Our Story

Hello, we are Mike and Dayne, two lifelong friends from New London County that went to preschool together and have been the best of friends since fifth grade. We have bonded over many shared interests, including craft beer and the nuances of the brewing process. A few years ago we became close friends and bandmates with Jon, a great guy and talented brewer with a few more years of brewing experience than us. Jon quickly became our brewing buddy and partner in crime. We went on to brew together on a regular basis, and when homebrew sessions and events began to outnumber gigs at local bars, we decided to take our hobby more seriously.

The idea of Tox Brewing started as a daydream between the three of us a few days before Thanksgiving in 2015. We were standing over a converted 10 gallon Igloo cooler stirring hot water into mixed grains. That dream turned into an ongoing conversation, and then a plan, and finally a commercial transition. The two of us have taken the reigns of ownership while Jon continuously brews with us and helps in any way he can. Dayne’s background in Toxicology as well as his interest in poison, antidotes, and plants with natural healing properties have led us to the name and theme for Tox Brewing. We have been slowly realizing process through progress, and are consistently growing as we ponder every style, ingredient, and creation that are new to us.

We are not MBAs, nor are we Venture Capitalists. We are beer nerds and curiosity-filled explorers first and foremost. This endeavor came from a passion and desire to create better and more creative beer, and to continually push our own limits. Tox Brewing Company is Brewer owned and operated, and always will be. We cannot wait to continue to create and even more so, finally share the best beer we know how to make with as many people as possible.

As we immerse ourselves back into the diverse and artistic city of New London, we are looking forward to energizing this town and contributing to its rich history and undeniable culture. With the support of our amazing wives Lily and Corey, and some generous help from family and friends, this dream is being realized more and more every day.

We welcome you into our modest laboratory to shake our hands, try our beer, give us feedback, and tell us your story... after all, it's probably a lot more interesting than ours.

Meet The Team!

Dayne - Co-Owner/Founder, Finance & Accounting, Resident Toxicologist, Beer Clarity Connoisseur - Dayne has his PharmD from UConn and did his post-doc fellowship training in Atlanta, GA in clinical toxicology. He is now a tenured associate professor at University of Saint Joseph School of Pharmacy as a practicing emergency medicine pharmacist and board certified clinical toxicologist. Dayne spends most days in the hospital consulting on poisoned patients and drug interactions. He founded a medicine garden in West Hartford with 40 medicinal and toxic plant species on display. He spend his spare time on the boring important stuff that keeps the Tox engine rolling. He also helps by applying his vast brewing science knowledge wherever he can in recipe design and cellar practices. He can often be heard stressing about the clarity of our traditionally styled offerings.

Mike Z. - Co-Owner/Founder, Head Brewer, Marketing/Distribution, Resident Labeorphile - While growing up in the area and hanging out with his good friend Dayne, Mike spent a lot of time playing in bands and exploring many interests before discovering craft beer, no sooner than 21 of course. He graduated from UConn in 2009 and bounced around a few supply chain jobs prior to opening Tox. He still lives in the area with his wife Lily, son Theodore, and dog Berkeley. When not making beer, Mike is likely trying to perfect his back porch Neapolitan pizza, indulging in travel and eating experiences, or in sweatpants crammed on the couch with his family and dog watching a movie with a craft beer in hand… If it were up to him it would be anything Star Wars or Hot Tub Time Machine… for the billionth time. In addition to homebrewing, Mike spent the years leading up to Tox chasing and even trading for some of the world’s most elusive and sought after beers. If you are ever here on a brew day you will likely hear him say “F*ck it, let’s do it.”

Desert Island (Non-Tox) Beers: Hill Farmstead Anna or Marie, Tree House Green, and Miller Lite

Jon - Co-Founder, Recipe Technical Specialist, Coffee Roaster, Lager Jockey, Retail - Like Dayne and Mike, Jon grew up in Ledyard with his family and never ventured far from home. After getting a degree from UConn, he has lived in New London for the last 11 years with his wife Amanda, two children, dog, and cat, and is excited to be helping design, brew, and sell beer in this great city. He has a particular interest in brewing true-ish to style lagers but may be better known for saying things like “maybe we should make a mango-habanero-margarita gose.” Outside of Tox, much to Amanda’s displeasure, Jon continues to have a penchant for doing things the hard way, like smoking his own meat, roasting his own coffee, growing his own levain cultures for bread, and building stuff he probably should just buy.

Desert Island (Non-Tox) Beers: HiIll Farmstead Double Galaxy and Miller High Life.

Erin - Taproom Manager, Beer Garden Botanist

Zach - Production Assistant, Retail World Beer Guru, Packaging, Retail - Zach grew up on Morgan Street, a few streets down from the brewery before moving to Niantic with his family. He went to UConn to study business for a little while but left because the craft beer industry was calling his name. He manages a chain of liquor stores and has become somewhat of a retail beer expert, he is certainly our go-to. When he’s not slinging beer, he’s likely working on his car and doing Autocross. Zach can often be heard saying “Never make a beer with hibiscus, passion fruit, or guava in it…. Nobody likes or buys those.”

Desert Island (Non-Tox) Beers: Weihenstephaner Original and Genny Cream Ale

Ireland - Growler Tag Ninja, Retail - Ireland grew up in Niantic with her family and went to Merrimack College to study Human Development and Human Service. When she isn’t stamping growler tags or working the bar at Tox, she is likely at the Aquarium putting her 2 passions together, working with animals and educating kids! Ireland can often be seen dreaming about opening her own boozy ice cream truck, and we selfishly hope she does someday.

Desert Island (Non-Tox) Beers: Two Roads Road Jam and classic Corona with Lime

Brian - Resident Ironman, Super Mario Expert, Retail

Emily - Banana Bread Wizard, Tap Label Artist, Retail

Lezley - Retail

Karen - Brewery Mom, Retail

Dylan - Pinch Hitter