Hailstorm Brewing Owner Out After Sexual Misconduct Allegation

TINLEY PARK, IL — A co-owner of the Tinley Park-based Hailstorm Brewing Co. is out of the company after allegations surfaced on social media over the weekend accusing him of sexual misconduct against a fellow brewer at a beer festival in August.

Steve Miller, co-owner and head brewer of Hailstorm, located at 8060 186th Street, was removed from office Monday pending official paperwork, Hailstorm ownership told Patch.

According to Chris Schiller, principal owner of the award-winning south suburban brewery, Miller first told his fellow owners about the incident over the weekend. Schiller said Miller described going out with a group of other industry professionals after the Great Taste of the Midwest festival in Madison, Wisconsin.

While out, Schiller said Miller and others were "drinking heavily" when "Steve did something that was basically assault, I would say." According to Schiller, Miller admitted to the accusation.

"That is absolutely unacceptable for us, and it's unfortunate that we didn't know about it any sooner," Schiller said. "We will never condone, cover up, support or be affiliated with that kind of thing."

Schiller and another co-owner, Ashley Thompson, immediately moved to take Miller out of the company. They will also be bringing in an outside firm to conduct an investigation into Miller's time at Hailstorm, they told Patch.

"We were shocked and surprised that it happened. He just didn't seem like that kind of person," Schiller said. "There is not anything to our knowledge of that happening at his previous employers or to our employees."

Schiller said he and Thompson were able to confirm a group of Facebook posts on a private craft brewing page were correct after speaking with Miller and the woman. The posts detail Miller touching the woman, her crying, and a group of fellow brewery workers getting into a "screaming match" with Miller.

"At Hailstorm Brewing we will never condone violence in any form and we know we must respect and believe women," the company wrote in a social media statement Monday night. "Hailstorm Brewing has in the past, and will continue to offer training around sexual violence prevention and will provide support to the affected party."

Prior to Hailstorm, Miller worked at Bradley-based Brickstone Brewery. He also started, and shuttered, his own brewery called SlapShot. Miller, who owns three percent of the brewery, will sign away his stake later this week in addition to resigning from the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild board of directors.

"The reported behavior, which runs counter to the values we hold as an organization, was a violation of ICBG’s code of conduct," the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild said in a statement. "We have a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and misconduct of any kind, and we accepted this individual’s resignation from the board on Saturday."

According to the timeline, the incident occurred only a few months after Pollyanna Brewing and Distilling President and CEO Paul Ciciora was taken out of his management role at the Lemont brewery after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct.

Schiller told Patch Hailstorm is now without a brewer but will remain open while they search for someone to fill the role.

"We've got to do our best for our employees," he said. "People have put a lot into this place, and they rely on it for their livelihood. But in all this chaos and hate online, nobody's mentioning the victim. Think about how she is."