Portland, Oregon’s German-inspired Zoiglhaus Brewing has begun the final stages of transforming their Lents neighborhood brewpub into The Zed: a food hall, cocktail bar, event space, farmers market, and brewery all-in-one.

Zoiglhaus Brewery opened in 2015 from accomplished former Widmer brewer Alan Taylor and developers/hospitality entrepreneurs Chad Rennaker, and Morien Wark. The goal from the beginning was to create a community around Taylor’s more approachable and rustic interpretations of classic German-style beers, and a decor and food menu that was in-line with those traditions. But early on they started opening up the production space for outside brands to produce their not so European ales and lagers. It started with Ferment Brewing, when Dan Peterson brewed up some of his earliest beers and socked many into barrels before the brewery secured a permanent home in Hood River. Over the past few years Pono Brewing has born and bred their brand from the back of Zoiglhaus’s brewhaus.

The meaning of Zoiglhaus according to their website is: a wonderful historical practice where citizens share a communal brewhouse, then take turns serving their brew to their neighbors from the comfort of their own homes.

So it’s not entirely out of character for the vision for the neighborhood hub to expand to meet the needs of the community. Lents has been a long struggling, often called up and coming, neighborhood in need of socially conscious anchor tenants willing to put the work into developing the area while not leaving anyone behind or underrepresented.

Co-owner/developer Chad Rennaker has put significant investment into the area, not only did he shell out major money to open Zoiglhaus in the first place but he is also behind affordable new apartment buildings and neighboring businesses like Humdinger Pizza and Shifters lounge. The Zed seems to be a response to what the community is asking for, which tends to be less affluent white Anglo-Saxon and more culturally diverse. So it makes sense to create an inviting space inside the brewpub for small food providers who don’t have the money or connections to open their own Zoiglhaus.

Recently Zoiglhaus partners acquired the former carpet warehouse and show room that occupied the north side of the building and shared the pubs parking lot. Quietly the brewery closed off sections of their restaurant that were underused, and began redesigning the space with a darker more modern German bar feel that felt a little edgier than the bright family friendly bier hall vibe it originally opened with. The color scheme went from bright creamy yellow walls with red accents to dark moody grays and stained wood which has given the pub a more adult feel. The area that used to be booths, a kids play area, and a reading corner, are now three different makers pods built out with their own kitchens, stations, cold storage, and service windows.

The Zoiglhaus brewpub menu of sandwiches, sausages, pretzels and other American/German fare is being pared back (but not eliminated) to make room for new food providers.

Sherpa Kitchen is the first food provider to take up residence in “The Zed” and they are no stranger to brewpubs. They previously operated as a food truck parked at Base Camp Brewing. The venture comes from Mingma T Sherpa, a chef with 12 years of culinary experience from the Le Cordon Blue College of Culinary Arts. Hailing from Nepal, Sherpa brings a Himalayan palate to a menu of “Momo” Himalayan-style dumplings, “Bhuteko Thukpa” noodle dishes similar to Chowmein, and “Dal Bhat Tarkari” a dish made of lentils and rice. It’s a straightforward menu of satisfying comforting foods that feel familiar if you are a fan of Mongolian, Szechuan, and Southeast Asian-style cooking.

“The ultimate goal is to offer a variety of food pods that please a variety of guests as well as compliment not only our beer, but also each other. We envision true micro kitchen offerings that specialize and are experts in their craft. Sherpa Kitchen is an excellent example of that,” says Morien Wark. “Their menu is small, but every item on it is hand made by a husband and wife team who are very passionate about what they are making. Their food is truly exceptional.”

“We are looking to have a number of cuisines that pair nicely with our beers,” says brewmaster/partner Alan Taylor. “Sherpa Kitchen does that well and we hope to have the others either integrate nicely with what we do and/or inspire us to make some special brews with them to accentuate their culinary skills.”

The ultimate goal is to find 2-3 more tenants who are owner/operators who are passionate about their food and serve items that pair best with their beers, and against each other. They are currently in talks with a Hawaiian and BBQ vendor, with dreams of adding exceptional burgers and fried chicken into the mix.

“Alan makes some of the very best beer in Oregon, and our goal is to pair some of the very best food in Oregon with it,” adds Wark.

The smaller separated banquet room that was used for private meetings in the previous design of the Zoiglhaus pub is now the Zephyr Lounge. Through an arched doorway to the southeast back side of the taproom bar is a small but retro cocktail lounge with an understated roaring 20’s Great Gatsby vibe.

“We had been thinking about adding cocktails at Zoiglhaus for a while, but the space in the middle bar wasn't well suited for it. The Zephyr Lounge fits nicely into that corner of the space and I'm excited about it myself. It works in conjunction with Zoiglhaus,” says Taylor.

The Zephyr Lounge offers a service that complements the more family friendly pub aspects, it also gives a platform for 5 year veteran employee Amy Villareal who has been leading the drinks program at Shifters Lounge. Villareal is clearly a passionate mixologist who started in the family at Ascendant Beer Co., she isn’t afraid to experiment and the Zephyr lounge showcases more crafted versions of approachable mainstream drinks and just the right level of creativity for outer southeast Portland.

“Amy Villareal is our go to staff member for running our Portland bar programs,” says Wark. “She is great with the classics and also isn’t afraid to experiment. She would tell you she is a nerd about the science behind it all.”

One of Zephyr Lounge’s best features is a window that opens to streetside seating along Ramona St. where patrons can enjoy food, drinks and company in the open air.

All of these will be excellent features for the opening of the 2nd floor events space to be called the Zenith Room. This is a 7,500 sq. ft. room that takes up nearly the entire space above the restaurant. The venue is outfitted with a full bar, holding kitchen for catering, private dressing room/lounge, and a conference room with multi media hookups.

Meanwhile on the outside of the old Zoiglhaus space on the north side of the building next to the parking lot is a major expansion of the brewery and greater integration with the Lents Farmers Market which will now have indoor space and not beholden to inclement weather. When not in use by the market, it can be used as an indoor/outdoor space for The Zed taproom with roll up glass doors, glass walls, and skylights.

About a 1/4 of that space will be used for a brewery expansion that will more than double their output with the addition of 5 x 60bbl fermenters and one 60 bbl brite tank to be delivered once building permits come through. A large part of the expanded space is already being used for storing tens of thousands of cans for their packaged ales and lagers. The new space will be essential to the growth of all the brands that use the space. It will also allow them to focus on producing more creative and one-off beers.

All of the disparate but connected concepts at play have led to a rebrand for the brand family that lives within the building.

“The Zed is what we are now calling the entire space,” says Wark. “Zoiglhaus Brewing is still Zoiglhaus Brewing and still in the same location, but will now be Zoiglhaus Brewing at The Zed. Sherpa Kitchen at The Zed, Zenith Room at The Zed, Zephyr Lounge at the Zed, etc. The Z theme is an homage to Zoiglhaus Brewing.”

And the building signage reflects that in all but the lone standing Zoiglhaus marquee in the parking lot. Gone are the red Zoiglhaus Brewing window wraps and corner signage, now replaced by the bold branding of “The Zed.”

THE ZED
5716 SE 92nd Ave, Portland, OR 97266

The Zephyr Lounge is open 7 days a week from 4-9:30pm.

Sherpa Kitchen is open Tuesday - Sunday from 12pm - 9pm.

Zoiglhaus Brewing is open 7 days a week from 12pm - 9:30pm.