Level Beer 3.0 Opens in the Buckman-Kerns neighborhood
Level Beer 3 is opening their full taproom in NE Portland’s Buckman-Kerns neighborhood
Portland, Oregon’s nostalgia powered 4 year-old Level Beer Co. opens their third location, simply named Level 3, this week in inner northeast Buckman-Kerns neighborhood. Level is known for their 80-90’s inspired brand that callbacks to pop culture touchstones under the guise of modern northwest style ales and lagers. Their new taproom (which has been hosting parking lot patio pop-ups since late summer) is their most central metro location yet, near the Tri-Met bus lines 20 and 19, an on-ramp for highway I-84, and a short walk from Culmination Brewing.
Opened in the former See See’s Motor Sports motorcycle shop and showroom, Level 3 has turned a modern industrial workshop into a high ceilinged retro inspired beer hall and arcade bar with their most extensive taplist yet. A large vertical digital display shows off 27 draft lines and soon 1 cask beer with the option of 32oz crowler fills to-go. This is the most Level Beer’s on tap at one place, with 3 taps for ciders, 1 for seltzer, and 1 each for a kombucha and root beer. These are served at a three lane blue and black striped bar which is also the largest of any of the three Level locations and would be right at home in Blade Runner.
Level Beer co-owner Geoff Phillips also owned the dearly departed downtown establishment Bailey’s Taproom and he has repurposed elements for Level 3. The tables and chairs are all from Bailey’s. A very large bottle and can cooler has not only Level beers to-go but also specialty bottles from Bailey’s selection. And a corner piece of the old Bailey’s Bar has been cut into Level’s iconic “L” logo.
Perhaps more so than any of Level’s other locations, this one has a Flight of the Navigator arcade feel with games lining one wall with racing stripe motifs and Tron vibes throughout. Two big tabletop games with spaces to hold your beer while playing Pong or Pac-Man so you can slam some beers while you mash buttons. There are Ghostbusters, Terminator 2, and Sopranos pinball machines, Big Buck Hunter Reloaded, and the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles standup machine based on the cartoon of the 90’s. And if you are into something a little more manual, there is a shuffleboard as well.
The parking lot turned patio has been open on and off this year with a pop-up bar serving fresh hops, and yard games. That will stay open year-round with some covers for the weather, and the permanent food truck Nacho's House serving tacos, burritos, and of course nachos. Everything falls into a vaguely kid friendly Stranger Things style arcade beer hall that may be the best place yet to enjoy one of Level’s balanced beers.
Level Beer 3 soft opens to the public Thursday the 14th at 6-9pm and will have a grand opening this Saturday, October 16th.
Level 3 Buckman Kerns Taproom
1447 NE Sandy Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97232
Monday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Tuesday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Wednesday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Thursday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Friday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday 12:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sunday 12:00 pm - 9:00 pm