Wings & beer on tap: Iron Hart Brewing Company keeping it 'simple and fun' in Dalton
Jul. 26—For more than a decade, Matt Zuk has put his heart into brewing beer and smoking meats.
Zuk, who was previously a part of 3 Guys & A Beer'd Brewing, opened the Iron Hart Brewing Co.'s taproom on Franklin Valley Road in Dalton in the spring of 2021. The taproom offers a wide selection of seasonal and house-favorite craft brews. Along with an ice cold one, the kitchen serves a robust menu, including cherry wood smoked wings with a variety of specialty sauces, hearty nachos, brisket and black pepper parmesan fries with a balsamic drizzle.
Chef's Table spoke to owner and brewer Zuk about the taproom.
Q: What is the history of Iron Hart Brewing Co.?
A. Iron Hart Brewing was started in late 2015.
Q: On your menu what do you consider to be your signature dish?
A. That has to be our smoked brisket nachos and smoked wings. We also offer burgers, salads, brisket sandwiches and fries by the basket with toppings such as bacon cheddar ranch or black pepper parmesan.
Q: How would you describe the atmosphere of the brewery?
A. The brewery has a friendly atmosphere that we like to keep simple and fun.
Q: What are your most popular beers?
A. Our IPAs and sour beers are on top of the list, but we do see a lot of people drinking our lighter pilsners, lagers, wheat beers and light ales. We add in a few dark beers as the season changes.
Q: Could you tell us more about your weekly wing night?
A. Thursday night is our wing night starting 5:30 to 10 p.m. We have a very unique way of doing our wings. We cherry-smoke our wings first in our smokers, then we flash fry them to add a whole new level of crispiness with keeping the wing juicy and tender on the inside. We can then sauce your wings up with one of our sauces such as mild, kickin' bourbon, hot honey, pineapple habanero rum and garlic parmesan.
Q: What type of seating do you have?
A. We have a wide range of seating at the taproom. Our bar overlooks our ponds along with high-top and low-top tables. You could sit on our outdoor patio which has loads of room.
Q: Do you host entertainment or special events?
A. We have live music just about every Friday night and every other Saturday. We also do BBQ weekends along with pig roasts, specialty burger nights, mac and cheese night and gourmet grilled cheese weekends as the seasons change.
Q: Where do you see the brewery headed?
A. We're in a steady growth period now, and our beers are starting to hit more shelves as well. We're focusing on adding new equipment to the brewery and increasing production as well. In the future, we see building our own building and outdoor space production facility and taproom.
Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
Brian Fulton, library manager, oversees The Times-Tribune's expansive digital and paper archives and is an authority on local history. Contact Brian at bfulton@timesshamrock.com or 570-348-9140.
