Ice Harbor Brewing Company

Lore & Background

Ice Harbor Brewing Company began in 1996 when two former Hanford Site workers purchased the Meheen & Collins brewery and established operations in Pasco, Washington. The brewery later moved to a former grain mill at 206 N. Benton St. in Kennewick, which served as both brewery and brewpub until February 25, 2022. That location featured a beer engine—believed to be the only one in the Tri-Cities—allowing beer to be pulled from the cask rather than pushed by carbon dioxide. The brewpub also sold homebrewing equipment and supplies, offered monthly classes for beginning homebrewers, and hosted the Mid-Columbia Zymurgy Association homebrew club.

In late October 2007, Ice Harbor opened a second pub at the Port of Kennewick's commercial building on Clover Island, known as the Marina. The Marina offers a more extensive menu than the brewery, a full-service bar, and the same beers. The brewery has since relocated to 10 E Bruneau Ave in Kennewick and no longer carries homebrewing inventory. Both locations feature guest ciders from Schilling Cider, 2 Towns, and Tieton Cider Works, as well as non-alcoholic beer options from Deschutes. Seltzers brewed on site are available on tap.

The brewery produces a range of beers including India Pale Ale, Columbia Kölsch, Tangerine Hefeweizen, Runaway Red Ale, Harvest Pale Ale, Sternwheeler Stout, Hefeweizen, and Hop Warrior. Many have won medals at the North American Beer Awards and Washington Beer Awards. Mug memberships are available at the brewery location and at the Marina for a different price.

Reader's Guide

Ice Harbor Brewing Company represents a significant craft brewing presence in Washington's Tri-Cities region, with a history rooted in the transition of workers from the Hanford Site to the brewing industry. The brewery's two locations—the original brewpub and the waterfront Marina—offer distinct experiences while maintaining a consistent beer lineup. The use of a beer engine at the original brewpub set it apart locally, emphasizing traditional cask-conditioned ale service. The brewery's beers have earned multiple awards over two decades, including gold medals for the Tangerine Hefeweizen as recently as 2024 and for the Sternwheeler Stout in 2013. The Columbia Kölsch and India Pale Ale have also received recognition. The brewery's annual capacity of 1300 barrels and its 10-barrel system reflect a modest but established operation. The inclusion of guest ciders and non-alcoholic options shows adaptation to broader beverage trends. The mug membership program, with different pricing at the brewery and Marina, encourages repeat patronage. Overall, Ice Harbor Brewing Company is a locally rooted brewery with a consistent award-winning portfolio and a dual-location model that serves both landside and waterfront customers.

Did You Know?

• The brewery was founded by two former workers at the Hanford Site.
• The Tangerine Hefeweizen won a gold medal at the Washington Beer Awards in 2024.
• The brewery previously sold homebrewing equipment and supplies and hosted a homebrew club.

The Craft Beer Renaissance in New York

New York State has become one of the most active brewing landscapes in the United States, with more than 320 breweries operating across the state alongside a vast network of brewpubs and bars. Over the past decade, craft beer has evolved from a niche interest into a defining element of the state's cultural identity. The brewing scene is not limited to traditional beer production either; the state is home to sake breweries such as Brooklyn Kura, reflecting a broader embrace of diverse fermented beverages. This growth has transformed how New Yorkers think about local food and drink, with craft beer now woven into the social fabric of communities from Manhattan to the upstate regions. The sheer number of operations suggests a market hungry for variety, innovation, and locally produced options that distinguish New York's brewing culture from the national average.

A Legacy of Closed Breweries

The brewing history of New York State is marked by a remarkable number of defunct operations, particularly concentrated in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs. The list of closed breweries reads like a who's who of the city's industrial past, with names such as Lion Brewery, which held the distinction of being the sixth-largest brewery in the entire United States by 1895 before shutting its doors in 1944. Mander's Brewery in Elmira operated from 1856 until 1920, spanning decades of American brewing history. The Manhattan entries alone include a dozen or more names — from F. & M. Schaefer to Jacob Ruppert and Company, from Henry Elias to Joseph Doelgers Sons — each representing a chapter in the city's once-dominant role in American beer production. Brooklyn and Albany contribute their own share of vanished operations, painting a picture of a state where brewing was once ubiquitous before Prohibition and shifting consumer preferences decimated the industry.

The Modern Brewpub Cycle

The contemporary craft beer era in New York has brought a wave of new breweries, yet many have proved short-lived. Chelsea Craft Brewing Company opened its brewpub in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood in 1995, relocated to the Bronx in 2016, and ultimately closed in 2017. Empire Brewing Company in Syracuse, which operated as both a bottling facility and brewpub from 1994, ceased operations in 2019, with its intellectual properties subsequently acquired by Ellicottville Brewing Company. More recent examples include Folksbier Brewery in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens, which opened in 2014 and closed in October 2021, and Nedloh Brewing Company in Bloomfield, which lasted from 2014 to 2017 before its space was taken over by Other Half Brewing. Stouthearted Brewing in Lansing followed a similar brief arc, operating from 2011 to 2016. These patterns suggest that while New York's craft beer culture continues to grow, the individual brewery faces significant challenges in sustaining long-term viability.

Corporate Ownership and Industry Consolidation

Beneath the independent craft beer movement, New York's brewing industry is also shaped by large-scale corporate structures. North American Breweries, based in Rochester, stands as a significant player, owning the Genesee Brewing Company, Pyramid Breweries, Magic Hat Brewing Company, and Portland Brewing Company. The company also serves as the United States importer for the Labatt Brewing Company, linking New York's beer market to international production. North American Breweries itself is owned by Cerveceria Costa Rica, a subsidiary of the Florida Ice and Farm Company, illustrating how ownership chains can extend across state and national borders. This corporate layer coexists with the hundreds of smaller independent operations, creating a brewing ecosystem where local craft producers and large distribution networks operate in parallel. The acquisition of intellectual properties from closed breweries, such as Ellicottville Brewing Company's purchase of Empire's assets, further demonstrates how the industry's building blocks continue to circulate even as individual operations close.