The new BearKat Brewing finds a forever home
BearKat Brewing is a major new addition to the Tualatin Valley craft beer scene on the southwest outskirts of Portland, Oregon. BearKat is from veteran brewer Shawn Bayer and his wife Jill Katsis (combine Bayer’s last name pronounced ‘bear’ and Jill ‘Kat’sis and you get BearKat.) The pair relocated from Denver, Colorado to Oregon in 2022 with the goal of starting their own brewery. After a few years as a production brewer at SteepleJack Brewing in Hillsboro, Bayer and Katsis found the right space at 20345 SW Pacific Hwy, Suite 404 in Sherwood, Oregon and broke ground last June. BearKat Brewing opened on Saturday, September 6th to an energized crowd of Sherwood locals excited for a casual and family friendly new pub.
Shawn Bayer and Jill Katsis
Shawn grew up in Spokane and went to college in Tacoma, while Jill grew up near Sonoma where she fell in love with wine. Living in Denver, Colorado Shawn worked his way up from homebrewer to probrewer at spots like Jagged Mountain Brewing and Woods Boss Brewing while Jill held a promising career in real estate facilities and back-end management. Shawn was always drawn more to the Pacific Northwest and Jill had fell in love with the Willamette Valley wine region in Oregon, so they ended up settling in Newberg and spending the past several years working on finding the perfect location to open their own brewery.
BearKat Brewing is built on a brewpub business model as an on-premise locals destination with a spacious taproom and full kitchen. Beer is meant to be primarily found at their family friendly pub location which anchors the Sherwood Business Park right alongside Highway 99 as you drive through town. With 4,700 square feet and 86 seats indoors, BearKat has the space to fill with a sizeable bar and enough TV’s to be a game-day destination. The simple but very carefully constructed food menu focuses on quarter-pound all-brisket hot dogs with four house flavors and build-your-own toppings, and five flavors of rustic flatbread with either white sauce or red pepper pesto sauce and meat and veggie options.
Shawn and Jill looked at defunct or going-out-of-business breweries like Hammer & Stitch Brewing (which became Brujos), Cascade Brewing’s Raccoon Lodge, Mt. Tabor Brewing, and the former Hair of the Dog Brewing and Labyrinth Forge space. But ultimately they landed on Sherwood where they could customize a former furniture showroom to fit their vision. After years of searching, the brewery came into place quickly with a 7bbl and 3-vessel decoction capable brewhouse with capability to serve directly from the brite tanks which is important for the type of German-style beers Shawn wants to brew.
“The brewhouse was purchased specifically for its ability to perform step mash and decoction mash protocols that lend themselves well to pilsners, bocks, etc.,” says Shawn. “While I plan to feature German, Czech and other old-world styles, I will also brew a wide variety of other offerings. I'll also seek out guest feedback and provide styles that people are asking for. My first handful of recipes on tap reflect a commitment to menu diversity (double dry-hopped hazy, Irish red, Black IPA, Kölsch collab with Three Mugs, West Coast Pilsner collab with Leikam).”
As Shawn alludes to, the first beers on tap now at BearKat Brewing are collaborations with other breweries, contract brewed beers, or guest taps, as their own brewhouse awaits for final inspection of the boiler but is otherwise ready-to-go. BearKat has put extensive work into the build-out plumbing, electrical, mechanical, sloped & urethane-coated floors and slot drains, sinks/eyewash/safety shower in the production area, a large walk-in cooler for pallets of kegs & cans, a new kitchen, rooms for mill / boiler / office, a new ADA restroom, and a beautiful hand-built bar made from fir.
BearKat worked with Mike Hegland at Valar Construction and Erik Matthews at em architecture (Double Mountain, Ferment, Mazama, Kings & Daughters - Walled Garden) and others to build out the brewpub. The features include high ceilings, low and high top tables good for groups large or small, an open floor plan with the brewhouse prominently on-display, the large bartop, and roll-up doors in front and behind the building to let the outside in.
“We've designed BearKat to be a welcoming 'third place' where people from all backgrounds can relax, connect, and broaden their perspectives over a pint and food,” says Shawn. “We plan to remain family-owned and community-focused, hopefully growing organically as our brand gets established and more people can try our products.”
BearKat also has a charity brew program in-the-works. Shawn raised money for nonprofit organizations in the early part of his career and remains passionate about helping worthy causes. The program will create collaborations beers with carefully chosen 501(c)(3) and donate release night sales for that particular beer directly to their cause. The remainder of the batch will continue supporting the organization with a substantial portion of ongoing sales.
BearKat Brewing Company
20345 SW Pacific Hwy Ste 404
Sherwood, Oregon 97140-9119
https://www.bearkatbrewing.com/
HOURS:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 3-9pm
Thursday & Sunday 12-9pm
Friday & Saturday 12-10pm