What the New Breweries of the Pacific Northwest are bringing to showcase
This is the taplist for the 10th anniversary New Breweries of the Pacific Northwest Showcase held at Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom on Thursday, June 20th, but first a little bit of history….
The first ever New Breweries Showcase presented by The New School was held a decade ago in June of 2014. The breweries that year were all tiny and unheard of, some are still going strong and others have long since gone. That year the event took place at Bailey’s Taproom in downtown Portland, and featured newcomers Salem Ale Works, Vagabond Brewing, Chetco Brewing, Sam Bond’s Brewing, Planktown Brewing, Grain Station Brew Works, Thunder Island Brewing, Buoy Beer, StormBreaker Brewing, and Baerlic Brewing.
This week’s New Breweries Showcase of the Pacific Northwest marks our 10th year, but only 9th event due to skipping 2020 during the pandemic when Bailey’s Taproom closed and gathering wasn’t safe. We relaunched the event in 2021 at Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, which has been an excellent host with their adjacent street closure allowing for a walk-up window and extensive patio area for more people and more breweries to meet up and try each others beverages in person. As usual, the event will have brewers or owners from every participating brewery attending in-person for meet-the-brewer hours from 4-7pm, and the event is FREE with sample pours, half pours, full pints, and imperial pints available. We hope you will join us this Thursday 6/20. Here is this year’s taplist:
THE NOBLE FOX - Ashland, OR
Southern Oregon’s newest brewery recently opened in the former home of one of the oldest. The Noble Fox restaurant and brewery saved a beloved space that was Standing Stone Brewing in Ashland, OR for 25 years before it closed in 2022. This year it was reborn as The Noble Fox, a new elevated gastropub with brewer Tim Campos formerly of Napa Brewing Company, and Maui Brewing.
Regal Beast IPA
A well balanced west coast style IPA with tropical and piney flavors, showcasing Mosaic, Amarillo and Centennial hops.Quiet Villiage Pilsner
A Czech inspired Pilsner. It is crisp, clear and bready, with a subtle earthy, Citrus hop bite.
TPK BREWING - Portland, OR
They may be the first-ever tabletop roleplaying game themed brewery, but TPK Brewing doesn’t play around when it comes to their beers. At less than a year-old, head brewer/co-founder Jess Hardie just won a gold medal for her Village Lich at the prestigious North American Beer Awards.
Improvised Weapon - Guava
5% ABV 18 IBU American Wheat Beer. A light, easy-drinking ale made with 55% wheat & a touch of Willamette & Cascade hops.Finished on Guava for a tart kickVillage Lich
6.6% ABV Maibock w/ candy cap mushrooms 28 IBU. This malty lager starts with prominent carmel roasted flavors then finishes with delicate maple notes from the mushrooms
COMMENSAL FERMENTATION - Portland, OR
Veteran Cascade Brewing alumni Mike Mathis started Commensal Fermentation in the recent Grains of Wrath Portland space after leaving the house of sour during the pandemic. Historically the term Commensal refers to breaking bread, and who you welcome to your table, but the contemporary meaning refers to a type of symbiosis of organisms. Both meanings work for the brewery, who is looking for a place to share moments over fermentations.
Bags out of the Cat
hazy session ipa, with Citra and Motueka hops, 4.4% abv.Moment of Heat
sea salt and lime kolsch-style ale, 5% abv.
LAZY Z RANCH WINE & MEAD - Sisters, OR
Argualy the world’s first fermented beverage was mead, otherwise referred to as honeywine. You can date it back to ancient egypt and vikings, or even further. Lazy Z Ranch is a sustainable and eco-conscious bridge between humanity’s relationship with the natural world, in that they are a working Central Oregon family farm that prizes regenerative farming and resources that coalesce in their meads.
Gin Barrel Aged High Desert Rain Storm
14% abv. Semi-sweet spiced mead is made from 100% wild-foraged Oregon snowberry blossom honey that has a creamy, confectionary, almond character. It was aged in a Crater Lake Spirits gin barrel and aged on juniper berries and sage from the ranch, and won a gold medal at the 2024 Newport Seafood and Wine Festival.Marionberry Raspberry Mead
a 12% abv Semi-sweet berry mead made from wild-foraged Oregon snowberry blossom honey and Salem-area blackberry blossom honey. Black raspberries (woody, tannic), red raspberries (bright, tart), and marrionberries (sweet, jammy)
ILK BEER - Olympia, WA
Olympia, Washington’s storied brewing heritage has a new chapter with Ilk Beer, from familiar faces that helped launch Three Magnets Brewing and Matchless comes Ilk Beer. They are continuing the innovative legacy of Washington’s capital, dating back to the original Olympia Brewing to the influential craft brewery Fish Tale Ales where Ilk Beer has set up shop.
Circus Lupulus
Cold IPA - 5.9% ABV Based on our ill-fated Simcoe/Idaho 7 Fresh Hop last Fall, we took the hop concept and softened it up a bit by Citra-fying it! Made with LINC Steffi Pils and Buzz Pale malts, corn grits, and flaked oats. Fermented cool - not cold - then double dry hopped with Roy Farms Citra and held cold until packaging. This one was a real trick to pull together!Ilk Pils, 4.8%
American Pilsner No, this ain’t no beer for the banquet, nor is it a beer for your highlife! It’s an honest and true pilsner made with American grown malt and brewed with a touch of corn grits, Yakima valley Adeena hops and some rotating German hops. Crisp and clean, herbal and lightly fruity, bitter and well balanced.
COATTAILS BEER & WINE - Newberg, OR
Winemakers say it takes a lot of beer to make great wine, in the case of Coattails Brewing it was the opposite. Nathan Etzel of the family Etzel winemakers behind Beaux Frères and Sequitur, has turned to brewing beer with a similar approach as ingredient driven and natural wines given to northwest ingredients and beer styles. The small batch production supplies a handful of locations in the winery dense Newberg and McMinnville region, and is now previewing their malt and yeast-driven beers at the New Breweries Showcase.
Amber Ale
brewed with Admiral Pacific Victor (Vienna malt) and LINC purple egyptian pale, and dry hopped, 5% abvHazy IPA
LINC spelt, Admiral Pils and Admiral Wheat - hopped with citra, simcoe, mosaic, amarillo. Lighter style 6% abv.
RECLUSE BREW WORKS - Washougal, WA
Coming out of hiding in Washougal, Washington, the cellar dwellers at Recluse Brew Works have history at Wayfinder Beer, Breakside Brewing, Mayfly taproom, and Widmer Brothers Brewing. Their beers are refined, usually crystal clear and tight sharp and bright like diamonds.
Faceless Commodity American Pilsner
A bright and superbly refreshing American Pilsner with delicate citrus and floral notes. 5.2%Spiders!!! Helles Lager
A thirst-quenching, crisp, and full-bodied Pale Lager. 4.8%
SPINNING WHEELS BREWING PROJECT - Hood River, OR
Hidden behind a beloved taqueria in Hood River, the Spinning Wheels Brewing Project normally only offers their beer in their itimate and vibey taproom that is easy to miss but a welcome gem worth seeking out. Created by Andrew Rosette, a veteran bicyclist, music, and beer aficionado who brewed at Double Mountain, Thunder Island, and Killarney, this will be the first time you can find his Spinning Wheels beers on draft in Portland.
Pinche Chela Mexican Lager | 4.9%
With a name inspired by our friends at Lake Taco restaurant we made a Mexican Lager to pair with the hot summer days in the Gorge. A continuation of a recipe that has been tweaked over the years this Mexican Lager has a crisp dry malt bill, a little corn, and paired with old world hops to bring out the fond memories of Mexico.Shredipede Pale Ale | 5.4%
West Coast Crushable Pale, pronounced Shred-i-pede: An occurrence when multiple friends are hitting their favorite run in a zen moment of complete happiness and control (aka "flow state"). Whether it be a dirt trail, a river rapid, or a fluffy powder day a shredipede has no bounds. May our homage to this bliss state come through in this tasty beverage that blends some classic old school and new school hops.
IRRELEVANT BEER - Vancouver, WA
Helping to keep the Vancouver, Washington beer scene relevant, Irrelevant Beer is a buzz-worthy new brewery specializing in hops, lagers, and sometimes coffee beers.
Proud Of You IPA
West Coast IPA hopped with Mosaic, Superdelic and Cryo Mosaic, this brew is for everyone and anyone, whether your dad never said it to ya or you like so many others have felt trapped into conforming to societal norms, cheers to you and we’re proud of you! This refreshing IPA throws off a stone fruit aroma with flavors of peach rings and cotton candy. 6.3%abvRoom Sounds Kölsch
Fermented on lager yeast, this Kölsch style hybrid is crushable with a muted ester aroma and crisp cracker notes. 4.8%abv
LAZY DAYS BREWING - Portland, OR
Not ones to sit on their laurels, Lazy Days Brewing has opened two taprooms and a satellite pub in Bethany Public House. And recently rolled out cans from their N. Portland home in the former Ex Novo Brewing location. Their beers are contemporary scene stealers, their goals to make crowd pleasers that are fun to drink on days off and over hangout sessions with family and friends.
Vesna Czech Pilsner | 5% | 45 IBUS
Named for the Slavic goddess of springtime and love. This bohemian style Czech pilsner features malty aromas of baked bread and subtle floral notes that give a mild, lingering bitterness.Sunset HWY West Coast IPA | 6.7% | 72 IBUS
This beer takes us on a journey through the PNW with classic hop bitterness & notes of citrus and pine. Medium body & subtle malt characteristics. Hops: Centennial, Citra, Chinook CGX
NEW BREWERIES OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Thursday, June 20th 3-9pm, meet-the-brewers 4-7pm
Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, 3090 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202