By Kate Bartlett
The name ‘Topper’ is not only recognized, but nearly synonymous with Ellicottville Brewing Company as a once beloved bartender and now a multi-brewpub manager. Topper Clemons has been working with EBC since its inception over 20 years ago. Since then, he admits that, “it’s been great to watch EBC evolve and grow with Peter’s vision. The process of expanding the brewery has been grueling at times, incredibly rewarding, and always interesting.”
Originally from New Jersey, Topper has had an innate, lifelong passion for football. He attended Wake Forest University, only to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1986 and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles the following year. After Topper was released, he decided to pursue something different, as his, “experience in professional football was an irrefutably monumental chapter” in his life, but he, “realized it was time for something new.”
Much of Clemons’ family resided in Olean, NY; naturally, he decided to move to the area in the ‘90s with high hopes of discovering newfound passions. A position at a youth camp in Great Valley paved the way for a tight friendship with the late Eddie Szpaicher. “Eddie was one of those compassionate people who wanted the best for everyone. He quickly had me in toe and en route to Ellicottville with him, where I met locals and immediately felt the charm of a passionate ski town.” From then on, Topper has found his professional home throughout the village. He worked at the Silver Fox as a bartender, where his appetite for mixology and making community connections took flight.
Ellicottville Brewing Company opened in 1995 and it took Topper just a few months to join the crew. Bartending full time for 18+ years, he worked with owner/operator Peter Kreinheder and original brewer Phin DeMink to establish roots and, most importantly, to grow the brand throughout Western NY. “It’s been a process with its own growing pains. We’ve stayed true to our company values and that’s our devout testimony that things will always get bigger and better.”
In its infancy, the brewery and its brewpub would take a hiatus following ski season to study brand awareness and the business itself. “We’ve always listened to the society who supports us and have gone with the flow of what fits best. Peter would take a group of us to Toronto yearly to be immersed in exploring the industry and various cuisines. We’re always learning from other restaurants and breweries, and the challenge of staying relevant forces us to stay fluid and push to the next level each and every season.”
EBC expanded to a lakefront brewpub in Bemus Point, NY seven years ago where Topper was met with the challenge of expanding the brand, both physically and mentally, to consumers. Certainly, the goal was to keep the core values, tastes, and expectations in alignment with Ellicottville, but to intertwine the more laid-back summer vibe that the property lent itself to. “The beer and menu are similar, but the atmosphere is one of its own. It’s a blessing and a curse to have a location in which its experience speaks for itself, because dumbing that down into words doesn’t do the brewpub justice.”
‘EBOC,’ (EBC on Chautauqua) as it’s lovingly referred, is open May through October each year, offering entertainment throughout the summer season. “We love providing sights and sounds for locals and tourists alike; it keeps things fresh for everyone and allows us to encourage repeat business. Seeing the energy in the village has a ripple effect that allows for synergistic success. We close each season with an epic Halloween party. Most importantly and aside from our individual charm, we wholeheartedly feel we have navigated becoming a true post of the village carefully and genuinely, while working together with our neighboring restaurants and shops to create a true destination on the lake.”
Topper was met with the challenge of expanding the brand, both physically and
mentally, to consumers. Certainly, the goal was to keep the core values, tastes,
and expectations in alignment with Ellicottville, but to intertwine the more laidback
summer vibe that the property lent itself to.
Clearly, a laborious job has to have an alluring motive. For Topper, it is all about the people. “I have met so many amazing people throughout my years at EBC and have formed lasting relationships that reach far beyond our brewpubs’ walls. From my coworkers to the families we serve, we all truly enjoy being around one another. I have had the privilege of seeing entire families grow up and expand in these communities, the traditions that are born and cherished. We know we’re doing something right when we see these folks, that we can call friends, coming back year after year. That ensures we are in it for the right reasons.”
The Bemus brew crew is intelligent, personable, and hard-working. “I find myself hiring based on personalities. Experience matters very little; more than anything, we look for good natured hearts – the rest can be trained on the job. All of our employees must love doing what they do, because that shows time and again.”
As Vince Lombardi said and as Topper retains, ‘There is only one way to succeed in anything…and that is to give it everything.’
Stop by Ellicottville Brewing on Chautauqua and pay Topper a visit starting the last weekend in May. For more information, visit https://www.ellicottvillebrewing.com/ and follow on Facebook and Instagram today.