The Pittsburgh Brewers Guild has named Melissa “Mel” Larrick as executive director. Mel, a brewer with Hop Farm Brewing in Lawrenceville who has a diverse background within the brewing industry, takes over for Mike Tysarczyk, who started as executive director in September 2019 and announced his plans to step down in December 2022.

“Mel has excelled at a wide range of roles within the brewing and alcoholic beverage industry – from front of house to production to marketing. She is also incredibly personable, friendly and deeply passionate about Pittsburgh and our industry,” said Matt McMahon, chairman of the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild Board of Directors and co-founder of Eleventh Hour Brewing.

Mel’s background positions her well for the executive director role. She currently serves as a brewer at Hop Farm, and she previously held front of house/management roles at Hitchhiker. She honed her communications and marketing skills while working at RadCraft (a craft brewery-focused public relations firm) and serving as social media and communications lead for Gray for Good, a nonprofit led by the Brewers Association’s renowned Julia Herz.

Mel started to transition into the role in June. She will lead the ongoing efforts of the organization, which focuses on promoting the Pittsburgh beer scene and making it as open, fun, friendly, inclusive and successful as possible.

“We want to thank Mike T. for his many contributions and commitment to growing our craft beer scene,” said McMahon. “I know he will work closely with Mel to ensure a smooth transition.”