Brewvana's New Breweries Tour
A Journey Through Portland's Newest Tap Rooms
Yesterday 2000 Brewvana took bePortland and a group of other journalists and bloggers out on a tour of the newest breweries in town. Some of the spots we hit were still construction zones, the smell of sawdust fresh in the air. But there was a lot of promise and excitement in the air as well, as this summer we'll be privvy to yet even more original microbrews that are made right in town. Our host, Brewvana's Ashley Rose, was primed and ready to give us the skinny on the newest brews Portland has to offer.
The first spot we hit was Pints, where Zack Beckwith (formerly of New Old Lompoc Brewing) is just starting to brew. Pints, which is a unique pub in old town that acts as a coffeehouse in the morning, is slowly coming together. Beckwith has just started the brewery's first batch, which meant we didn't get a chance to taste anything fresh. However, we were lucky enough to try a couple of the last beers that Beckwith made for New Old Lompoc. Currently the bar has a solid guest tap list, but in a few weeks that will give way to house brews. Check back soon for in house beers -- Pints is located on 412 NW 5th Ave #100.
The next spot we rolled off to was the newest Fire On the Mountain location off Fremont and NE 57th Ave, which is the home to the company's new brewhouse. Brewmaster Ben Nehrling has offered us a slew of beers to try, including a Winter IPA that was fantastic, and a Baltic Porter that was only half fermented. We were given a large sampling of FOTM's new expanded menu, which included some solid pizza and buffalo chicken nachoes. Of course, we were also trying out some of FOTM's famous wings with the house beers, which made eating the super spicy wings a bit more bearable.
Next we headed out to the construction site of the future Basecamp Brewing location. This massive warehouse is sporting 30 barrell brew equipment that was drove out from a Wisconsin brewery that had gone out of business. Brewer Justin Fay has just completed a small pilot brewery system to start perfecting recipes while the location continues to be built. The large brew house will allow plenty of room for bottling, a decent sized tap room, and a large patio for summer days. Stay tuned to Basecamp's website for more info in the next couple months.
Next up rolled over to Commons Brewery, another brewhouse in an industrial space. This small, seven barrell house brews belgian farmhouse ales. Brewer Mike Wright started the brewery originally in his garage, finishing up the current set up at on SE Stephens between 10th and 11th Ave late last year. The tasty belgian brews we tried out were very refreshing, and made many of us long for warmer days that aren't too far off.
Lastly, we hit the future site of Gigantic Brewing, former Hopworks brewer Ben Love's newest endeavor. Love and partner Van Havig (formerly of Rockbottom Brewing) showed us the future brewhouse on SE 26th Ave. We had a chance to taste some of Love's beer, paired with personal sized cheesecakes made by Food Lush's Hilary Mortensen. The brewery will be opening by the end of spring if all goes according to plan.
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