Dave Hurley said he has always been interested in fermenting drinks and foods, and that he started fermenting at a very young age. As an adult living in Fort McMurray, he began experimenting with homebrew and continued the hobby when he moved to Labrador West. Here, he joined the local brewing club, “Middle of Nowhere Homebrew Club”. Composed of 15 enthusiastic brewers, they would all brew the same beer, but with different flavours, then have judges assess the results.

As Dave began brewing more and more, he, along with his brother Brian, started thinking about launching a one-barrel commercial operation, about 120 liters. While it was an inexpensive startup option, they realized it wasn’t feasible to operate a business on such a micro level. If they wanted to operate commercially, they’d have to scale their plans.

Their “think bigger” idea moved closer to reality after Dave spent a day learning about the brewing process at Mill Street Brewery on the St. John’s waterfront. One of the staff told him, “If you’re thinking about opening a craft brewery, go for it.” Soon, Dave and Brian were dreaming of more barrels, and more flavours. Meanwhile, Brian, who had started an MBA in 2015, worked on a business plan for what would become Iron Rock Brewing Co.

In December 2018, the brothers met with a landlord who was eager to help them set up shop. After visiting a number of prospective locations, they finally found one that felt right. Without a lot of financial resources but more than willing to put in the sweat equity, the space started to take shape.

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