John & Spike

John Cochran, President and Co-Founder of Terrapin Beer Company

John has always been dedicated to educating consumers about great craft beer.  His  passion for the diversity of beer styles is the driving force behind Terrapin producing such a wide variety of unique beers each year.

John first became interested in the beer industry while home brewing in college. After graduating from the University of Georgia in 1993, John moved to the Pacific Northwest. Upon seeing the number of local breweries on the West Coast, John moved back to Georgia intent on starting his own brewery and bringing that same level of craft beer variety to his college hometown of Athens, GA. John finally realized his dream of starting his own brewery when he and Brian “Spike” Buckowski started Terrapin Beer Company in 2002.

John is a founding member of the GA Craft Brewer’s Guild and also a member of the Brewer’s Association where he serves on the Public Relations Committee. John works with other business owners as a member of the NE GA CEO Forum. He enjoys spending time hiking, camping and geo-caching with his wife and three children. He is also constantly trying to improve his time in the marathon.

Brian “Spike” Buckowski,  Brewmaster and C0-Founder of Terrapin Beer Company

Spike is the creative force behind Terrapin beers. Born in New Britain, CT he moved to Atlanta in 1992. Spike began home brewing in 1993 and never looked back.Spike is a 1996 graduate of The American Brewers Guild in California. The program included an intensive brewing science and engineering curriculum. Judging from the accolades and medals he is winning for Terrapin, he must have paid some attention in class.