ForeLand Beer announces Portland Grand Opening and new Head Brewer
ForeLand Beer owner David Sanguinetti (behind the bar) and new head brewer Peter McDowell
ForeLand, is now officially PortLand based and beginning to restart brewing operations. The 2020 founded contemporary American/English lager, IPA, and cask-focused brewery has wrapped up a big move from McMinnville into the former Upright Brewing basement production brewery at 240 N. Broadway with a new head brewer and a grand opening on October 10th, 2026.
“We are happy to announce we've found a Head Brewer in Peter McDowell who will be moving back to Oregon from Vermont!” says ForeLand owner David Sanguinetti. “Peter has brewed at Anderson Valley and pFriem and owned The New Museum in Point Arena with his partner, Rose, where they brewed exclusively into open fermenters. He's most recently been the Head Brewer at Zero Gravity's Pine Street location where he's been leading a team brewing 12,000 barrels a year. We're so excited to have him join and help lead this next era of ForeLand!”
“Honestly, it's quite surreal,” says McDowell. “Not just to be back home, but to be in the space that inspired me to be a brewer. Gerritt, Bobby, & Alex, f*#kin hats off!”
ForeLand’s most recent brewer was Glen Hay Falconer scholarship recipient Jamie LeResche, but she opted to move on when the brewery closed in McMinnville and follow her dream of moving to Astoria.
“We totally support her decision and can't wait to see her up there, especially since she's working with our buds at Obelisk!,” says Sanguinetti.
ForeLand’s now closed taproom on SE Belmont
The past few years have been difficult for ForeLand to say the least. The brewery opened a cozy and intimate Portland satellite taproom “The Study” in the early days of the pandemic shutdown, when they couldn’t even sit to full capacity with distancing requirements. The Study developed a cult following, but without a kitchen, and the nearby mini food truck pod closing, business wasn’t consistent enough. The Portland location closed in December 2024 ahead of what was sure to be a brutal Dry January. The Study was sub-leased briefly by a coffee shop, but when they too vacated the building ForeLand came back to fulfill the remaining time on their lease by building a real bar and adding televisions and build more of a pubby atmosphere. ForeLand’s Portland location permanently closed last June when they found a new wine bar to take over the remaining time on their lease.
Around the same time David Sanguinetti was informed the building in McMinnville that he has leased for ForeLand (and before that Allegory Brewing) was to be sold. His options were to buy it, or hope a new owner would be amenable to keeping ForeLand around. As he suspected, a new owner immediately indicated a big rise in rent was coming and Sanguinetti decided to exit stage left. But it turns out he wasn’t quite done with the craft beer industry and began negotiations to take over Upright Brewing’s existing space and lease at 240 N. Broadway.
“We signed the lease in early April and have been working on getting all of our permits in-line,” Sanguinetti told us in August. ForeLand has been opening the old Upright taproom as a ForeLand pop-up for Portland Trailblazers Games, Portland Fire WNBA, and major concerts at the Moda Center since July.
ForeLand is transitioning into the former Upright Brewing location
Portland’s Worst Sports Bar
Now that the move to Portland is complete, ForeLand has begun the hard work of making the LeftBank Project building their own.
The large yellow and black print of Charles Mingus that held a place of honor above the taps at Upright Brewing has moved to a new home with KMHD Jazz. ForeLand wants to bring in some elements of their taproom in McMinnville like a backlit wall of plants into the light box where the print once sat. More natural touches of wood and ForeLand brand colors of cool pale blue water, sandy greys, and earthy tans will slowly make their way into the space and help distinguish it from Upright Brewing, and their day-time coffee partner, Salsman Coffee Roasters, which shares the space.
“The biggest difference in the space is that we're going all in on promoting ourselves as the place to be for pre- (and sometimes post-) games for the Blazers, Winterhawks, and Fire,” says Sanguinetti on the most prominent change that is slowly becoming realized at the taproom. “We're adding merch all the time. We're not a sportsbar, but a big part of the business revolves around those sporting events. We're calling ourselves "Portland's Worst Sports Bar" with pride!”
The "worst sport bar" is tongue-in-cheek, an extension of Sanguinetti’s sense of humor and less about actually becoming a sports bar. It’s an acknowledgement of a different crowd that will discover ForeLand in the events and heavy vehicular traffic Hollywood neighborhood on the East side of the Broadway bridge.
“I can't help but acknowledge that we are built around a sporting venue, even if our brand has nothing to do with it. I also have been calling the taproom a Sunglass Hut that serves beer but "worst sports bar" is just funnier than "coolest Sunglass Hut." Also, I love Porltand sports! I've been a Blazer fan all my life and the Winterhawks and Fire games I went to this year were so fun!” says Sanguinetti, who is actively looking for and collecting vintage sports memorabilia from Portland lore.
What’s Brewing
On the brewery side of the operation, in the basement of the LeftBank Project, new head brewer Peter McDowell will have an important role in recipe development and input on the beer portfolio.
“His joining [McDowell] is an important part of our growth,” says Sanguinetti. “He has such a diverse background and has picked up so much experience, technique and inspiration from his previous brewing jobs and brewery ownership that will really help us evolve. I'm excited to see what ideas he brings to the table!”
Change in ForeLand’s beer lineup and even the profile of flagship core beers and seasonals are inevitable on a new brewhouse (the McMinnville system was sold off) especially because of Upright’s open fermentation vessels. The 10 barrel basement brewhouse also comes equipped with closed fermenters, but half of the primary production barrel-age comes from two open top fermenters in a closed and sanitary room to keep from contamination. This will inform yeast selection and fermentation management, and could lead to some even more flavorful and unique lagers (think Upright Brewing’s Spellbound Pilsner.)
ForeLand will still focus on West Coast hoppy beers, Continental Lagers, and Traditional Pub Ales, but don't be surprised to see some Hazy NE-style IPA make their way into the rotation, along with more adjunct lagers, more cask beer and even a saison or two.
“The most exciting thing for me personally in being a Portland based brewery now is that we have so much more opportunity to host and be part of even more collaborations,” says Sanguinetti.
This Thursday, September 16th will be Peter McDowell and first brew day on Upright Brewing’s old 10 barrel system, which will also mark the restart of ForeLand’s beer production in more then 2 month since they began decommissioning their McMinnville brewhouse.
The first beer will be a classic English-style Best Bitter, brewed in anticipation of Away Days Brewing’s upcoming Cask Passport. The next brews will be another British classic - Dark Mild, followed by Low Sun Texas-style lager, and then core ForeLand mainstay Shape Creation IPA.
The Basement Speakeasy
The old school fans of Upright Brewing remember the basement. Back in the day before the pandemic Upright Brewing’s tasting room was in the basement next to the brewery with no separation between production and bar. It was dark, rustic, and industrial, both quaint, bare bones and a little groovy at the same time. The brewery really had to be discovered, once you got in to the building lobby you had to find the elevator or the winding back stairs to get to the basement, then make your way down a dark and windowless concrete hall full of locked doors. Depending on who you ask It felt like either a dungeon or a hidden gem. It remains a cult favorite experience that many people still fondly pine for.
“This new chapter of Foreland & the basement is going to be pretty special. I sincerely can't wait to share it with you all!” says new head brewer Peter McDowell.
ForeLand is recreating some of the cozy library vibes of The Study on Belmont into the basement with some of the elements of Upright such as barrels and custom wood-working and taps still present. Booth seating and the counter bar from The Study are being installed in the basement for special events and maybe even a membership club.
“We're still brainstorming but are thinking beer and food pairings, live music, special releases, tours, and we may introduce a "Mug Club" of some sort where one of the perks is parties down there. Regardless, we can't wait to have people back down there in that special place!” says Sanguinetti. “We also have to adjust to the new location, as we're reaching a whole new variety of customers daily. This is very exciting, but also challenging when meeting their expectations (we are also increasing the number of guest taps and can pour offerings).”
the new ForeLand taproom in Portland at the Leftbank Project Building
Saturday, October 10th is the official Grand Opening of ForeLand Beer’s new Portland home. For the opening, they are hoping to get a food pop-up, tap a firkin, open the basement for brewery tours and beers, and pour the first beers from the new system.
ForeLand Beer
240 N. Broadway Portland, OR