South Windsor brewery sales director fired after allegations of sex harassment

May 20—SOUTH WINDSOR — Connecticut Valley Brewing Co. fired its sales director this week, after he and many others in the brewing industry were listed in an online wave of sexual harassment allegations.

The surge of allegations within the industry stemmed from Brienne Allan, a brewer at Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts, who has been publishing various stories and allegations from women within the industry on her personal Instagram account, @Ratmagnet, according to VinePair.com, a news outlet that covers topics relating to beer, spirits, and wine.

Upon publication to her Instagram account, Allan covered up the names of the individuals who sent their stories to her.

In a social media post Monday from Connecticut Valley Brewing, which was signed by co-owners Steve and Lori Palauskas, the couple said they had no previous knowledge of the accusations made on Allan's account against their former sales director, who they identified as Jeff Nelson.

"We completely detest his behavior and are doing everything we can as a team to ensure this does not happen again. As co-owners, we do not condone sexual harassment in any form. We are here and we will update you as more information arrives," the owners wrote.

It is unclear when the allegations against Nelson were published on Allan's Instagram account and how the Palauskases became aware of them.

Upon request for comment from ownership, Will Palauskas, an employee of the brewery, said the company is a small family-owned business that's trying to do what's right.

"We'll provide any more information when we have it," he said.

Nelson in a Facebook post and on Twitter apologized after his firing. Both social media accounts have since been deleted.

"After lots of introspection over the last few days I would like to apologize to any female co-worker, peer and customer that I have made to feel uncomfortable or harassed over the course of my career in the brewing industry," Nelson wrote in the post.

"Please note that my action was my own and there was no knowledge or condoning by Connecticut Valley Brewing, Ballast Point, or Stone Brewing. I appreciate those who have reached out to express their anger and also offer to help make me a better person."

Customer Pete Lepak, a resident on Gray Road, said he will continue to go to the brewery.

"COVID ruined a lot of businesses. One person who works there does not mean the whole place should be punished. I've never had a bad experience and I'm happy to support local," Lepak said.

Abbe Road resident Mike Tudisca, an amateur brewer and co-host of a podcast that discusses current events and the beer industry called "Drinking Alone, with Friends!," said he was disappointed by the brewery's response.

"It felt like a very bland statement, and it sounded like it was written by a lawyer," Tudisca said. "There are plenty of other breweries that would appreciate my business, there are tons of them locally."

Manchester's Labyrinth Brewing Co., which was not listed in the surge of allegations, discussed its thoughts on the situation in a Facebook post that has been unedited.

"Some of the individuals anonymously named in these stories have been identified & called out for their behavior and some of them are threatening legal action against Brienne for sharing these stories," the company wrote. "This is a serious problem in our industry (& in most industries) and we feel strongly that threats of legal action should not sweep this behavior under the carpet. Harassment is not something we tolerate here."

South Windsor police Sgt. Mark Cleverdon said the Police Department has not had any involvement in the situation.

For updates on East Windsor, Windsor, and Windsor Locks, follow Joe Chaisson on Twitter: @TheJoeyChaisson, Facebook: Joe Chaisson, and Instagram: @JIJoeChaisson.