seasonal farm brewery, Fat Orange Cat Brewing Co. at 47 Tartia Road, in August and host tastings every Saturday from noon until 5 p.m.

Business has been so brisk it’s not uncommon for Klucznik and Mullen to run out of popular brews before closing time on Saturdays.

Unlike a regular brew pub or bar, Fat Orange Cat, named after a beloved late cat named Billy, is specifically designated as a farm brewery because it’s located in a residential zone. It took Klucznik and Mullen months to get all the permits and approvals needed to open the business. The issue, they said, wasn’t any type of opposition from neighbors or the town. Rather, the specialized nature of what they wanted to do required a zone change and a variety of state, local and federal permits.

Fat Orange Cat is the town’s first and only brewery.

The roots of the venture began about 15 years ago, Klucznik said, after someone gave him a home brewing kit as a gift. An accountant who still works in the profession, Klucznik said his home brewing hobby really began to take off when friends and relatives started telling him how much they liked his beers and asked for more.

“I started making some pretty good beers and I was getting obsessed with it,” Klucznik said.

When one of his beers won an award at a competition in Vermont a couple of years ago, the couple began thinking seriously about turning the hobby into a business.

“We realized, ‘Hey, we could really do this.’ And in May of last year we made the decision,” Klucznik said.

After the task of getting all the necessary permits the couple began work on retrofitting a small barn on their property into a brewhouse and tasting room. “The hardest part of this whole process was clearing out this barn,” Klucznik said with a laugh.

As a farm brewery, the business has to meet strict state standards. For instance, 20 percent of the farm’s beer products have to be sourced locally. Farmers in the state are responding to the growth of such breweries by ramping up production of things like the grains and hops used in the fermentation process.

Mullen said Fat Cat also uses local jalapenos for their beer and buys other like products, such as pumpkins, honey and syrup, for use in the beers.

The couple worked with the University of Connecticut’s Agricultural Extension Program on a comprehensive plan to meet the 20-percent requirement and one of the things they’re proud of is the plan calls for recycling spent grains used in the brewing process. The grains are collected by local farmers who use them as feed for goats, chickens and pigs.

They opened this summer on one of the hottest days of the year — when it was 100 degrees out, Mullen said. Still, the local response that day and every Saturday since has been excellent, the pair said. “We’ve been steadily busy every Saturday,” Mullen added.

So much so, that sometimes they run out of more popular beers. While that’s a positive in terms of sales, Mullen said it’s actually something they’re working hard to avoid because some customers haven’t been able to taste all of the beers available on days when they run out of one or two samples.

“While it’s sort of a great problem to have, we don’t want to run out,” Mullen said.

The couple does most of the work on the farm themselves, though they have some help on Saturdays from friends who pitch in to pour beer.

Typically there are four or five beers available for tastings and the business charges $5 for four three-ounce tastings and each comes with a complimentary glass.

The couple’s liquor license limits the tastings to four per customer. Each customers gets four poker chips (with the signature Fat Orange Cat label on them) and can redeem their chips at any time for a tasting. Customers can also buy a 32-ounce growler of beer for between $9 and $11 dollars to take home. The glass bottle costs $5 but can be reused.

Klucznik said the poker chip system helps promote a more relaxed, leisurely atmosphere. “People bring their kids, even their dogs,” he said. “It’s not like a bar atmosphere, it’s more like a farm atmosphere.”

He brews beer four to five days a week in order to make the several hundred gallons of beer needed each Saturday. They have as many as 150 tastings each week.

Even by small brewery standards, Fat Orange Cat is a small operation, the couple says. Some breweries in the state operate with a system of five barrels. Fat Orange Cat has just one, Klucznik said. But he and Mullen are already looking ahead to a possible expansion since some commercial businesses, restaurants in particular, have begun asking to carry some of his more popular beers, such as Jalapeno Jack.

“We’re hoping to start retailing soon at five different restaurants in Connecticut,” Klucznik said.

For information, see fatorangecatbrewco.com or