Little Beast Brewing opens Clackamas Tasting Room
Little Beast Brewing’s Clackamas taproom officially opens on October 9th
Little Beast Brewing will open their second location in Clackamas, Oregon to the public on Thurs. 10/7 ahead of the official grand opening on Saturday, October 9th. Known for their mixed culture and fruited sours, Little Beast has steadily grown recognition for their 16oz can series that showcases everything from Helles lagers to Hazy IPA’s and Imperial Stouts and is bringing their unique vision to Portland’s outskirts.
Little Beast Clackamas is a response to beer fans who would like to drink the beer where it’s made, as well as another outlet for the craft beer starved Clackamas community on the south eastern fringe of Portland. The intimate space feels like a throwback to the more industrial brewery tasting rooms of old (still common in more expensive communities like San Diego), similar to what Breakside Brewery has done with their Milwaukie production space taproom nearby. It’s a natural evolution of a small but successful brewery, offering the public an opportunity to get closer to the process, and another way to drink the beer directly from the source, and perhaps with the brewers themselves.
Little Beast started in 2017 from the back of Westgate Bourbon Bar & Taproom in Hillsboro from the former Brannon’s Brew Pub space. Brewer Chuck Porter had just left Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, and his partner/wife Brenda Crow was an experienced foodie from the creamery and restaurant world that united to make an all-star team. It wasn’t long before Porter and Crow found the brewing space in Clackamas that became available when it’s prior tenant Drinking Horse Brewing went out of business. Little Beast has made their public facing home the Little Beast beer garden on SE Division, an awesome space in an old Portland craftsman home with a front lawn and cozy pub that used to be Lompoc Brewing’s Hedge House.
Hidden in the back of the Cumberland Business Center off of Highway 212, the Little Beast Brewing production facility and taproom is off the beaten path but could serve as an oasis for the after work crowd. The location is earmarked at the turn by the longtime dive bar Wichita Pub, serving as a beacon on the business park’s signage shared with Top Industrial Supply, Ampro, and Righteous Clothing Agency which makes many of Little Beast’s shirts and wearables. And if you are hankering for a stiff drink, or better yet some bar food that can be washed down with a Little Beast cognac barrel-aged version of Golden Stone sour than the Wichita Pub is the most convenient option.
The Clackamas taproom will pour eleven Little Beast beers, including limited barrel aged beers, and a local cider from either Son of Man or Wildcraft Cider Works. Wine and non-alcoholic options are in the planning. As is a selection of small batch, one-off, or extremely limited vintage club offerings in single caged and corked bottle, or special label 16oz cans and 4-packs. These are beers that won’t see distribution, and will only be available to enjoy on-premise. The taproom will sell other bottles and cans to-go, and will also fill growlers for takeaway.
The seating area is in a tight former office space next to the warehouse and loading dock where the brewery resides along with barrel room and the recently installed canning line. A roll-up bar for counter service sits in the back of the room with draft lines pouring right off the walk-in cooler. A mural on the west facing wall features the design by original logo and label artist Andy Morris that is used on Little Beast’s crowlers. The room fits two different 6 top tables, and a couple of 3 top tables by the window, with a tall standing or leaning bar for groups. A thin outdoor rail offers some covered outdoor seating options, and when the weather complies there will be picnic tables out in the parking spaces in front of the building. There is no kitchen, but they plan to have some snacks and welcome food to be brought in. And yes, it is all-ages and dog friendly outdoors, but don’t expect special acommodations as this is primarily a casual hangout spot to enjoy great beers among adults.
The business park, while difficult to find, offers some nice seclusion from the street traffic and plenty of on-site parking.
”After focusing on growing our production, and getting our canning line up and running, we’re excited to open in an area that doesn’t have much brewery representation,” says brewmaster/co-founder Charles Porter. “Plus, as an avid outdoorsman, I love that our Tasting Room is en route to the beautiful Clackamas River and majestic Mount Hood National Forest.”
The new tasting room being right next door to the barrel room and cellar has it’s benefits, like the extensive list of vintage bottles that will be available for tasting. A sampling from the list includes:
Sherry Brandy Barrel Aged Black Cap - Foeder ale aged for a year in a Sherry/Brandy with huge amounts of native black cap raspberries
Best Life - Double Cherry Coconut Mixed Culture Ale
Game of Patience - Saison racked into French oak barrels. Rhubarb picked on Mt. Hood was added and left to age two years until perfection.
Winsome - Saison aged for two years in barrels with foraged linden blossoms
Pequeño Gigante - Mixed culture ale racked onto whole cluster Tempranillo grapes and aged in a 12-year Elijah Craig barrel for six month
The Little Beast Tasting Room is located at 11517 SE Highway 212 in Clackamas, Oregon, and initial open hours will be Thursdays and Fridays from 4:00pm-9:00pm and Saturdays from 1:00pm-9:00pm.
Little Beast Brewing owners Charles Porter and Brenda Crow at their new Clackamas tasting room.