About The Brewery
ColdFire Brewing is a small craft brewery located in Eugene, Oregon. We are motivated by European brewing traditions and inspired by a Northwest aesthetic and ingredients. We brew small batches, working to refine the art propelled by generations of craftsmen. ColdFire Brewing was born as the dream of Dan and Stephen Hughes, brothers by birth and homebrewers since 2001. After a decade apart, the Hughes brothers decided they needed to go into business together. And as a result, ColdFire was born. Every day, they continue to be humbled by the opportunity to share their craft with others.
WHO WE ARE
Stephen Hughes
Founding Brewer /Barrel Wrangler, Brewing Director
Stephen gained his microbiology chops through years of clinical laboratory work as a medical scientist for a regional hospital system. An avid home-brewer with his brother, he interned at a number of breweries while pilot batching all the initial recipes prior to opening. When not in the brewery lab plating new cultures, up on the brew deck, or found in the barrel room, Steve is usually being the best dad he can be to three wonderful girls.
Desert Island Beer: Arctic Saison by Grassroots Brewing
Austin Sanchez
ColdFire Sales Director
For Austin, it all started with a sip of local stout—an experience that sparked a deep passion for beer. Guided by a love for bold yet simple artistry in the craft beer world, he has spent over a decade immersed in the industry. Through bartending and working in brewery sales, he has shared his knowledge and enthusiasm with others while learning something new everyday. When he’s not on the road hosting tastings and tap takeovers for ColdFire Brewing, you’ll likely find him sharing rare beers by the river, exploring new countries with his wife, or capturing the world through his visual art. Keep your eyes open for him out in the market dispensing fresh beverages in the Pacific Northwest.
Desert Island Beer; Tree House - Barrel Aged Peanut Butter Brownie
Josh Bialous
Taproom Manager
Josh brings over 20 years of foodservice experience and a passion for hospitality, beer, and community to ColdFire. A culinary school graduate, he began in kitchens, was the opening bread baker at Marché Provisions, and discovered his love for craft beer through homebrewing. Josh was Assistant Manager at Cornucopia on 17th, helped open The Bier Stein’s Willamette location as an integral part of the management team, and served as Bar Manager at Sunriver Brewing’s Oakway Pub. He joined ColdFire as a longtime fan and carries many fond memories of gathering at the taproom with friends.
Desert Island Beer: DuPont Avec Les Bons Voeux
Paul Fiely
Events Coordinator/Beer Geek Extraordinaire
If you’re a beer aficionado and you live between Eugene and Portland, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Paul. Always in pursuit of the unique craft experience and increasing his beer knowledge, Paul has made a career out of his passion. Before he came to us, he worked for some of the most talked about tap houses and bottle shops in the NW; making the most out of each experience and learning all he could. We connected with Paul over the love of beer and found him to be a quick fit into the many roles he’s adopted here at ColdFire.
Tropical Island Beer; Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot Barleywine. “It’s definitely the only beer I buy a case of every year, so that must be it”.
Dan Hughes
Founder/General Manager
Dan first convinced his brother to home-brew back during their college days as a way to get “good beer cheap”. After several years in the Army he left his leadership role and served in Healthcare management. Dan launched ColdFire Brewing with his brother in 2015. Most days he can be found running the back office ops, sales team, and production team. When not at the brewery, he’s usually tearing down some old vintage motorcycle with his son.
Desert Island Beer: Saison DuPont
Tamara Hughes
Owner/Bookkeeper
Tamara started bookkeeping duties at the company in 2020 and has loved being part of the ColdFire community. She especially enjoys working with her hubby Dan and brother-in-law Stephen on a daily basis, as well as helping organize events, managing art shows, decor, the kids area and multiple other projects that need to be done. On her own time she enjoys reading historical fiction with her snuggly cat Jojo, going on family hikes, gardening, traveling, yoga, and dabbling in art and photography.
Desert Island Beer: a good wine :)…
Or Little Brown Owl Ale (since it’s named
after my son!)
Marc smith
Fermentation Specialist/Brewer
When Marc moved to Eugene from Upstate New York, he quickly discovered his love for good PNW Beer and decided to dive deeper. He left his previous career in Mental Health and started working at a local Brewery and has been in the beer world ever since. If Marc isn’t hanging out drinking beers with buddies after work at ColdFire, you can find him drinking good beer and swinging clubs at the golf course.
Desert Island Beer: “Beer to die in my arms- ColdFire’s Bavarian Daydream Pilsner”
Dave Marliave
Head Brewer/ Operations Manager
Dave learned the craft of brewing through his inquisitive nature and by owning and operating two Oregon based breweries. A true creative spirit with a passion for all things fermented, Dave’s enthusiasm for beer is truly infectious.
When not managing the day to day operations at ColdFire’s production facility, Dave can be found riding his motorcycle through the countryside or hiking wilderness trails with his wife and dogs.
Favorite animal-Raccoon
Desert Island Beer: The one washed ashore, but especially if it’s Kolsch.
Alex dakers
Executive Chef
From Oregon to Japan, to Peru, and back again, Alex has spent the second half of his life immersed in the intersecting worlds of flavor and hospitality. He began his restaurant career at 18, and chances are you have savored his food, sipped his drinks, or been served by him at some of Eugene’s most beloved establishments (Izakaya Meiji, Novo Modern Latin Table, Sabai, Tailored Coffee, to name a few…) After several years of managing Eugene restaurants, and a brief stint opening a restaurant in Japan, Alex moved with his wife back to her home country of Peru, getting a chance to learn from world-class chefs in one of the world’s great food cities. He now brings his unique balance of skills and experiences to help create a food and hospitality experience on par with ColdFire’s award-winning beer.
When not in a restaurant, you can find Alex spending time outdoors with his wife, Stephanie, and son, Kai, or with his friends scoring bogeys on the golf course…
Desert Island Beer: ColdFire “Namiko” Rice Lager