In today’s world of bloggers, vloggers, Instagram influencers, and YouTube celebrities, everything is an editorial. So, excuse me, while I play favorites. That’s right; this article is going to be completely biased. Now that that is out of the way, in ode to David Letterman, here is your top ten list for the week. First,… Read more »
As a Market Manager I visit A LOT of bars. I genuinely like most that I find myself in, but I do feel drawn to a specific type of bar; the dive bar. You love them, I love them, we all love them… but why? I like to think that dive bars take you back… Read more »
Previously, I worked for Anheuser-Busch in Seattle as an On-Premise Sales Rep. I worked for AB for just a little over a year before I decided to make the switch to Iron Horse Brewery. I wanted to make the switch to gain more experience in the industry. I didn’t see the potential for growth that… Read more »
We have added three new cousins to the sales side of the family. If you are buying your beer on the West Side or in Central Washington you will have one of these three to thank. Likewise, if you can’t find our beer in your city, you know who to track down. So here are… Read more »
It’s that time of year again! We are finally through the longest, coldest, and most boring month of the year, January. Everyone is trying to be their “New, Improved Self”, determined to make it through “Dry January” or stick to their New Year’s resolutions. Most have done well; most have at least given it the… Read more »
Liquor Before Beer… You’re in the Clear! We’ve all heard the saying a time or two… and we all probably have a good and bad experience we can share. Personally, I have plenty, but that will take up too much of your time and I’ll save myself the embarrassment. Recently I took a more “adult”… Read more »
Did you know that Iron Horse Brewery, located in Ellensburg, WA, is just a quick 40 minute drive from the hop capital of the nation? That’s right; just beyond Ellensburg’s Manastash Ridge is the Yakima Valley, which produces 75 percent of all the nation’s hops. Well, beer nerds, hop heads, self-proclaimed connoisseurs, I thought maybe… Read more »
We are impressed. You drank a lot of our beer in 2017 — 5,927,944 16-ounce pints specifically (give or take a few because math is hard). If you even consumed just one of those pints, high five yourself. It’s because of you that we get to spend our days brewing tasty beers, making videos about… Read more »
“Where can I find Irish Death?” It’s a question we’re going to answer because many people out there in the beer universe have the same question. Iron Horse Brewery’s beer is distributed in Washington, Idaho, Alaska, Montana and parts of Oregon. If you don’t live in one of those five states and have somehow developed… Read more »
Tis the season for buying stuff for your loved ones. Most people stick to the safe gifts like gift cards, tasteful clothing and items the receiver had previously hinted at wanting. Since all of that is pretty cut and dry, I thought I would do you, the faithful reader, a service by illuminating some gifts… Read more »
Over here in the Iron Horse Brewery trailer department, we spend a ridiculous amount of time behind our computers, looking at charts, analyzing graphs, reading the reddit.com/r/beer forum, making these calendars, or just visiting this site. This time of year is particularly cumbersome because of all the “planning” and “best-guessing” that is happening for the… Read more »
*Originally written by Jim Grover Growing up in the Kittitas Valley was such a great time in my life. Having now lived in Montana for over 25 years, every time my wife Pam and I come home from Montana for Rodeo Weekend or any family event, I can’t help but get goosebumps thinking about all… Read more »
As people have seen, craft beer is shaping a huge part of this generation’s culture. Beer is more than just cracking a cold Bud. It’s an experience where there is something for everyone, from young to old, or cowboy hat, Wrangler wearing, George Strait loving country boy to the one-speed, $100 haircut, indie rock band… Read more »
*Originally written by Paul Von Hagen who quit As summer comes to an end, so does an IHB project very near and dear to me, our Hopping Hands program. For those who aren’t familiar, check out my original blog on the program here. TL;DR: the Hopping Hands Project was a program we ran from May-August… Read more »
Recently, I was going through some old pictures from college and picked up on a funny little trend. Every time we would host a “socially” more popular group of co-eds, you would see more mainstream beer being consumed, hell I even saw few green bottles (Heineken) floating around those pictures…in the mid-90’s mind you. Now… Read more »
This title is definitely a joke, we at IHB love being a part of the Bite of Seattle and enjoy the event immensely. Unfortunately, it didn’t start out very enjoyable for me. You see, I am THE WORST at setting up jockey boxes, and really just anything that requires tools. I’m told I tend to glaze over… Read more »
Things were much simpler in 2008 when Greg and Ross decided they wanted to find a way to engage with customers and support the community through an entertainment vehicle they dutifully named “Iron Horse Brewery Trivia Night”. Back then, things like laws and rules didn’t exist. It was just man (all humans, not males) and… Read more »
How to Read this Blog Read about this new logo from the BA. Watch these guys react to the logo in a not-so-positive way. Watch our video reacting to their reaction. We weren’t the only ones with a reaction. Check out Reaver Beach Brewing’s response here. Because you need to kill more time, keep reading for Greg’s thoughts. As… Read more »
I’ve delved into the wine world a bit, I used to sell wine, drink wine, buy wine and drink wine. I love it, it’s delicious, fun and interesting. What I didn’t like about wine? The pretentiousness, oh so much. When I was selling wine I had to dress up every day. Seriously nice clothes I… Read more »
You may not be able to #paddyon at [ the pub ] in-person but you can #paddyon with us in spirit somewhere else. Below is a list of places with IHB specials on St. Paddy’s Day. Eastern Washington| Club Crow Cashmere, WA Hitching Post Tavern Cashmere, WA Milepost 111 Brewing Company Cashmere, WA Der Hinterhof… Read more »
We’re not. Don’t you hate stupid click bait titles? I do, but not enough to not use them satirically, even though it’s kind of the same thing; is it satire, if it creates the same level of annoyance? Does doing something ironically make it any less stupid as shit? Okay, never mind, this question is… Read more »
*Originally written by Billy Meagor who quit us. No, it’s not what you’re thinking. Yes, to the consumer, the benefit is that beer feels good on your mouth parts! I’m talking about the benefit of our buyer purchasing our awesome beer. Let me explain. In my last blog, I talked about the difference between a… Read more »
In economics, market saturation is a situation in which a product has become diffused (distributed) within a market; the actual level of saturation can depend on consumer purchasing power; as well as competition, prices, and technology. In earlier blogs, I’ve talked about brand differentiation, creating relevance in the marketplace and penetration. With over 5,000 craft… Read more »
IPA, IPA, IPA, IPA According to the Craft Brewers Association and just about everyone else, IPAs are going to continue to dominate the craft beer segment for the next 324 years. This might not be true. Or maybe it’s completely true. I don’t know, only time will tell. Regardless, I love IPAs and 30% of… Read more »
As part of the sales and marketing team, I spend a considerable amount of time researching and trying to predict the next big “thang”. With over 4,500 craft breweries, it’s an absolute dumpster fire of category noise. IPA continues to be roughly 36% of the Craft Beer category, with fruit and vegetable based hops driving… Read more »
*Originally written by Billy Meagor who quit us. Selling is not always easy, but if the person is knowledgeable, driven and knows what they must achieve for success, it can be a little easier. For beer sales, there will always be challenges that a rep will face, whether it’s a pain-in-the-ass customer, competitors, lack of… Read more »
*Originally written by Ashley Stevens who quit Three months ago I gave up my personal space, my humble abode, sleeping in the middle of the bed, having a closet to myself, and pooping in peace when I invited another human to have a permanent toothbrush next to mine. It can be a scary and stressful… Read more »
*Originally written by Emily Palmer who quit John Steinbeck famously said “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love.” I’m lucky to have a job that requires me to travel across the state of Montana selling delicious indie crafted Iron… Read more »
Recruitment is never an easy task. Regardless of position, the process is usually a long one in order to ensure that you are filling said position with the best possible candidate available. The obstacles that can get in the way of easily finding the perfect fit can include, but aren’t limited to, any or all… Read more »
Billy is an IHB market manager. He is in charge of selling our beer on the Washington west coast. He sells beer, to beer buyers which are bar managers, restaurant owners etc. The following is a conversation he has far too often when he’s out in the field. Billy: Hello [buyer], my name is Billy… Read more »
*Originally written by Ashley Stevens who quit In the time that I have been apart of the Iron Horse cousin-hood, I have met people that have left impressions on my heart for life. Starting out as a server at [ the pub ] I was forced to listen to other people’s stories, problems and dreams…… Read more »
*Originally written by Emily Palmer who quit My job is to sell craft beer. Selling craft beer means sharing my love and passion for beer with as many people as I can. It also means I get to drink…a lot. I frequently get told how awesome my job is and how great it would be… Read more »
*Originally written by Ashley Stevens who quit When you work for a brewery you have access to a copious amount of beer. Over the 5 years I have been at Iron Horse I have acquired a glorious collection of brews. I very well could have built a separate house to store my collection, but I… Read more »
*Originally written by Billy Meagor who quit us. Bars are the ultimate escape. People go to hang out with friends, go on dates, watch sporting events, or get away from their wife….um wait…. Whatever the reason, bars are the best. From sports bars to wine bars, pubs, taverns, theme bars, there’s a bar to suit… Read more »
Last month we announced that Quilter’s Irish Death would be available on draft at Century Link Field (Washington Craft House – Section 109). As a Craft Brewer in the Pacific Northwest, we feel very lucky that we have local sport teams (concessionaires) that understand the value in offering what the consumer demands while at either… Read more »
Handshakes. For a working person they’re a part of daily life. Most people probably don’t think anything of them. By most people I mean most men. Handshakes get weird with women. Here are the weirdest things that happen when women try to shake hands with men. The Noodle Hand – I have watched a man… Read more »