7 Portland area Breweries and Taprooms Closed or announced Closures in the last 30 days
Closures or impending closures of Sessionable beer bar, Brewery 26, Unicorn Brewing, Ambacht Brewing, Pono Brewing, Conspirator Beverage, and Grains of Wrath PDX all fall within the last 30 days.
As breweries and craft beer bars go through increasingly tough financial situations due to the pandemic meeting a change in consumer drinking habits and increased competition, we are seeing more businesses close. Last winter saw a number of notable closures at a slow period in the year where sales are down and businesses succumb to the inevitable. But a series of closures or announced pending closures that have all fallen in the last month is an unexpected and unusual trend worth analyzing.
Pono Brewing carved out a following in the self-distribution and contract brewery startup business game over the course of 10 years. The island-themed and tropical and northwest beer inspired brand became known for their can-do attitide, and playful beers that exemplified the latest trends in hazy and juice forward and often fruity beers that captured summer. It was with many years of anticipation that Pono Brewing finally opened a space to call their own at 1728 NE 40th Ave in the former Columbia River Brewing space that was home to Laurelwood Brewing and Old World Brewing even before that. Ten months after opening the full restaurant and kitchen with it’s own brewing system, they were forced to pull the plug on June 21st.
Pono Brewing founder Larry Clouser took on some new silent business partners for the Brew Lab pub specifically. Obtaining a lease for what was said to be a turnkey restaurant/brewery space, but according to Clouser “it was far from it.”
There was major work required in the Brew Labs building that the owners did not cover, including redoing the floors, electrical and plumbing work that ended up taking many months to simply get the 7bbl brewery operational. By then it was too late to save with too few customers showing up to keep the cash flow positive.
“We decided to move forward with the work and were trying to work that out with the landlord,” says Clouser. But, “The lease rate was pre-covid pricing and we were not able to support all of the operating costs.”
Pono Brewing was supporting Pono Brew Labs financially to stay open and that was just unsustainable. While the Brew Labs has closed, the beer brand has not thrown in the towel yet. They are currently selling existing inventory trying to pay off more debts before they begin production again through Zoiglhaus Brewing.
“What will most likely happen is that Pono will continue to operate on a limited capacity compared to before until either things get better, we find investors or we decide to close for good. We love and appreciate all the kind words and support from our supporters and hope to keep the brand alive. We have had some recent talks with investors and have looked at a few different facilities that are for sale, but all of that takes time and a lot can happen before it’s a done deal.”
Brewery 26
Homebrewer Andrew Shaw founded Brewery 26 as a nano brewery from his garage in 2017. In 2019 his brother-in-law Keith Hattori joined the company and helped it expand into their first public taproom on SE Powell Blvd., unfortunately the timing wasn’t great as it opened just before the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Things were looking up in 2022, Brewery 26 found a new space to open a full sized 7bbl brewery and move their taproom on-site. What happened next has been rumored for the better part of a year, and speculation we won’t get into. What we do know is that founder/brewer Andrew Shaw left the company, leaving them without a brewer and without one half of the business partnership that was so crucial in running the tiny company.
“What I will say is that Andy left the brewery/business about a year ago against my objections. It was a clear violation of our by-laws and it left a hole in our production and operations that was impossible to fill with the resources we had. There are other legal matters that will likely be addressed later but that’s all I can say at this time,” says Brewery 26 owner Keith Hattori.
Brewery 26 announced they were for sale on Tuesday, saying they will close no later then the end of September. The asking price for the turnkey brewery and taproom is a soft number because they are still 18 monthly payments away from owning their new 7bbl Stout brewhouse outright. A potential buyer would either have to buyout the finance agreement as part of a purchase, or sign a finance agreement directly with the lender. The entire equipment and business including the buyout would only be around $200K.
Unicorn Brewing / Portland U-Brew
Part homebrew shop and brew-on-premise commercial brewery U-Brew has helped turn hundreds of people on to the joy of homebrewing, and brewed countless beers for specialty events and official beers for various taprooms, bars and restaurants. Alongside the contract and homebrewing side, they also operated their own brewery and taproom called Unicorn Brewing.
Jason Webb opened U-Brew in 2011, before he moved to Mexico and sold it to teacher and brewing enthusiast Zach Vestal In 2017. Vestal made improvements and investments in the business that were showing signs of progress before COVID-19 hit. Needless to say it’s been a rough few years, but Unicorn Brewing powered through the pandemic and put the business back on track while Vestal suffered burnout and has been looking for a new owner to take over. On July 10th, Vestal announced he has given up on that search.
Over the next few weeks Unicorn Brewing and U-Brew will maintain semi-regular hours, with sale prices for a pint and equipment and merch. Stay tuned for the announcement of a farewell party, and email pdxubrew@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing any of their assets before he goes back to his teaching career.
Ambacht Brewing
Hillsboro, Oregon has not been known as a great mecca for craft breweries, but most people forget or didn’t know about Ambacht Brewing which has been there since 2010. Ambacht is a true old school, pre-craft beer renaissance “microbrewery” that makes Belgian-style beers with honey as a frequent ingredient, they also were making old school fruit beers before they truly came back in style. Their most well known beer Matzobraü, is a Jewish inspired malty brown ale with matzah added in the mash. Ten plus years ago you could find Ambacht at New Seasons Market, now you won’t be able to find them anywhere.
Earlier this week, Ambacht announced they are permanently closed. The brewery equipment has been listed on probrewer for awhile now. Everything needed to start a makeshift 5 bbl brewery: Gas-fired boiler, mash tun with brewing platform, hot liquor tank, grain mill, 2 pumps, counterflow heat exchanger, and 6 x 5 bbl fermenters with glycol chiller.
This inner southeast Portland bar on Division Street sometimes gets overshadowed by their neighbors down the road, but differentiates themselves by focusing on so-called “session” beers that are lower alcohol. WIth 30 taps, Sessionable has enough beers to compete with anyone else around town, and doesn’t always stay true to their namesake with around 7 drafts often featuring stronger beers. Over the 6 years it has been open, they developed a dedicated following of locals. But recently, Sessionable made an unusual choice to announce their impending closure on Reddit:
It is with mixed emotions that we're announcing the closure of Sessionable at the end of July. While we feel a sense of disappointment that we can no longer continue this journey, we are doing our best to maintain a positive outlook. We are leaving behind a treasure trove of memories, and despite any financial setbacks, we consider ourselves successful in the experiences we've created.
On July 29th, Sessionable will be hosting an "everything must go" event, the owners Keith and John are apparently moving to southeast Asia.
Grains of Wrath PDX
The Portland brewery and taproom of Camas, Washington founded Grains of Wrath Brewing closed this July 9th. The brewing company is actually continuing to grow, but moving in different directions. Read our full article on the story here.
This small 20bbl production brewery was contracted to brew Rosenstadt Brewery’s German lagers, and was the homebase for notable new brands like Kings & Daughters, Via Beer, and Oak Union. Their surprise closure has left a major void in the industry that has left staff out of work and breweries struggling to find stable ground. Read our full story with more info from the breweries, owner, and more on what’s next.
Many people reading this article will come to the conclusion that the craft beer bubble has burst, or that it’s all doom and gloom in the craft beer industry. While no one can argue that closures are not becoming more common, our optimistic view is that breweries should be treated more like restaurants in their ebb and flow. Gone are the days of skyrocketing growth, but as long as there are new breweries, beer brands, or satellite locations continuing to open (and often stepping right into spaces that have closed) it shows signs of being a healthy, and competitive market similar to the rest of the hospitality/service industry business.