Goodbye [ the pub ], Hello [ Something Else Entirely ]

Or a blog post about the future state of iron horse brewery tasting room experiences.

TL;DR

• [ the pub ] is shutting down on December 19, 2020
• A new temporary beer acquisition location, called [ the shed ], will open sometime in January.
• The new, [ the pub ] will move to Pearl Street 
• A new beer park is also happening.

Where to start? 

Don’t be sad. This is what we do and have been planning all along.

Perhaps one of the more useful things about openly communicating various iron horse brewery business decisions is that we have our own content to point to, and by extension, a documented track record of moving around the city of Ellensburg. For example, we asked you if we should move from the tasting room, then we announced the shutting down of the iron horse brewery tasting room on prospect and closing of the micropub, then we talked about expanding our production facility because debt is fun, and also the time when we opened, then closed a coffee stand, and finally, when we awkwardly announced we’d be leaving 412 N Main Street at some point in time. (interestingly, that post disappeared from existence because our IT guy buggered up the transition from the old website to the new one)   

This post can now live in infamy as the article that detailed the details of shutting down [ the pub ] and what the theoretical future holds. (we’re still in a global pandemic as of this writing)

Okay, before we get too far into the weeds, it’s important to note that this isn’t a permanent situation, it’s a transitory one.   

As you may recall, we intended to move out of the 412 N Main street building, lovingly referred to as [ the pub ] around this time, 2 YEARS AGO. Then market dynamics hit, and we decided to sit tight a little longer because money. Then covid-19 hit, and we decided to continue to sit tight, then 9 months passed. 

How the hell has it been 9 months already?  

Well, in a series of carefully aligned, haphazard coincidences – which I won’t go into detail here – it became clear that we should vacate the building at 412 N Main Street. No time like the middle of a pandemic to make business choices like this, right? In reality, this is a perfect time. Historically, mid-December through January 31 are our worst-performing months – from a “selling beer to consumers and making money” perspective – hell, we even tried (and failed) to encourage simultaneous beer drinking and resolution goals fulfillment.

Emotionally, some of our favorite memories are during this period – connecting with you over a Mocha Death, all of the cozy sweater parties, the cozy community fund, gingerbread making, etc. But, alas, Covid.

Side note: When you Mask up, no one knows you have salad in your teeth! Also, it helps everyone, so there’s that.

I asked Greg Parker this question: Greg if you had to describe to the public, in written form for the whole world to read, in one sentence, why shut down the pub now? What would you say, er, write? This is what he said.

These are crazy times, and there are multiple reasons, but it boils down to a miserable marketplace for a pub and a desire to totally focus our efforts on our new location on Pearl Street. It’s gonna be sweet!  

So, with these two factors contributing to each other, “slower sales & community saving safety protocols in place,” December 19, 2020, should be our final day of business at 412 N Main Street. And so it is.

Meanwhile.

Fans of the pub and perhaps foes who’d like to revel in our closing have 7 opportunities to visit the pub before the final days. Dec 5, 6, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19. 12pm to 4pm on those days. Keep an eye out on social for fire sale promos. Everything must go!  

One question you might ask yourself is. If [ the pub ] is closed, how can I get delicious Iron Horse Brewery beer and make Jared a twitch superstar at the same time? 

First, it is “when” not “if.” Second, you will be in permanent deadlock if you try to answer that question, so I will elucidate some choices for you on the first half of your question, and we can both give up on our dreams of the second half. 

1. Support local bars, restaurants, and grocery stores. A lot of our business BFF’s carry various Iron Horse Brewery beer.  http://ihor.se/find
2. Ship Beer to Your House – http://ironhorsebrewery.bevv.com
3. Stock up while you can. (assuming you are reading this before, you know, we shuttered the pub.  
4. Also…

We’d like to introduce you to [ the shed ] on Vantage Hwy.

Sometime in January, we plan to create a temporary, slightly sheltered tasting room experience located at the production facility and served from a shed. The details are still fuzzy, but the goal is to provide our customers an opportunity to pick up some Iron Horse beer directly from the place where it is made. There will be a few picnic tables; outdoor heaters. Two or three taps. The beer fridge and of course a shed. Stay tuned.

Since we are talking about the production facility. Or I am, at least. 

A more permanent beer tasting experience that we haven’t talked about before is also in the planning phase. Its internal name is the BARK, short for Beer Park. I think it sounds more like a dog park, but since dogs will be allowed, I guess it works. Anyhow, this is going to be on the east side of the building, with lush grass, a performance stage, spots for food trucks, beer serving stations, pickleball court – that’s wishful thinking on my part.

Think of it as a park you can drink beer at with your whole family while watching live things. (Fingers crossed they let me perform from my repertoire of Shakespeare sonnets)

So, what about the new pub on Pearl Street?   

Here’s what we know. We’re getting new designs created and finalized; We’re working with the city to get permits, and things sorted. We are aiming for a May-ish timeline. As Greg mentioned earlier; it’s going to be sweet.

So, what now?

Long story short, [ the pub ] and, by extension, a public-facing iron horse brewery tasting experience, is kind of on a quick timeout. You know, like when you just jump in your car and drive for an hour to get away from the family you love dearly because you’ve been cooped up too long, and you just. might. lose. it. That kind.    

We’re definitely coming back. Renewed and energized to provide an even more Iron Horsery experience for friends and fans everywhere. 

Lastly, here are the critical dates that are fixed in this writing, but are actually fluid, so keep that in mind.

December 5, 6, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19 – These are the final 7 days that you can visit the pub, pick up some growlers, crowlers, and/or swag.

December 21 – The day you pop by the pub, only to realize that Iron Horse Brewery is no longer there.

January 11, 2021 – The day we announce when [ the shed ] on Vantage will be ready to go. 

March 31, 2021 – The day we announce when [ the beer park ] will be open and ready to go.

May 1, 2021 – The day we announce the [ the pub ] on Pearl will be ready for business.