About Us
Conquest Brewing Company is the embodiment of an idea -- the idea that beer should be more than a beverage, more than an alcohol delivery system. The idea that the long, painful history of mankind has many common threads woven throughout it, and one of these threads is beer. While it is arguably not the most important thread of civilization, it is one of its chief building blocks.
We at Conquest Brewing Company continue the proud tradition of crafting, and enjoying, the most complex and inviting, the most approachable and esoteric beverages the world has ever known.
Our beers pay homage to bygone times of war and peace, to tales both fantastic and dreadfully real. We believe that the onward march of history will show that in the end, honor is what makes a man, and taste is what makes a beer. And we do not intend to be lost to the annals of history.
Joseph Ackerman
Joseph Ackerman is our President and Head Brewer. A native of Columbia, Joseph grew up a few blocks from Matthew, though they didn’t meet until they began science classes together in high school. Joseph became interested in brewing while studying English at the University of South Carolina.
His first attempted brew was in a friend’s apartment complex in a coffee pot, and though the results were disastrous, it piqued his interest. He began brewing extract batches and became heavily involved in the Palmetto State Brewer’s Association, a local homebrewing club, where he and Matthew renewed their friendship and began brewing together.
Joseph and Matthew began all-grain brewing in Joseph’s carport in early 2008, and never looked back.
Matthew Ellisor
Matthew Ellisor is our Vice President and Assistant Brewer, and we like to call him our "chief zymurgical operative." With an extensive background and understanding of microbiology, chemistry, and physics, Matthew is in charge of biological quality control and yeast handling during our brewing process.
A native of Columbia, Matthew has only ever moved a few blocks from his birthplace. In the top of his high school-level honors classes in biology, chemistry and physics, completed by the ripe age of 15, Matthew went on to independently study the sciences as well as receive formal education in brewing technology from the Siebel Institute of Technology.