Saying goodbye to Corvallis Brewing Supply and the Mid-Valley Godfather of Craft Beer
One of Oregon’s earliest brewing supply shops and one of the Willamette Valley’s first bottle shops, Corvallis Brewing Supply has announced their imminent closure. After a quarter century, owner Joel Rea is leaving his post as the godfather of mid-valley craft beer and leaves an important legacy behind that shepherded aspiring brewers into long careers and spawned many a commercial brewery.
Over the next few months they will be selling off inventory under reduced hours after the entire staff was laid off. Joel Rea (aka lickspigot) founded Corvallis Brewing Supply almost 25 years ago, at the time The Old World Deli where Oregon Trail Brewing was located was the only place to get fermentation supplies.
For a decade Joel had worked for the US Forestry Service as a seasonal employee, at the same time he was attending University of Oregon seeking to obtain an MFA in photography and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Someone had gifted him a homebrewing starter kit in 1993 and then he had an epiphany. It dawned on him that he would probably never pursue his arts career and that seasonal work wasn’t going to cut it. He also didn’t enjoy working for anyone else, so he packed up and moved to Corvallis to open his own homebrewing shop. “I wanted to be somewhere between Newport and Bend, Ashland and Bellingham. Corvallis ended up being a sweet spot to land!” says Joel.
“In October of 1997 I stared out strictly as a beer fermentation shop and quickly realized that I needed to expand into wine and cider,” says Joel, recalling how he went from homebrew supply to craft beer mecca for the valley. “In 2001 I moved to my 3rd location and joined a partnership with a good friend of mine, Derek Whiteside. He owned the bottle shop side and I continued the supply side, but we really worked well together and could sell each other’s products.”
Joel bought Whiteside out of the business in 2008, and added 4 taps to serve draft beer to customers and hold tasting events in 2008.
Corvallis Brewing Supply has been more than a homebrew shop, it’s been a center of the brewing community fostering everything from young brewers to creating new beer fans and celebrations of the industry. Without Joel and CBS we wouldn’t have numerous events like Corvallis Beer Week or Septembeerfest, or the new generations just getting into beer now. In his off time from the shop, Joel is an adjunct instructor at Linn Benton Community College where he sometimes teaches brewing classes.
Corvallis Beer Week co-founder and Oakshire Brewing operations director Chris Althouse:
“Joel has provided more to this community than most people realize! He has provided knowledge and support to countless brewery, cidery, taproom and distillery startups over the years. His fun and care-free spirit are infectious and it saddens me to think of our town's craft beverage scene without Joel as a part of it. From helping spearhead Septembeerfest (I love that chicken hat), to educating new homebrewers, to supporting those making the jump to professional artisans, Joel has been there every step of the way!”
Nick Arzner, founder/brewmaster of Block 15 Brewing wrote:
“Joel and CBS have played an important role in the creation and development of my brewing career and Block 15. Back in 2002 as I was getting into craft beer and home brewing I received a gift card from my parents for my birthday to CBS. This was because my Dad coached Joel in swimming when he was in high school and they wanted to support his business. From this gift card I began my homebrew journey frequenting the shop where Joel was always willing to take the time to talk and mentor me and my crazy pipe dream of someday opening a brewpub. His bottle shop also provided all the research needed to try styles of beers from around the world. This was a time when it was hard to find great examples of European beers from other markets and the local and regional breweries. Many of the programs from Block 15's early days were inspired by these unique and interesting beers and discussions with Joel. Joel is without question the godfather of mid Willamette Valley craft beer. The number of homebrewers, OSU students, and professional brewers he has inspired is countless. His impact on our industry is not only evident here in Corvallis but throughout the nation as aspiring artisans have moved on in their careers to other regions. CBS will be deeply missed by our community”
And Reach Break Brewing founder Josh Allison posted his own heartfelt sentiments on the Astoria, Oregon brewery’s facebook page, saying in part:
“Thank you, for everything that you have gifted to the craft brewing community. Thank you for everything that you have gifted to me. Thank you for your kind encouragement and selfless mentorship. Thank you for fostering a positive environment where I could be challenged and grow as a fermentationist. Without you, Reach Break Brewing would not exist. Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
The first 15 years of business were great for Joel and vital for the burgeoning beer scene. Revenue climbed, word of mouth gained steam, influence in local events and the homebrewing community flourished. But so did the proliferation of breweries and online platforms for home fermentation, from brew calculators to mail order beer kits. Even with the incredible selection of packaged beers and deep cellar at Corvallis Brewing Supply, the competition for beers from both locals and grocery stores lead to a significant drop in income over the last 5 years.
“At the start of the pandemic we saw a spike in activity (and packaged-goods-to-go) with heaps of curbside delivery. I’ve never had much of an online presence and I feel many brewers went to the internet and never looked back,” says Joel on the still lasting effects of the pandemic as a final nail in the coffin.
The closure of Corvallis Brewing Supply seemed sudden and somewhat unexpected but is the result of a long-term slide of decline says Joel. The PPP pandemic survival loan from the government helped, but ultimately was more of a band-aid for a business losing money for the last few years. Last week Joel took a look at his accounts and realized he could not afford to do it any longer.
“Part of my closing down will be to reach out to some other establishments that would like to expand into home fermentation supplies,” says Joel. “Someone will look at this new void and realize an opportunity.”
It’s not too late to stop in to Corvallis Brewing Supply to pick up a bottle, some grain or yeast, and say goodbye. Joel will continue to operate the shop solely over the next few weeks from Wednesday to Saturday from 3-5:30pm. Hopefully the right person will come in and find some new life in this beer legacy business.
“If someone with deep pockets, a fresh vision and the desire for a well-loved 25-year-old biz it is for sale. I’ll even be there first employee or completely step out of the way,” says Joel Rea.
