With over fifty breweries operating within the city limits of Portland, there is no shortage of new beer to explore and discover. Though Portland boasts more breweries than any other city in the world, Portland isn’t the only hub for suds. Oregonians across the state clamor for delicious pints of craft brews from neighborhood breweries. In an industry contributing almost $3 billion to our local economy and providing over 29,000 jobs in our state, breweries are becoming the poster child for Oregon’s economic recovery and industry. Whether you’re on a road trip or tucked away into a quiet corner of our state, there is bound to be beer brewing nearby. (There isn’t a brewery near you yet? Wait a week. One will come.)
Claim 52 Brewing
Owners / Brewers: Mercy McDonald & Trevor Ross
Location: Eugene
Type: 3.5bbl* nano brewery, onsite taproom
Opening Date: January 2013
Beers Offered: Claim 52 specializes in small-batch, European-style ales—such as kolsch—
brewed with a Northwest flair. They also brew more familiar beers such as pale ales, reds,
wheats and of course, IPAs.
Brewer’s Bite: Owner Mercy McDonald said, “Claim 52 refers to the pioneer land claim in south
Eugene where local home brewer Trevor Ross set up his system in his garage about six years
ago. As Oregon natives, we love the way our name roots us to the land and our community.”
*bbl refers to a barrel of beer, the standard measurement by which breweries mark production.
Each barrel holds 31 gallons.
Arch Rock Brewing Co.
Owners / Brewers: Larry & Marjie Brennan | James & Kristen Smith
Location: Gold Beach
Type: 15bbl production brewery, onsite taproom
Opening Date: January 2013
Beers Offered: Gold Beach Lager is a German-style lager that is light and crisp, a refreshing
easy drinker. Pistol River Pale, similar to the old-school IPA, is extremely hop-forward but is
less bitter than most IPAs. State of Jefferson Porter is a robust porter that hints at aromas and
flavors of chocolate and mocha; it’s enjoyable year round.
Brewer’s Bite: Co-owners Larry and Marjie Brennan converted their cabinet shop into a
brewery. The Brennans decided they wanted to start up a brewery in Gold Beach, but quickly
realized they would need to hire a professional brewer to make it happen. Co-owner Kristen
Smith said, “Our goal is to make consistent, high quality beers with a regional distribution. We
love what we do and where we live.”
de Garde Brewing
Owners / Brewer: Linsey Hamacher & Trevor Rogers
Location: Tillamook
Type: 10bbl production facility, offsite taproom
Opening Date: May 2013
Beer: Wild beers and barrel fermentation with open inoculation—a method by which
existing and naturally occurring yeast from the brewery environment is used as opposed to
commercially supplied yeast from a laboratory.
Brewer’s Bite: De Garde Brewing is a small rural brewery specializing in many diverse styles
of ales, with a focus on spontaneous fermentations inspired by the European farmhouse
traditions.
Salem Ale Works
Owners / Brewers: Justin Ego & Jake Bonham
Location: Salem
Type: 3bbl nano brewery, onsite taproom
Opening Date: August 2013
Beer: Flavorful, approachable beers made with as many local ingredients as possible.
Brewer’s Bite: Bonham said that Salem Ale Works (SAW) is continually working at ‘Putting the
Ale in Salem.’ Outside food welcome; food trucks onsite Saturdays.
1188 Brewing Company
Owners / Brewers: Jeremy & Shannon Adair | Ken & Jennifer Brown
Location: John Day
Type: 2bbl nano brewery with pub
Opening Date: August 2013
Beer: 1188 is brewing “ales” for now with plans for specialty lagers.
Brewer’s Bite: “Three years ago in October, the four of us were sitting on the patio at 10 Barrel
Brewing in Bend. It was warm. People were smiling and enjoying beer and good food … Just a
perfect kind of day. We began to wonder; how can we do something like this? Once we found
the right location, we decided to see if we could make our dream come true. With an extensive
remodel and six months of hard work we were able to open and start sharing our dream with
the community and travelers alike,” said co-owner Ken Brown.
7 Devils Brewing Co.
Owners / Brewers: Annie Pollard & Carmen Matthews
Location: Coos Bay
Type: 7 bbl distribution brewery with pub
Opening Date: October 2013
Beer: Northwest Ales with 100% American-grown materials.
Brewer’s Bite: 7 Devils Brewing Co. is a small craft brewery run by a husband-and-wife team.
“We are on a mission to bring the inspiration of our coastal area to the tap. Walking through
our doors should create the same restorative feelings of walking toward the shore. We wish
to be a sustainable business that is socially, ethically, and environmentally responsible and
provides a place where passionate people converge to create a positive environment and
inspired products,” said Pollard. There is live music every night starting at 6:30 p.m.
13 Virtues Brewing Co.
Owners / Brewers: Steve Moore & David Vohden
Location: Portland
Type: 3bbl nano brewery with onsite taproom
Opening Date: December 2013
Beer: Available only on draft
Brewer’s Bite: Owner Steve Moore opened Philadelphia’s Steaks & Hoagies on Sellwood’s SE
Milwaukie Avenue back in 1987. Moore later expanded the business and became the 14th
licensed brewery in the state of Oregon. A partnership with brewer David Vohden created an
opportunity to add a taproom and reinvent the brewery. Referencing early American History,
Moore named the revived brewery 13 Virtues as a reference to Benjamin Franklin’s code of
living.
Baerlic Brewing Co.
Owners / Brewers: Ben Parsons & Rik Hall
Location: Portland
Type: 10bbl brewery & taproom
Opening Date: Spring 2014
Beer: All over the place. They have most of the beers we love to drink!
Brewer’s Bite: Said Parsons of their new venture, “Literally translating to ‘of barley’ in Old
English, bærlic (say bear-lick) reiterates the fundamental idea that all things, no matter how
complex or involved, can always be traced back to a single, simple core or point of view. Our
point of view comes from the belief that we are all in this together and that our actions shape
our world—by being honest, we are approachable; by being consistent, we are trusted; by
being considerate, we can sleep at night; and by choosing to keep it simple, we are able to do
this all really well.”
Ex Novo Brewing Co.
Owners / Brewers: Joel Gregory & Ian Greene
Location: Portland
Type: 10bbl brewery with full restaurant/pub
Opening Date: June 2014
Beer: Balanced Northwest-style ales, year-round lager, barrel aged and sour beers.
Brewer’s Bite: “We’re a nonprofit brewery, which means on top of our focus to make the best
beer possible, we’ll be donating 100% of our net profits to a handful of organizations truly
changing the world,” said owner Joel Gregory. The brewery is located just a short walk to the
Moda Center, close to Mississippi and Williams. Ex Novo has an upstairs area that overlooks the
brewery and is available to reserve for private parties/events (seating for 35-40).
COMING SOON
Defeat River Brewery
Owners / Brewers: Levi Allen & Trevor Frazier
Location: Reedsport
Type: 5bbl nano brewery & taproom
Opening Date: Late 2014
Beer: Modified Northwest ales, barrel-aged brews & wild fermented ales
Brewer’s Bite: Defeat River Brewery is the first brewery in Reedsport. We are brewers with a
strong desire to use our powers for good. Home brewing, taste testing, and otherwise letting
our beer-nerdiness shine for close to 7 years, we share a great love of beer, appreciation for the
art, and have a strong desire to give the community a place to enjoy fine craft brews together;
a public house for locals to call their own,” said brewer Trevor Frazier. “It is our hope that our
presence in Old Town Reedsport can help revitalize the downtown area, drawing tourists and
other new businesses to the neighborhood.”
Arbella Brewing Company
arbellabrewing.com
Owners / Brewers: Devin Owen, Henry Schmidt, Kevin Cassidy, Greg Soto & Daniel Shaver
Location: Portland
Type: 5 bbl brewery with taproom, plans for future pub
Opening Date: Projected for 2015
Beers Offered: High quality, experimental beers challenge the status quo. Flagship Northwest
classics round out the selection.
Brewer’s Bite: Believing beer can change the world, Arbella Brewing Company is a student-
founded microbrewery based around social entrepreneurism. Working toward developing
groundbreaking new alcohol education models, the owners promote responsible and conscious
consumption of alcohol. “We will enact this vision by developing a close relationship with the
Lewis & Clark and Portland communities,” said co-owner Devin Owen. “We believe that beer is
inherently conversational, and strive to give consumers something to talk about while bringing
together friends and communities in the mutual pursuit of bettering the world around us.”
Culmination Brewing is Portland's newest brewery, located at 2117 NE Oregon St. (2 blocks north of Sandy on 22nd). Although the brewery itself is not expected to produce beer in-house until late February, the taproom is open with Culmination's 4&20 Imperial Black IPA (in collaboration with Lucky Lab). For more info on Culmination Brewing, visit the website at: http://culminationbrewing.com.
Buoy Beer in Astoria opened Feb 2014!
The 1188 Brewing Company in John Day is FANTASTIC!! The food is delicious, the beer is cold and tasty, and you can't ask for better hosts than, Jeremy, Shannon, Jennifer and Ken! Congratulations on 1 year of great success and looking forward to many more.