Joanne’s connection to the Portsmouth Brewery goes back to early 1991, when she was the Creative Director of the small advertising firm hired to design the logo and initial advertising for the yet-to-be-opened Brewery. She joined the Brewery staff full-time in 1993 and has been the creative force behind the look and feel of both the Portsmouth Brewery and Smuttyose Brewing Company. She is co-owner of both companies with her longtime partner, Peter Egelston.

Like the elusive yeti, Peter is notoriously hard to track down. He grew up in southern California but did not remain there long. Dropping out after a year at UC Berkeley, he found his way to New York in 1978 where he earned a degree in Spanish Literature at NYU. Upon graduation, he quit his job as a hotel doorman and took a more “dignified” position – at one third the pay – teaching English as a Second Language. He later found a permanent position teaching in a large public high school in Brooklyn.

In 1986, his sister Janet passed through town and talked him into joining her in Massachusetts where they and two other partners would open what is now the oldest brewpub in the northeast: the Northampton Brewery, where Peter served as head brewer until 1991. That year, they opened the Portsmouth Brewery, the Granite State’s first brewpub. In 1993, he attended the auction of the bankrupt Frank Jones Brewing Company. Not intending to bid on anything that day, he ended up purchasing the brewery that was to become Smuttynose Brewing Company. Peter and his sister remained business partners until 2000. She is now sole owner of the Northampton Brewery, and he, with his partner Joanne, is proprietor of the Portsmouth Brewery, having left Smuttynose in 2018. Today, Peter divides his time between the Portsmouth Brewery and various civic and charitable activities. And like the yeti, some have come to wonder if he really exists.

Glad to be back in downtown Portsmouth where it all started for me all those years ago. Stop in to reminisce about “the good old days” when downtown Portsmouth had a topless bar, Ceres Street Open Golf Tournament, The Horse of a Different Colour, Emilio’s,The Warehouse and so much more.

Try some of our fantastic beers and celebrate what Portsmouth is now and what is ahead for all of us!

Born and raised in New Hampshire, John’s passion for craft brewing began when he was a career line cook. Already a man obsessed with craft beer; he quickly found the similarities between breaking down a dish by its individual ingredients and breaking down a beer when a co-worker approached him about trying their hand at home brewing. The rest, as they said, is history.

A UNH alumni, John studied communications and marketing with aspirations to be a food and beer writer, but the desire to create was too strong to ignore. A 10-year veteran in the industry, working in both sales and production, he’s paid his dues at some of the most acclaimed breweries in the state including, Moat Mountain, Red Hook, Great North Aleworks, and Great Rhythm.

When he’s not busy brewing up something tasty, he’s usually spending his time outdoors either hiking, backpacking, running, mountain biking, camping or spending too much money to be bad at golf.

John approaches recipes with a traditional, seasonal and sustainable mindset, always keeping in mind what’s available to the brewery locally.

Dez was raised in Switzerland, and grew up around the world absorbing different cultures, peoples, and attitudes. Besides trying to be a good human, his favourite things are food, followed very closely by playing with Alia, reading books, the ocean, and barking at the moon.

Craig is our ops manager and he’s too busy to write a bio, but he’ll get to it – someday.