pFriem Family Brewers opening new Portland-area taproom in historic Milwaukie City Hall
pFriem Family Brewers are opening a Portland metro area taproom and restaurant in Milwaukie
The secret is out, the brewery we teased in our most anticipated upcoming breweries and taprooms of 2024 article that is going into the old town Milwaukie City Hall is Hood River, Oregon’s pFriem Family Brewers. This is a significant expansion and meaningful transition for one of the pacific northwest’s most acclaimed and popular breweries, which has maintained a single public location at their Hood River homebase in the Columbia River Gorge up until now.
“As you know, we’ve always been very deliberate and quality oriented in everything we do, and in the past, that has forced us to make chose to prioritize our investments in brewing and our people and facilities in Hood River and Cascade Locks. We’ve had an eye on tasting room expansion for awhile now, and finally the stars aligned with a location, opportunity, timing that made it reality,” - pFriem brewmaster and co-owner Josh Pfriem.
The new pFriem location will be in the greater Portland metro area in the southeast suburb of Milwaukie, Oregon. The city of 21,000 + people has become a popular area for families looking for quiet and affordable homes, as well as industrial areas great for production spaces like those of Breakside Brewery and Little Beast Brewing which are not far away. The pFriem Milwaukie Taproom will be in the heart of Milwaukie’s downtown urban core, in the historic 1937 built city hall building at 10722 S.E. Main St . The city of Milwaukie selected Henry Point Development to head up the project, who in turn partnered with woman-owned contracting business Angie G LLC, and designers Brett Schulz Architect. The building’s façade will be kept intact, while the interior is renovated for commercial use.
“When we first saw the old City Hall building, we knew immediately this would become our second home. It is a beautiful, unique space with a lot of history in the local community. It’s sited on a magnificent property with stunning green space, large trees, and a sculpture garden, with plenty of parking on site and in the surrounding downtown area, abundant public transportation options, all within a stone's throw from the banks of the Willamette River,” says Josh on what attracted them to open their first new location in more than a decade.
Recent winners of bronze, silver, and gold medals at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival, pFriem is focused on American and European beer styles, but has never been timid in attempting just about any style of beer. pFriem cans are notable for their flat easily identifiable colors and intricate gold logo that resembles a Belgian-style design filtered through a Pacific Northwest lens. The brand will shine through in their upcoming taproom and restaurant in the historic Milwaukie City Hall building, slated to open in April 2025, and will attempt to replicate their success as the four time winner for “Best Brewpub Experience” at the Oregon Beer Awards. But it won’t just be a direct port over of the same program as Hood River, the new pFriem Milwaukie taproom is housed partially in the former fire station of the historic City Hall building, and will have a grassy beer garden, a more urban pub food menu, and their first foray into cocktails.
“Since we have a fresh start so to speak, in Milwaukie, we thought it would be fun to explore a couple new things to offer that we don’t offer in Hood River,” says Josh Pfriem. “We love our cocktails, and have always thought that having a limited selection of cocktails would be a fun way to complement our beer, cider and wine selection. The Milwaukie location is certainly more urban in feeling compared to our spot in Hood River, and I think that lends itself to more urban touches, such as cocktails, and a more urban spin on our food menu.”
The spacious two-floor historic city hall building will be split between the taproom and a new location of southeast Portland based Keeper Coffee, who will operate a morning and afternoon cafe and bakery. Keeper is known for house-made pastries and espresso drinks served in antique ceramics. “We’re stoked to be neighbors with a great coffeehouse and bakery, folks who truly share our passion for quality beverages, and hospitality”, Josh said. Keeper Coffee will also be opening early Spring 2025.
The pFriem portion of the building will feature a spacious pergola covered outdoor patio, a private dining and event space upstairs for various brewery and community events, and a lounge area reminiscent of the popular Bear’s Den in Hood River. The taproom will offer more than 20 taps, including a variety of pFriem beers and their craft cocktails, with seating for over 100 guests.
Breweries opening second and third locations for satellite taprooms has become the latest strategy in the craft beer business. A trend that pFriem has resisted until now, despite opening a second facility in Cascade Locks with no public retail or hospitality space. The decision was not taken lightly to open another taproom says Josh: “I think it’s all about connection and experience. Taprooms, when they’re done well, create a special and unique connection between a brand and consumers that is hard to replicate. Your own employees and your own space have a way of connecting your brand with the people in the community that is meaningful and long lasting. This is what we are trying to accomplish.”
Milwaukie was appealing because it’s a unique historic building that appeals to the timeless quality of the pFriem brand. “We love the Milwaukie community, and so many of our friends, family, and employees have relocated there recently. We also felt a really positive and welcoming vibe from the folks we met in City hall, who truly want an anchor presence to bring some more energy into downtown.”
pFriem Family Brewers Milwaukie Taproom will be located 10722 S.E. Main St and be open 7 days a week and host regular tasting room events with the goal to create a warm and inviting community space.
The door now seems open on future pFriem expansion projects, with Washington being a huge secondary market for the brand and in close proximity it makes you wonder about the possibilities. “What I will say is that it took us 12 years to open #2, and I think it will be less than that to open #3,” added Josh pFriem with a smile.
