“My business partner and I were home brewing separately and worked together at a local Erie newspaper,” McCullor said.

“We went to a few home brewery club meetings and were hanging out with a few commercial brewers, and then we thought that this was something we could do. One thing led to another and we were signing the papers and opening our own.”

McCullor said they saw a small open hole in their local community for a brewery and found a spot to open their business where people could walk to.

The pair officially opened Erie Ale Works on Sept. 6, 2014, at 416 W. 12th St., Erie. Ten years later, McCullor said reaching the 10-year milestone is a big accomplishment.

Erie Ale Works anniversary week celebration includes five days of local food trucks, beer releases, and friends and family.

“I think it is a pretty significant accomplishment, because you talk to other people in business and they say if you make it through one year you’re doing well, and if you make it through five years you’re doing well, and here we are 10 years later,” McCullor said. “For myself, the past 10 years are not so much about the business, but the people and community we have built. It’s a tremendous community, and I can bump into people at the store and in the community that know us. Having this community of family and friends is important from that standpoint.”

Sales and continued growth are also important, McCullor said, but the people aspect is a big part of owning a business.

For McCullor, his roots in brewing began as more of a crash course, with him and Anthony learning how by reading books and working in McCullor’s garage. He added that he only knew of one person that actually went to school to learn how to brew.

Four or five years into the business, the brewing work has all gone to Anthony, as McCullor said for longevity of the business splitting the work was a better decision for them. He praised Anthony’s work, saying that he is a lot better at brewing than him and that he thought their beer was the best in the Erie area.

Over the last 10 years, McCullor said some of the things he has learned includes that the highs and lows of owning a business are equal.

Erie Ale Works, owned by Falconer native, Jeff McCullor and Erie native, Steve Anthony, is celebrating its tenth anniversary of opening, with celebrations ongoing throughout the week. Submitted photo

“The highs can be very high and the lows can go pretty low,” McCullor said. “Things will go wrong, and those things will test your stamina. It can be anything from equipment breaking to a worldwide pandemic and we have to work to continue to make smart strategic decisions as we go through that.”

McCullor gave an example, saying that as they enter into September they are entering one of the better months for the business, but thinking forward into the next year, January is often pretty terrible for them just because of the time of year and outlying factors that come with that. He said the business is preparing and working on long term planning, but that no matter what sometimes owning a business will wear someone down.

“A business can wear on you,” McCullor said. “You have to be there all the time and you have to make sure you have good employees and that they are doing their jobs. It’s a good time, but there’s always a bottom line at the end of each sales day.”

In the future, McCullor said his hopes can easily be described as “more”, meaning he hopes to make more beer, sell more, and meet more people, along with continuing to grow.

“We are interested in having anyone that wants beer in our area come in and we will talk with them and tell our story,” McCullor said. “We hope they will become repeat customers and we are always looking to give to the community as much as we can. Erie is in our name and we want people to get to know and like us.”

Pictured is Jeff McCullor and some of his customers at Erie Ale Works. McCullor and his business partner are celebrating ten years in business. Submitted photo

Growing up locally in Falconer and graduating from Falconer Central School, McCullor said he often went to Erie to shop as a kid. He said it is not that far away from Chautauqua County and Western New York, and invited the local community to come and see some of the things going on in Erie.

“It’s an easy drive to and from,” McCullor said. “Anyone can stop in and we will typically be there, happy to meet with you and answer your questions.”