RIP 2021: Oregon Breweries & Taprooms that Closed
All things considering, breweries did remarkably well in 2021 with dozens of new taprooms and beer bars. The year saw even less closures in Oregon beer bars and breweries than pre-pandemic 2019 as the industry proved itself resilient and here to stay thanks to the support of the fans and a little help from the government. Still there were casualties of breweries, beer bars, and cideries with many of them turning around into brand new businesses or owners as quickly as they closed which is a good sign for the industry. Let’s take a look back at a few of the closures and what happened to them.
The Labrewatory - Portland, OR
It’s hard to say when exactly The Labrewatory closed, the N. Portland brewpub was just a few blocks up from Widmer Brothers Brewing and McMenamins White Eagle. An offshoot of local brewhouse and tank design and manufacturers Portland Kettle Works, the Labrewatory was dubbed a 5 barrel large nano-brewery and taproom that shared a building with Tamale Boy across the wall. The sharp space was well designed and appealing to look at, and the beers were always interesting. Through an in-house brewer the Labrewatory would often collaborate with just about anyone who was interested from homebrewers to beer writers and cooks. The brewery itself was in many ways a showcase for Portland Kettle Works equipment and what could be done on a small scale. The Labrewatory never really announced they were closed, their last update on the taproom was posted in October 2020 as business as regular but their website says: Now closed due to Oregon Covid-19 regulations. Meanwhile it appears that Hawaiian restaurant Smokin Fire Fish which cooks out of Tamale Boy is occupying the Labrewatory space for dine-in service.
The Yard House - Portland, OR
This should have been a big deal, and it was for a minute. The national taproom/family friendly pub chain The Yard House opened their first location in downtown Portland’s Pioneer Square Mall in mid-2014 and in all fairness had a pretty decent run up until the pandemic. Billed as the world’s largest beer selection, the Portland Yard House did indeed top the list for most draft beers at any place in town at 130. The chain location seemed to struggle right from the beginning though as it did not have the individual personality of some of our best beer bars, but they did try by devoting 42 or so drafts to west coast beers and ciders. The food was also very good for this type of menu that throws everything at the wall from tacos to pizzas to Korean BBQ. After years of slow business, the pandemic seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. PDX YardHouse announced they were “temporarily” closing on April 6th 2020 and added “We look forward to welcoming you again soon,” but that was not to be.
Natian Brewery & Taproom - Portland, OR
This brewery started as a nano and frequently popped up at watering holes like Plew’s Brews in St. Johns and EastBurn on E. Burnside St. and expanded into a full production brewery and one of the earliest local brands to start canning. Founded by Ian McGuinness, the brewery was visible in the SE corner of the Portland Bottling plant where McGuinness worked a day job and leased an unused corner. In 2017 Natian opened their first ever taproom at 1306 E Burnside St, Portland, OR 97214 in the lower level of a brand new apartment building. They quickly built up a local following and pivoted to selling most of their beer on draft at their own establishment, however increasing competition in the marketplace meant slower business. In 2020 they announced plans to stop brewing entirely, but keep the taproom open as a beer bar pouring other local breweries. Around this time two regulars and employees Tia Williamson and Kristine Corey expressed interest in taking over and in 2021 Natian changed ownership and became Neighbors Taproom (which is one of our best new Oregon beer bars of 2021.)
Blind Ox Taproom Fremont - Portland, OR
The much buzzed about Blind Ox was the first business to opt into the space that once held Alameda Brewing in NE Portland. The taproom was perhaps more talked about because of their boozy nitrogen frozen ice cream cocktails than the beer itself. But the combo was pretty unbeatable during a hot summer and people were excited for another establishment on busy Fremont Street. However a short-term lease that had to be quickly renegotiated seemed to be the downfall, as Blind Ox Fremont closed up just one year after opening. However, the business owners were able to secure a new space in one of last years closures the Untapped bottle shop and beer bar, but the boozy ice cream didn’t make the transition to the new location.
Kaiser Brewing - Forest Grove, OR
Founded by homebrewer Jonathan Kaiser in 2016, the 2bbl brewery was run out of his detached garage and would open for dock sales and tastings while distributing to local establishments. The Forest Grove based nano brewery was consistently named one of the best beers at the Portland Nano Beer Fest and considered one of the best small batch nano breweries in the state and in 2020 they started making their own cider. On October 7th, 2021 they announced they were ceasing operations indefinitely to focus on family but left the door open for a return to production some day.
Bunsenbrewer - Sandy, OR
Bunsenbrewer sprung up from the mind of a biochemist, and award-winning homebrewer Aaron Hanson in 2014. From the beginning they established themselves as a playful taproom and nano brewery that modeled themselves off of nerdy lab rats with flasks and beakers for their beer glassware. Bunsenbrewer was billed as Sandy, Oregon’s longest running brewpub with a tasting room of lab tables & stools, an extensive board game and tabletop game library. In 2017 Hanson put the brewery up for sale and it transitioned into the management of Sean Cowan who kept it alive for 4 more years. But as of October 25th the brewery and taproom have closed permanently
Portland Brewing / MacTarnahan’s - Portland, OR
Founded in 1986 by Art Larrance, Fred Bowman, and Jim Goodwin, Portland Brewing was one of the original brewing pioneers of beervana. The company traded ownership groups and killed and revived various identities such as MacTarnahan’s Brewing and the Pyramid alehouse over the years. This was the biggest closure of 2021 when they let all 27 employees go and have since liquidated all of the equipment. Original founder Art Larrance had a fury reply to the news, while other past brewers shared notable memories in the New School’s coverage when it all went down in February. The current parent company Florida Ice & Farm Company (FIFCO) is keeping the Pyramid Breweries brand alive but has transitioned production of beers to a facility in Rochester, New York.
Oregon Trail Brewery Closed at the end of 2020 - will reopen in 2022
One of Oregon’s oldest breweries will live again as new ownership is currently working to re-establish it. Regardless, the Corvallis, OR brewpub helped put that city on the beer map and trained countless homebrewers into professionals before they officially closed at the end of 2020. One of those former brewers is the new owner, JD Pickett brewed there in the early aughts. Along with his brother Waylon, they purchased Oregon Trail Brewery from founder Dave Wills in early 2020. The timing was not great and the brewery and it’s attached business Old World Deli have been closed now since just before the pandemic. The good news is that the oldest brewery in the Willamette Valley (1987) is hoping to reopen this Spring and the Old World Deli opened separately just this past new years weekend. The brewery is being upgraded with some new tanks, keg washer, canning, and a hop torpedo among numerous other improvements.
Klamath Basin Brewing - Klamath Falls, OR
Younger beer drinkers might not be familiar with Klamath Basin Brewing, but in the early 2000’s their beer could be found relatively easily on draft at the best beer bars in Portland and the Willamette Valley. Klamath Basin opened in 2004 as a full restaurant and 15bbl production brewery attached. The pub has been a popular spot in the city of Klamath Falls, hosting regular live music, offering a full bar and the benefits of a large patio. The brewery boom of 2010-11 put a damper on their sales and distribution, combined with an aging ownership and clientele they struggled mightily during the pandemic and decided to call it quits just before Thanksgiving. Matt Wendt, a member of Klamath Basin’s board of directors did recently tell the local paper the Herald News that they may reopen after the winter if they can find a new head brewer and things are looking up, however we recently reported that the entire business is currently for sale as a turnkey operation.
Mazama Brewing at Big River - photo from Corvallis Gazette-Times
Mazama Brewing Big River - Corvallis, OR
Fueled by a passion for Belgian-style beers, Mazama Brewing opened in Corvallis, OR in 2012 in the same business park as 2 Towns Ciderhouse. For years they did all their production there and operated a small tasting room on-site as their beer styles shifted into more popular styles like IPA’s and sours. In early 2019 they shifted into two more prominent public spaces beginning with the former Big River Grill in central downtown Corvallis and another taproom at Orenco Station in Hillsboro, OR. Unfortunately the ambitious Corvallis restaurant and bar didn’t last long, after the pandemic when they sought a lease renegotiation. Mazama had closed their original tasting room at the brewery in 2018 and now has nowhwere near Corvallis to try their beer, however the Mazama at Orenco Station appears to still be doing fine and the brand lives on.
Brewery 26 Powell Taproom Closes, new location opens on Ankeny
Andy Shaw started Brewery 26 out of his garage in 2017 and didn’t take long to develop a following for beers like Oregon Sun NE-style IPA and Silent Rock Stout. In 2020 just before the pandemic Brewery 26 opened their first retail location on SE Powell Blvd in Portland and announced plans for a 7bbl production brewery and taproom on SE Ankeny closer to the heart of town. While it took over a year to get the Ankeny location going, Shaw and his business partner and brother-in-law Keith Hattori made the Powell taproom a popular spot for locals that cautiously navigated the pandemic. However with the Ankeny location now softly opened the financials of the Powell taproom weren’t making sense. The taproom was profitable if Shaw or Hattori was working it rather than paying an employee, with the two of them splitting duties between bartender, sales and brewing it was an unmanageable situation with a second location opening. They decided to close when their lease ran out at the end of 2021 to focus on brewing operations, sales, and the new location. So there will be plenty more Brewery 26 in the future.
Alter Ego Cider Taproom - Portland, OR
This fan favorite Portland cider brand is still alive and well, but owner Anne Hubatch was forced to make the difficult decision to refocus on cans instead of draft and the tasting room. Sharing a space and ownership with Helioterra Wines, the Alter Ego taproom was a hot spot for ciderheads when it opened in June 2019 but the intimate more industrial taproom had many limits. In the end Hubatch decided the space would be better used to expand the winery side of the business and do much of the cider production off-site. Alter Ego Cider taproom closed September 12th and the space now hosts tastings for the winery.
Portland Beer Museum - Portland, OR
With the interesting concept of beer gift shop and an intriguing name, the Portland Beer Museum opened in downtown Portland in April 2019. The business was a project from the Naito Corporation, the same family owned group that owns the Made In Oregon stores. It alwo was not a museum at all, it did cater to all the beer related merchandise and memorabilia you might find in a museum in 50 years, most of it novelty items that were good for amusement. But it also had plenty of beer primarily to-go with 8 cooler doors and actually a well chosen selection, they also poured 8 beers on draft and you could grab pints, get a taster tray, or fill a growler. This is another taproom that quietly closed with no announcement. The Portland Beer Museum last posted May 31, 2020 and on repeated attempts at calling their business number there was no answer.
1859 Cider Closes, but is then acquired by Divine Distillers
One of Oregon’s more well respected cideries 1859 announced their closure in June and ran out the lease on their back-alley downtown Salem taproom. Known for their pure expression of slow-fermented and unaltered fresh-pressed apples, 1859 Cider was downtown Salem's first alcohol producer since 1953. Owners Dan and Patricia Fox home was severely damaged in the 2020 Beachie Creek wildfire, and then they lost their lease on the cidery during failed negotiations with the landlord. It was at this point they decided to move on to new things, but fellow Salem business Divine Distillers has stepped in and purchased the brand in attempt to keep the cidery alive. Divine Distillers currently has two 1859 ciders on tap at their own tasting room.