Our Story
It started the way many great ideas do, with a casual conversation on vacation: “Hey, let’s open a brewery.”
Somehow, that vacation idea made it all the way home to Mobile and became Iron Hand Brewing.
In 2019, we opened our doors inside a building with a story of its own. Built as Hunter Memorial Baptist Church in the mid-1920s, it later served the community as part of the Waterfront Rescue Mission beginning in the 1960s. Today, this historic space has found new life as a neighborhood brewery, scratch kitchen and gathering place.
Our name is inspired by the neighborhood we call home. Iron Hand Brewing sits in Mobile’s De Tonti Square Historic District, named for Henri de Tonti, the Italian-born explorer who helped establish Mobile in 1702. After losing a hand to a grenade in Sicily, he wore a metal prosthetic and became known as “Iron Hand.” With a name and story like that right outside our door, the brewery practically named itself.
We began brewing on a tiny one-barrel system, creating small batches that gave us plenty of room to experiment. Since then, we’ve graduated to a five-barrel system, but we’ve kept that same adventurous spirit. Our taps are always rotating, with familiar favorites alongside fresh, seasonal and occasionally unexpected creations.
One of Iron Hand’s original founders still owns the brewery today, joined by three fellow local residents who share a commitment to keeping it a truly local business. What began as an offhand vacation idea has grown into a place where Mobile can gather over house-brewed beer, scratch-made food and good company.
After all, this building has been bringing people together for nearly a century. We’re proud to keep that tradition going, one pint at a time.
