All Killer. No Filler.

I remember the exact moment I “discovered” Ironfire Brewing. It was 2012 and I was the LA Weekly beer writer. One of my go to spots was 38 Degrees in Alhambra. Co-owner Clay Harding had cultivated a world class tap list that was as good as any in the greater Los Angeles area. Of course, way back then, a mere nine years ago, that entire list of “destination beer bars” was lamentably short.   

The best tap lists in those distant days were dominated by NorCal and San Diego breweries, both of which were light years ahead of LA which only had Craftsman, Eagle Rock, Ladyface and Strand. Hard to believe given that less than ten years later we are pushing 100 breweries in LA and another 100 in OC and the IE. 

But back to my discovery. I spotted Ironfire 51/50 West Coast IPA on Clay’s sublime tap list and asked him about it. Harding responded, “It’s a couple of ex-Ballast Point brewers who opened their own spot in Temecula. I drove down there to pick up the kegs myself.” Given that my favorite beer at that moment in time was Sculpin, I excitedly ordered my first 51/50 and it did not disappoint. 

This is my interview with co-owner, brewer and general all-around bad ass human being, Greg Webb.

DRENNON: Where were you born and raised? How did your upbringing lead to the person you are today?   

WEBB: I was born in Morristown NJ and was raised in the neighboring town of Madison until 7th grade, at the end of that school year my father’s job took our family to Bermuda for the three years.  After spending one year in school in Bermuda my parents felt that it was best that I started high school in the states so that I ultimately wouldn’t fall behind due to being out of the country and studying an entirely different curriculum.  That then lead me to a co-ed boarding school in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire.  After spending two years in NH, I ultimately moved back to NJ with my family to finish high school before heading off to Maryland for college.

As far as my upbringing leading me to who I am today I became comfortable facing adversity at a young age. Between moving to a foreign country, being away from friends and family, essentially leaving my comfort zone behind and learning how to somewhat live on my own at a young age, I have developed a certain level of resilience when it comes to working through any situation no matter how easy or difficult.

DRENNON: As a kid, what “job” did you think you would end up doing as an adult? 

WEBB: To be honest as a kid I don’t think I had any idea of what kind of job I wanted to have as an adult.  All I knew was that I didn’t want to have a job that was going to require me to wear a suit and tie all day every day.

DRENNON: Which beer did you have that gave you that “wow moment” and make you want to become a brewer?  

WEBB: For me it wasn’t any particular beer, it was rather multiple beers and a series of somewhat random events that brought me to where I am today.  After finishing college in 2005 at Towson University in Maryland, I found myself living in San Diego’s Pacific Beach neighborhood and working at a local fish market and restaurant.   We didn’t have a huge a beer line up but I vividly remember Ballast Point’s Yellowtail and Karl Strauss’s Red Trolley being on tap.  Quickly recognizing they were brewed locally I found myself ordering whatever beer I could find from those two breweries when I was out and about.  And on top of that my neighbors in PB were from Chico so they religiously drank Sierra Nevada Pale Ale which I also quickly acquired a taste for and that is where my love for hops began.  And for those of you who were around the San Diego beer scene back around that time I was a quick bike ride away from The Liars Club so that was essentially where I went to go to try different styles and different beers as my interest in craft beer continued to grow.

After working at the fish market and restaurant for about six months or so, I decided to leave and took a bartending position at new restaurant concept in the UTC Mall in La Jolla.  The interesting thing about this job was that the restaurant was Cuban/Asian fusion and focused heavily on the cocktails of South Florida such as Mojitos, Rum Runners, and Mai Tais.  However, this restaurant had a brewery in it and because of the way the owners purchased the restaurant they had transferred the Type 23 license with liquor privileges over to themselves rather than apply for a completely new license so that meant they had to brew and sell beer on site.  The solution to that was to sublease that small brewhouse to a small start up brewery.  This gave the startup brewery a place to brew and start distributing beer from and allowed the restaurant to stay in compliance with their ABC license by offering a couple of “house beers.”

The brewer at that time was Ray Astamendi and as we developed a friendship, I started picking his brain about beer, the brewing process and everything in between.  This eventually led to me even showing up on my days off to just see what he had going on in the brewery.  Soon after that I found an ad on Craigslist for a keg washer at Ballast Point’s Scripps Ranch location.  I got the job and never looked back.  My days at Ballast Point started as a keg washer and ended as a brewer while learning a plethora of things in-between.

In conclusion there wasn’t one beer, or one wow moment that made me wanna be brewer.  It was rather a curiosity that I couldn’t pull myself away from once it was presented to me and I just keep following to see where it’s ultimately going to take me.

DRENNON: How long were you with Ballast Point, who were your mentors there and what did you learn that led you to want to open your own place? 

WEBB: I was with Ballast Point for four or five years.  During the time that I was working at Scripps Ranch and we had such an awesome crew (and the Homebrew Mart crew was just as awesome – UNITY) it’s hard to say exactly who my mentors were as everyone working there at that time played such a pivotal role in the company’s success and in some way has had an influence on where Ironfire is today.  That being said I still owe a huge shoutout to Yuseff Cherney, Ryan Glenn, James Murray, Jeff Brancato, Colby Chandler and, of course, the infamous Earl Kight.  In one way or another each of these guys had a major influence on my journey through the beer industry and there are many things both John and I learned from these guys that we find ourselves using daily.   I think what really pushed us to wanting to open our own place was that we were ready to move on from shift brewing and really wanted to get the creative juices flowing.

DRENNON: When did you and John decide you should open your own brewery and how and why did you choose the name Ironfire? 

WEBB: John had very quietly been brewing up the idea of Ironfire for quite sometime before approaching me with the idea and business plan.  The name Ironfire came through many failed attempts at finding a proper name for our western outlaw/zombie theme we knew we we’re going for with our artwork especially in the early days.  Ultimately the name Ironfire came from us being asked how long we’d had the iron in the fire, in regards to starting the brewery.

DRENNON: How do you and John divvy up your responsibilities at the brewery? 

WEBB: The great thing about coming from Ballast Point is that we were cross trained in just about all aspects of brewery production and having worked together previously we both knew each other’s work ethic and strong suits.  That being said when it comes to the busy days in the brewery, we are both capable of tackling just about any task so we usually just get in and do whatever it is that needs to get done.  And when it comes to the admirative duties that come with running a business we tend to just divvy up the boring stuff 50/50.

DRENNON: Why did you choose Temecula and how have you seen the beer scene there evolve considering that most folks consider it to be wine country?  

WEBB: We initially chose Temecula because we had already seen how fast the city had been growing.  John grew up in Fallbrook, just south of Temecula and he can still tell you stories about when there was only one traffic light in the town.  And looking ahead 9-10 years from when we were scouting locations and just starting out, I never would have guessed this city would have grown as fast as it did.  Although Temecula initially made it on the map because of wine, if you look at the food, beer, distilled spirits and meaderies that have hit the scene in the Temecula Valley over the past decade you will quickly see that Temecula has become a destination for many things far beyond just wine.  Even Pechanga is now built up to a level that it can compete with any of the casinos on the Las Vegas strip when it comes to ambiance and amenities.  When we started Ironfire you could count the breweries in this region on one hand and now we have over a dozen breweries in just the Temecula Valley.  And at the end of the day, how in how many towns can you go to where you can visit a winery, brewery, distillery and meadery all in one day?

DRENNON: You are a nine years in. What lessons have you learned and, knowing what you know now, if you could go back in time and change anything, what would that be? 

WEBB: I think the biggest lesson learned is that no matter how much you love beer or certain styles of beer, not all styles will pay the bills.  If I could go back and change one thing I would have not signed on with a distributor as fast as we did in the early days and would have instead used that time to focus on our (hyper)local organic growth.

DRENNON: Who and or what have been your major influences as both the brewery as a brewer? 

WEBB: My major influences come from all walks of life.  The people that tend to have the biggest influence on me are the ones who don’t give up no matter the situation.  You never know what tomorrow is going bring you so might as well work your ass off today because that could make all the difference tomorrow.

DRENNON: Are you where you thought you would be as a brewery from your initial vision and where do you see Ironfire in another ten years? 

WEBB: Honestly, I had no idea about where we would be ten years in.  I think the most honest answer is that we were hoping we would make it ten years and beyond.  As for the future it is also hard to say given the current state of affairs.  Between the tremendous growth the industry has seen over the past decade and now the sucker punch we’ve all suffered from Covid that is a tough question to answer at this point in time.  For the immediate, it’s all about taking care of the Temecula Valley.  It’s because of the local patrons, restaurateurs, wineries, industry colleagues, employees and hard-core regulars that our doors are still open after such a turbulent year.

DRENNON: The proliferation of breweries over the past ten years has continually sliced the beer drinker pie thinner and thinner. What is your strategy for staying sound and relevant? 

WEBB: As I mentioned before just because you might love one style of beer that doesn’t necessarily mean your customers do.  I think right now it is important to listen to what your customers want from you and to look at your sales data and see what your customers are buying.  For us, it’s about staying creative and churning out new beers while making sure our flagships maintain their quality.  We have also been getting involved more and more with the local community beyond the beer/alcohol and food scene.

DRENNON: Is there an Ironfire philosophy, whether it be the styles you brew or the way you conduct business? 

WEBB: ALL KILLER NO FILLER – basically don’t half ass it.  If you’re not going to give 100%, then what’s point?  Although we don’t have the fanciest equipment in the world, given the resources we do have we always give 100%.

DRENNON: Do you have a flagship beer and/or a beer you are most proud of?

WEBB: My go-to flagship beer would be our Stetsons & Sombreros Mexican Lager.  It’s clean, crisp and 4.7% abv.  It’s the perfect beer for a break in the middle of the day and low enough in alcohol that I don’t lose my motivation for the rest of the day.  As much as I love hops and our IPA’s I’ve found myself seeking out the lower abv beers over the past few years.  The beer I am most proud of would have to be our Last Rites – Bourbon Barrel Aged Triple Chocolate Stout.  This beer is an extremely drinkable 16% abv and has been a cult favorite since its inaugural release in 2015.

DRENNON: Between talent and work ethic, which is more important? 

WEBB: In my opinion the two have to go hand in hand.  What good is your talent if you have no work ethic?  And over time a good work ethic ultimately has the ability to create talent.

DRENNON: If you had to describe yourself in one word or phrase, what would it be? 

WEBB: Resilient.