Lombard House hosts Upright Brewing 12th Anniversary tap takeover

Celebrate the dual occasions of Upright Brewing’s 12th anniversary and the reopening of Lombard House pub in N. Portland’s St. Johns neighborhood this Saturday, April 3rd.

Since opening in 2009, Upright Brewing has established themselves as one of the best breweries in Oregon. Known for farmhouse ales and other rustic funky styles, Upright was one of the first local breweries to embrace German-style ales and lagers and has branched out even further into IPA’s, barrel-aged beers and even English style ales. But with Upright’s intimate basement headquarters not being conducive to COVID operations, the tasting room has remained closed and a proper 12th anniversary party made impossible on-site.

Lombard House, quickly became the most popular beer friendly pub in St. Johns after opening in 2016, but also has an intimate indoor space and has thus remained mostly closed since the summer. But with cases dropping, and Lombard House’s outdoor deck and beer garden seemingly much more promising now that better weather is here they are reopening and hosting Upright this Saturday.

This Saturday a rare selection of draft Upright beers will be on tap at Lombard House, with Upright founder/brewer Alex Ganum in attendance from 2-6pm. On tap: Birthday Blend (hop-forward, barrel-aged saison, Six (dark and dry rye saison), Nocino Stout (barrel-aged imperial stout), Midnight Reflection (barrel-aged table saison), Engelberg Pils, and Super Cool IPA. For full descriptions and specs of each beer see below.

Brian Koch, owner of Lombard House has had a long relationship with Upright dating years before opening his own pub.

“Of all of the places I've worked in the beer industry, I've never been more at home, or more proud to work at a place than Upright. Alex is not only one of my best buds, he is the best "boss" I have ever been lucky enough to have. While my involvement there was always part- time, I was always treated like a member of the team. Alex is also one of the hardest working dudes I know. As a boss he has always paid more, done more to make sure his employees feel valued, and allowed real input and collaboration among the staff,” says Koch.

“The crew at Upright loves Brian and always feels at home with a pint in hand at Lombard House, so we're extra happy to celebrate our anniversary with him there while we continue work on our tasting room relocation,” says Upright founder Alex Ganum, who is working on moving his own taproom into the lobby cafe space of the Leftbank Building.

“Since opening Lombard House I have tried to work one shift a year at Upright, usually during the Anniversary Party. With Upright being in the process of a remodel, and the basement space not being an option due to Covid, it seemed like a no brainer to ask Alex if he'd like to celebrate at Lombard House. Alex is the person I ran my business plan by when opening Lombard House and his faith in me and my plan sealed the deal for me moving forward,” added Koch.

Lombard House opens for their first event after the pandemic with the utmost caution, opting to operate outdoors only for now. To ensure a safe environment the pub will have a staff member seating attendees on a first come first served basis. All together Lombard House has outside seating for 48, some of it covered by pop-up tents but everything is weather dependent so dress accordingly based on the forecast.

LOMBARD HOUSE - 7337 N Lombard St, Portland, OR 97203

Lombard House beer garden

UPRIGHT ANNIVERSARY TAPLIST @ LOMBARD HOUSE:

Nocino Stout is unlike anything we’ve made in the past. Beginning as a hop forward imperial stout, the beer took on a new direction when transferred into Stone Barn bourbon and nocino barrels, the later of which still packed with walnuts, cinnamon, and whole vanilla beans. The resulting blend is an incredible bittersweet sipper, displaying a breadth of flavors that come across both bold and nuanced. 13%

Six is a throwback to our original recipe from 2009. This beer never fit neatly within a recognized style, instead combining elements of saison and bière de garde with our own desire to create a rye focused beer with complex malt flavors, expressive yeast, and a dry, slate tinged finish. 7%

Supercool IPA combines chinook, azacca, and centennial hops with a traditional, true top cropping ale yeast. Open fermentation and a unique dryhopping process lend the Supercool balance and complexities not found in trendy IPAs. 6.5%

Engelberg Pilsener helped start the wave of well hopped pils in Portland. Using tettnanger hops and a classic yeast strain chosen specifically for this beer, the Engelberg hits the palate with firm, appetizing bitterness, while remaining light and delicately balanced. 4.75%

Birthday Blend is a one-off for our twelfth anniversary! The beer threads casks of a 17 month barrel aged saison hopped with liberty, cascade, and citra, with a gin barrel of the Money Ave IPA. The blend is an expression of the lightly tart, reasonably hopped farmhouse style we love. 6.5%

Midnight Reflection is a showcase of two unique grains from Skagit Valley Malting – obsidian barley and black oats. Despite the dark theme of the varieties and label, the beer is a light gold color. Obsidian barley is very unusual, but well suited to farmhouse style beers, contributing a fruity, bubblegum note that plays well with the saccharomyces and brettanomyces fermentation esters. The Midnight Reflection was given a short barrel maturation in four of our oldest casks, lending it a mid-palate roundness but driving minerality on the finish, ultimately yielding a table beer that drinks refreshingly light while displaying well integrated layers that reveal more nuance as the beer warms. 3.5%