Grains of Wrath PDX Opens Today
Grains of Wrath owners Mike Hunsaker and Brendan Greenen outside their new Portland location
The highly anticipated Portland outpost of Camas, Washington’s Grains of Wrath Brewing opens their PDX location in the former Lompoc Sidebar space today October 29th, exactly one year to the day that Lompoc Brewing permanently closed.
From owners Brendan Greenen and brewer Mike Hunsaker, Grains of Wrath (GOW) opened in southwest Washington in 2018 and has racked up prestigious awards like a recent Gold medal at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival for their Built For Speed IPA. Hopheads know GOW for their clean and clear west coast IPA’s, but the brew team is also passionate about their lesser known but just as acclaimed lagers both American and German in styles.
Known for their punk rock aesthetic and brewing pedigree from former midwest brewing stars Owen Lamb and Michael Hunsaker, Grains of Wrath announced plans to open in the former Lompoc Brewing Sidebar space on N. Williams Ave. in February. Delayed 7 months due to the pandemic, Grains of Wrath PDX opens next to the recently permanently closed Hopworks N. Williams Pub & Beergarden, and is set to be a major destination for beer geeks and travelers along the Williams bike corridor.
Unlike their Camas brewpub. Grains of Wrath PDX will be an adults only taproom with an abbreviated menu of gourmet sausages like smoked kielbasa with cream cheese topped with bourbon bacon jam and jalapenos - outside food is welcome (GOW PDX is steps from Eem, Eat Oyster Bar and Life of Pie). Soft opening with 12 draft lines (10 filled with GOW beers), hard cider from Swift and Bull Run, wines and guest beers by the can, GOW PDX offers a darker and starker back-to-pub basics approach that contrasts the more modern hip developments along the busy traffic corridor of N. Williams. Leather booths and larger beer hall tables are surrounded with four tv’s playing sports, the atmosphere is neighborhood biker bar but with world class craft beers.
Lompoc Brewing closed exactly one year ago with the last day of service on October 29th. The intimate barrel room Sidebar space has been completely refurbished and expanded by pushing the wall to the brewery/production space back another 6’. This allows for a total of 40 seats and 7 tables during COVID-19 restrictions and roughly double that during normal times. The old fireplace in the center of the back wall is still there, but the painting of Don Younger is gone and will be replaced by rotating temporary mural art by GOW’s new label illustrator Herb Apon.
GOW PDX does not occupy the former Lompc 5th Quadrant taproom and restaurant, but has taken over the brewhouse and production area where Lompoc produced award-winning beers for the last 23+ years. But rather than fire up the old Lompc brewhouse, Grains of Wrath has worked with building owners and brewhouse fabricators Portland Kettle Works to install a brand new 15bbl brewhouse with four 30bbl tanks. Production brewing will begin in the coming weeks with new flagship Dive Bar Lager first on deck.
The taproom opens Thursday, October 29th at 3pm, but the full service operation is due to continue to rollout over the coming weeks with a full liquor bar coming soon. Co-owner/brewer Mike Hunsaker plans to have his Dive Bar Lager in 16oz cans soon and for it to be available only in package form from then on, shots of house whiskey Buffalo Trace will come with cans in the future and assure that GOW PDX will become a popular service industry hang.
Grains of Wrath Brewing Portland, 3901 N Williams Ave. will be open 7 days a week from 3-10pm.
