11 New Oregon Breweries

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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

claim52brewing.com

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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.

archrockbrewingcompany.com

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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

degardebrewing.com

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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

aleinsalem.com

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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

1188brewing.com

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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.

7devilsbrewery.com

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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.

 13virtuesbrewing.com

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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.

baerlicbrewing.com

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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.

exnovobrew.com

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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

defeatriverbrewery.com

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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

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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.”

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  1. says: Richard

    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.

  2. says: Lisa M Valade

    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.