Our Story
Two fermenters, a stubborn streak, and a belief that great beer is worth the wait.
From a drafty warehouse to a city institution.
In 2012, founders Hank Ferro and Lena Cobb pooled their savings, leased a leaking warehouse on Foundry Lane, and welded their first brewhouse together from salvaged dairy equipment. The name came from the ironwood trees that lined the lot — slow-growing, dense, and nearly impossible to break.
The first batch of Anvil IPA sold out in a weekend. The second one too. Thirteen years later we've grown to twenty-four taps and a packed taproom, but we still brew in small batches on the same patch of concrete where it all started.
Three things we never cut
Honest ingredients
Locally floor-malted grain, whole-cone hops, and our own house yeast strains. No extracts, no shortcuts, no fillers.
Time over speed
Our lagers condition for six weeks and our stouts rest in oak for over a year. Good beer can't be rushed, so we don't.
Rooted in the neighborhood
We hire local, pour for local food trucks, and host the block. Ironwood belongs to the Warehouse District.
The slow way, step by step
Every batch follows the same patient path from grain to glass.
Mill & mash
We crack local malt fresh each morning and mash it warm to coax out clean, fermentable sugars.
Boil & hop
A rolling 90-minute boil with whole-cone hops added by hand, by the clock, by the nose.
Ferment
Our house yeast goes to work in open and closed tanks, fermented cool and watched daily.
Condition & pour
Weeks of cold conditioning or oak aging, then straight to the taproom lines. Tank to glass.
The brewers behind the beer
A small team with a lot of grit. Say hello if you spot them on the floor.
Hank Ferro
Co-Founder · Head BrewerWelded the first brewhouse and still tastes every batch before it hits the line.
Lena Cobb
Co-Founder · Cellar MasterRuns the barrel program and the sour foeders. Patience is her whole job.
Marcus Reyes
Brewer · Hop ProgramDials in every IPA and chases the freshest whole-cone hops in the region.
Priya Anand
Taproom ManagerBooks the trucks, runs the floor, and knows your usual before you order it.
Come see how it's made.
Book a brewhouse tour, pull up a stool, and taste the beer steps from the tank it was brewed in.