Renowned wild ale maker Eric Salazar is no longer employed by Other Half Brewing, both sides confirmed this week.

Salazar, who came to the Rochester area after 24 years at Colorado's New Belgium Brewing, started working for Other Half Brewing at the beginning of the year. Less than nine months later, the brewery representatives informed him that they don't have the infrastructure — separate space, barrels and aging vessels such as oak foeders — and resources needed for his job, Salazar said in a phone interview Wednesday.

Brooklyn-based Other Half Brewing opened its second location at the former Nedloh property in East Bloomfield, Ontario County, in April. The brewery announced plans for a wood-aged and wild ale program in Ontario County. Those beers take patience to produce, often needing years to fully mature and find the right blends.

With Other Half in the middle of opening another brewery in Washington, D.C., and a second, smaller location in Brooklyn, the brewery is devoting its resources and energy to see those projects to fruition. Other Half will table its wild ale plans for the next 12 to 18 months, the brewery said. There are still plans to produce wild and wood-aged beers in East Bloomfield.

"It makes sense," Salazar said. "They were unable to build the infrastructure here to support my job. They are pushing toward the D.C. project and that became a heavy focus after I was hired. They're putting a lot of money into that direction. They essentially said they that were unable to support my job here."

Salazar's outlook

"I've got no regrets. I'm bummed that the project took much longer that it doesn't seem like there is much I can do there for now. But that's the way life goes. Whatever brings you to a point and leaves you there, it's just time to look forward and move on from that point."

Representatives at Other Half declined further comment.

Salazar has established himself as one of the leading authorities and most important voices in American wild ales. At New Belgium, Salazar worked with Peter Bouckaert, the former New Belgium brewmaster, and Lauren Limbach, Eric's former spouse.

More:Other Half Brewing buys Nedloh building, will open brewery in East Bloomfield

More:Other Half Brewing taps Eric Salazar to lead sour beer production

Salazar, the wood cellar manager, and Limbach, the sour beer blender, collaborated each year to release blends such as La Folie, the first commercially produced sour beer released by an American brewery, according to New Belgium's website.

He hasn't shut the door on working with Other Half in the future.

"Had it gone further, it might've gotten deeper into not being able to support my job," Salazar said. "I think it's an OK move to part ways when it's necessary. And who knows what the future holds. It they get built out up here and things start to happen, I am more than willing to help out, consulting-wise or whatever they need. We talked about that a little bit. So who knows what the future holds."

Salazar's future

Salazar said he's not leaving Rochester. He loves it here. He married Amy (Burdett) Salazar, a Rochester native, and said they wanted to move back to this area to be closer to Amy's family and friends. The move was initially "scary," but "I got to know Other Half and what they're about," Salazar said. "I had a great time working with those guys."

Since settling down here in December, the Salazars have bought a house in Rochester and Eric jokingly said he has been battling with roots during yard work while he considers his next challenge.

"I've been doing a lot of projects around the house," Salazar chuckled. "That has been nice."

He said he's exploring the world of consulting, offering advice and know-how to existing barrel-aging programs or to breweries looking to expand into that area.

"I've already talked to a few people," Salazar said. "I've got a friend who actually runs a consulting business and he's been looking to bring to bring me on board for a long time. We'll see where that goes. This will keep me open. This will keep me loose. I can help other people do the same types of projects. Whatever is needed while I try to find a direction or maybe that's just the direction I need to go."

Salazar said he has already been in contact with at least one local brewery about consulting.

Other Half's future

Other Half has brought national attention to the burgeoning Rochester beer scene since purchasing the former Nedloh property in July 2018. Other Half is known for its hazy India pale ales, huge imperial stouts, eye-catching marketing and collaborations with breweries from across the globe. The brewery initially wanted to expand its offerings with a focus on wild ales and wood-aging. Those projects are hugely expensive and time-consuming.

The facility for wild beers was intended to be separate from the renovated Nedloh space. That's a necessity. There is a huge risk of contamination when dealing with the type of wild yeast and bacteria needed to produce wild and funky beers.

Sour and wild beers take years to produce. The process often involves the blending of mature beers with younger ones. Much like wines from the Finger Lakes region, the beers will be intended to represent the area in which they are produced and will be terroir-driven creations. That timeline is just different now.

The Salazars are happy to be in Rochester. Eric said he is happy that this move brought his wife home.

"I like it here enough that I'm happy that we came here and I'm happy that we live here. If that's the the thing that came of this, then so be it. That's great. We bought a house that we love."

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com