Threshold Brewing & Blending 4th Anniversary Party
In four short years outer southeast Portland’s Threshold Brewing & Blending has carved out a name for themselves. The previously unknown brewing couple Jarek and Sara Szymanski were homebrewers and beer and food nerds before starting the brewery and tasting room in the Montavilla neighborhood they also call home. Capitalizing on their Polish family heritage and east coast connections the brewery has focused on NE-style and European beers, both big modern barrel-aged and pastry, fruity, sour, and lagered. On Saturday, February 25th they are inviting friends, family, and newbies into the Threshold family for a 4th anniversary party with live DJ and Polish food specials, lots of great new beers, and the industry that’s embraced them.
Owners Jarek and Sara Szymanski say they’re looking forward to raising a glass (or most likely many) in huge appreciation of their enthusiastic Montavilla regulars as well as the PNW bars, stores and shops who go out of their way to support small and local, the close-knit PNW craft beer industry, their exceptional and growing team of employees and all of the whirlwind ups and downs that have driven the past 4 years.
Threshold’s 10-barrel brewery first opened its doors in early 2019, an upstart and tight-budget venture that quickly built its reputation on consistently excellent craft beer, genuine hospitality and small operation scrappiness. All of the above have allowed Threshold to navigate not only Covid challenges but an increasingly competitive craft beer market.
As a brewery and at year 4, the Szymanski’s seem to have finally begun to achieve the growth that seemed so promising back in early 2020. They report that their brew house capacity increased by over 60 percent this past year and they’ve been able to triple their staff. While you no longer find Sara or Jarek brewing by day and bartending by night, their new front of house team extends the same Threshold warmth and hospitality that was their signature from the get-go.
Threshold’s 4th anniversary celebration on February 25th will feature special beer releases, including a NW-style Pilsner collaboration with ForeLand Beer, called FourShadow. The two breweries became fast friends and opened within a year of each other. Also exciting is Threshold’s brand new Polish-style IPA, a hoppier veer from the Polish Lagers and Pilsners they’ve previously crafted. Called Veles, it’s brewed with new wave Polish hops and European malts that fans have come to appreciate from Threshold’s native Polish brewer and founder Jarek. The IPA’s foreign-sounding Iunga and Książęcy hops give plenty of modern stone fruit, tropical and citrus notes and are a telling showcase of the innovative hop and beer culture happening in Poland right now. Threshold will also be releasing the 3rd in their smoothie sour line Savage Crush, piña colada in flavor and excellent in execution.
The Threshold anniversary taplist on the 25th will be insane (watch their website and social media for updates), opening at noon and kicking back with DJ Yum Yum from 12 – 4 p.m., and serving up Fourth Anniversary $4 Zapiekanka (Threshold’s traditional Polish street food) while supplies last.
