Industry veteran Tim Ensign joins SteepleJack Brewing
Portland, Oregon based SteepleJack Brewing made an early name for themselves with three beautiful full service brewpubs, now they are expanding outside of the brewpub model rolling-out 16oz cans and 6-packs throughout Oregon and Washington. Behind any good brand launch into outside territory is good and capable hands, from the beginning SteepleJack has had a knack for talent with original hires like GM Billy Cook, brewers Anna Buxton and Anne Aviles, and chef Lawrence Gable. 25+ craft beer veteran Tim Ensign is the latest to join the increasingly strong team, and you may recognize him if you have been around the pacific northwest beer industry for any length of time as he has shepherded numerous brands in their mission to grow off-premise sales.
“Steeplejack has been on a whirlwind growth journey,” says SteepleJack Brewing founder Brody Day about their big new hire. “We are in the fortunate position that every month we sell more beer outside of our pubs and our distribution footprint has continued to expand. We realized we needed an experienced leader to represent our brand and support our partner retailers and distributors.”
“I’ve been impressed with SteepleJack and how much they have accomplished in a short period. That ambitious go-getter energy is contagious and just what I am looking for in this next chapter of my craft beer career”
Tim’s beer education began in his hometown of San Jose, California when he was just a teenager. “In my first job at Trader Joe’s, I unloaded beer pallets, broke down boxes, faced and stocked coolers and dry shelves. Later, I started sampling domestic and international beers, worked as a beer buyer at a natural foods store in Chico, CA and helped out on the beer bottling line Butte Creek Brewery (with my then future wife!). With all of this, I quickly became an advocate for craft,” he says.
He became a homebrewer after moving to Portland in 2001 and took on three different jobs in the beer industry at once; Belmont Station, Lucky Labrador Brewpub, and the now defunct Mountain Peoples Wine & Beer Distribution. The latter was a small and independent distributor of beer, wine, cider and sake with a focus on organic and sustainable products. Tim worked his way up from a sales representative to Director of Oregon Operations during his 9 years at the company. “This was my deep dive education into the three tier system and really set me up for working with distribution partners in the future,” says Tim.
Tim and Jana Daisy-Ensign
After learning the ins and outs of hiring, training, office, warehouse, and management Tim and his wife Jana took the dive into opening their own brand management company called ‘Powered by Yeast’ in 2011. Think of it as a small independent firm that oversees, guides, and helps promote breweries and cideries that don’t have their own sales and marketing staff. By combining resources Powered By Yeast offered the hands on services a distributor can’t and the flexibility that a small brewery might not be able to afford and manage on their own. “We were able to curate a selection of international and regional producers, showcasing a thoughtful range of product styles, formats and price tiers. This was a great opportunity to become more skilled in serving the diverse needs of a few brands,” says Tim.
One of the small but growing brands that Powered by Yeast partnered with was Astoria, Oregon’s Fort George Brewery. It wasn’t long before Fort George’s own growth trajectory was so strong that they needed a full-time representative and Tim Ensign’s valuable contribution to help bring them where they were made him the perfect person. Jana transitioned out of Powered by Yeast to become the brand manager for the acclaimed Finnriver Cidery, and Tim joined Fort George Brewery full-time. We all know how successful that team-up was.
Tim Ensign and Fort George Brewery co-founder Chris Nemlowill at the Oregon Brewers Festival
Then COVID-19 hit, and many of us in the food, drinks, and service industry were feeling a deep burnout that has led to the current staffing crisis that many bars and restaurants are dealing with still today. Tim was no different, after 9 years as Fort George’s Sales Manager it was time to to take a break for health, happiness, and pursuing alternate career options.
“After trudging through Covid shutdowns, getting furloughed, hired back and trying to navigate a changing landscape with most bars being closed for (what felt like endless) months, I decided to explore sales in cannabis in early 2021,” says Tim. “I had been honored to work with Fort George for nearly a decade at that time, and didn’t make the decision to switch things up lightly, but it was a strange moment and felt like change was in the air.”
After 2 years deep into the cannabis business, Tim learned a lot from another adjacent and somewhat similar industry but never really felt content. “So many of my favorite people are in the craft beverage industry. I never stopped following the scene. Being at the 2022 Oregon Beer Awards at Revolution Hall, was one of those notable moments where it finally felt like the community was back together again, in person. I loved that and started getting the itch to be back in the mix again.”
SteepleJack has been on a path for organic growth since their debut in 2021, that trajectory hit the gas again in late 2022 when their production facility in Hillsboro began ramping up and capacity was great enough to start packaging on a regular basis. Starting out small with self-distribution and small batches, SteepleJack has recently partnered with Maletis Beverage and Bigfoot Beverage in Oregon, and Fort George Distro on the north coast of Oregon and Washington. But their big launch was the greater Seattle market with NW beverage. But they needed a steady, experienced hand to guide the ship in sales and marketing who could also mix it up with beer nerds with the same passion.
“When he [Tim] started with Fort George they were in a similar place of growth to where Steeplejack is today,” says owner Brody Day, on what he thinks makes Tim a great fit. “We feel that the lessons he learned during that time will be invaluable to our focused long term strategy. Tim is also a great guy and we all agreed that he was the kind of guy you would like to have a beer with at the end of the day. He is going to be a great fit on our team of incredibly talented and experienced leaders.”
SteepleJack Brewing really got Tim’s attention with their win for Best New Oregon Brewery at the previously mentioned 2022 Oregon Beer Awards which really felt like a coming out for the industry and their brand in particular. “I thought the beers they were making were fun and exciting.” says Tim on his early impressions. “I was especially intrigued by their embrace of some flavorful low abv beers and exploration of some styles you don’t see produced as often. Being in the SteepleJack Broadway location in the restored church is a special experience; it is one of the most stand out brewery locations I've ever been in. I love the care, the attention to detail and see this showing up in how the brewery operates.”
For SteepleJack, Tim will take on the role of a liaison between customers and the behind-the-scenes team. His valuable input as advice and counsel from the beer to the branding, and all outside sales of SteepleJack in all markets from central Oregon to northern Washington in coordination with their new wholesale partners. The responsibility includes managing future support hires, and planning and executing long-term strategy.
SteepleJack has recently begun packaging enough beer in 16oz cans to make it mainstays in select grocery stores and bottleshops, while also sending throughout the northwest. Coming soon are the brewery’s first beers in 12oz cans with their new Northwest IPA (modeled after pub favorite Roustabout IPA) shipping in 6-packs in mid-February, with West Coast Pilsner and Sawyer Table Beer joining the IPA in March. And, Washington beer evangelists and educators Seattle Beer School recently collaborated with SteepleJack on a unique smoked farmhouse ale called Stjørdalsøl that is helping kickoff the brewery’s launch in the evergreen state through NW Beverage. As their new director of Sales & Marketing, Tim Ensign will be the guiding hand that introduces consumers that may have never set food inside of a SteepleJack pub to their beer for the first time.
“I’m super excited to work with their innovative and woman led brewing team and the entire SteepleJack family. It feels like a great new beginning!”
