Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at [email protected].

Iron Pint Brewing opened in April 2020 (in the middle of the pandemic) for to-go sales, at 601 7th Avenue in Altoona. The brewery opened with a 3 bbl brewhouse inside an old auto body shop. Jonathan Patton is the co-owner and head brewer of Iron Pint Brewing. Read more to find out his introduction to craft beer, the first beer he ever brewed, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

I was introduced to craft beer by my mother-in-law and brother-in-law. At that time I was mainly a Yuengling drinker.

How did you get started as a brewer?

One day sitting at a family dinner with the in-laws (probably a few too many beers) the idea was pitched to try making our own beer. I took the idea and ran with it and I started brewing with my friend and now business partner, Ross Diehl. I started off like most homebrewers do, with a turkey fryer and extract kits. After just a few of those, I decided to start fresh and move to a 3 vessel all-grain setup, the keggles.

What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?

Stouts in my opinion leave the door open to creativity. You can range from low abv to high. Dry to sweet. The recipe options are endless as far as flavor goes. From traditional to off the wall peanut butter jelly-based stouts.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?

The first beer ever brewed was an extract Chinook IPA, and it was New Year’s Eve. Ross Diehl and I decided to take the plunge. Like other first-timers, we were brewing in the garage when it was about 40 degrees. We took extra special care to follow the directions. The brewing went well, and hop additions were spot on. We transferred the hot wort to a glass carboy with big grins because the first brew day was a success. Then disaster struck. The ice-cold glass carboy did not like hot wort and shattered in Ross’ hands while he was shaking it to aerate. The lesson learned was cold glass and hot liquid don’t mix. Our first beer ended up all over the garage floor and in the shop vac.

Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?

I believe the craft beer industry is making a turn back towards traditional styles. The bulk of the requests we receive is for simple amber/red ales, pale ales, and stouts.

Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.

I can’t think of a better place to be brewing than PA. Mainly because we experience it every season here. Which allows us to tap into any beer style based on the time of year. Dark, heavy, malty, warming beers in the fall and winter. And then transitioning into the lighter lower abv beers in the spring, to the fruity hop explosions in the summer.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

The beer names are mainly left to patrons that try the beer after given the ingredients in it and they come up with a name. Most always sampled out of the fermenter. After that, we do our best to make sure the name is already on Untappd. Except for a few beers that I personally named. “624” is an IPA I originally brewed for my wedding and release on our anniversary, June 24th. The other is “Strawberry Bride”, strawberry wheat that was also a wedding beer of ours.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

My favorite beer to drink is just a traditional red ale. I have a great appreciation for Brewers that are able to deliver a clean, clear, and crisp red with that keynote red hue. It’s not as easy as some make it seem to achieve.

What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?

The biggest thing I have learned so far is that you cannot do it alone. Making beer is easy compared to running a business. When Ross and I started this we split responsibilities. I run our production and he runs the business. If I was left to run the business I wouldn’t have the time for inspiration and quality control that I do now.

Thank you to Jonathan for talking with us! Make sure you visit the Iron Pint Brewing website for all the latest beers, news, information, and special events. And also follow Iron Pint on Facebook and Instagram.