Say Goodbye to N. Portland community hub ‘Mayfly’ and Hello to upcoming ‘The Watershed taproom & bottle shop’
Ryan Born and Jo Ellen Wahl Born of Mayfly taproom & bottle shop
Mayfly Bottleshop & Taproom is closing on September 12th, 2026. The N. Portland, Kenton neighborhoodcraft beer bar made it 7 years and successfully navigated the pandemic to become an essential neighborhood outpost for curated beer, cider, wine, and community programming. The good news is: Mayfly is going out like a gadfly with a series of events, and then they are handing the keys to Chris Stonebreaker, their general manager, to reopen the space as The Watershed taproom & bottleshop.
“Mayfly has been one of the best things in my life and I am so proud of what it has become. Personally, it has brought so much joy, so many friendships and countless memories, but my life is much different now than it was 7 years ago and it's time to celebrate this chapter to move on,” wrote Mayfly founder Ryan Born in announcing the impending closure of the taproom in May.
“A Mayfly is an aquatic insect that when it emerges from the water, it lives, breeds and dies all within one day...thus, our slogan "Life is Short. Be Good. Have Fun." I try my best to live that slogan everyday, and I hope that it resonates with you as well,” wrote Born.
In June, Born began advertising the Mayfly space, brand, and equipment available for a new Steward. An ideal scenario would see a new proprietor step in, but in today’s craft beer and bar environment each piece of the business would also be available for sale independent of the plug-and-play alternative.
“It's been a long time coming....I'm just ready to move on to something new from food and beverage. I've been in it my entire working life and my life is so much different today than when Mayfly was just a dream,” Born told the New School.
6th annual Kölsch Fest
Mayfly’s signature annual event, the blind tasting friendly competition Kölsch Fest, will take place for a final time from August 28nd through 30th.
The five previous Kölsch Fest champions—Chuckanut (2021), Van Henion (2022), StormBreaker (2023), and Occidental (2024) and Old Town (2025), are going up against 7 new challengers:
Kölsch Fest is a unique blind-tasting competition that uses two group stages of six and a “final four” to determine a champion. The scoring system—awarding 1 point for a “final four” appearance and 3 points for a toppick—rewards consistency and crowd-pleasing flavor.
Each ticket includes:
The full tasting experience.
A .2L Kölsch Stange commemorative glass
A Fressen Artisan Bakery hot pretzel with German mustard
An ice cold bottle of Underberg
A chance to win a special prize at our closing party (September 12th) by guessing their favorite brewery correctly
Friday they will have Briel’s BBQ from 4-8p and Saturday/Sunday they will have Carly’s Diner from 2-8 in the plaza.
Event Details
Mayfly Taproom and Bottle Shop, 8350 N Fenwick Ave, Portland, OR 97217
Friday, August 28: 2 PM – 9 PM
Saturday, August 29: Noon – 9 PM
Sunday, August 30: Noon – 8 PM
Tickets: $30 online / $35 at the door (valid any day of the fest)
The Watershed taproom and bottle shop
Chris Stonebreaker and a consortium of friends and neighbors will take over the Mayfly space and hope to reopen it in October as The Watershed Taproom & Bottle Shop (not to be confused with The Watershed Pub in Seattle). Stonebreaker owned and operated the Beer Stop in Redmond, Oregon from 2018-2023, but has been living part-time between Portland and Bend since 2021. For the past 3 years he has been working at Mayfly and since learning it was closing began working to align a group of investors, including Ryan Avenatti, Sara Walker, Ryan and Gloria Pittel, Chris DeLap, and Reed Homan all with ownership stakes in the new taproom.
“Something I've kept with me from my roles with Beer Stop and Mayfly has been just how much I love this industry, from the brewers to the distributors to the vendors and customers I've built relationships with,” says Stonebreaker. “There's remarkable creativity, collegiality, and place-based connection, which is something that The Watershed will offer an opportunity to build on. Not only strengthening relationships in those domains, but also being part of an ownership group for this endeavor.”
Stonebreaker and his partners have a vision to create a homey atmosphere with the same community outreach that Ryan Born and company brought to Mayfly events like their regular neighborhood trash clean-up, local food pop-ups, trivia, drag, and music.
“Like many taprooms in the area, we are developing a slate of programming that will build on collaborations with our neighborhood businesses and also with the wider Oregon and Washington beer, wine, and cider community,” says Stonebreaker.
Also like Mayfly, The Watershed will cultivate a selection for cross-drinkers from craft beer (on tap and in cans and bottles), plus local cider, wine (individual pours or whole bottles for purchase), and a wide variety of non-alcoholic beverages with snacks and food pop-ups.
“We chose the name The Watershed as a nod to our local geography and the Columbia River Slough, as well as a reflection of this watershed moment for our group and the community. It's a term that reflects multiple streams coming together in the same direction, which is a sense we will endeavor to curate in the space,” adds Stonebreaker.
You can follow their progress on Instagram (@thewatershedpx).
Final Days of Mayfly
Ryan Born is sending Mayfly out on his own terms as he seeks to get out of the food and drink industry…but not quite yet.
“I've been working in F&B since I was 14 delivering food to patients rooms in a hospital. When I started working on the concept of Mayfly I was 30 and single...now I'm married and have a 3 year old...my priorities are a bit different these days. So I'm looking for something with a bit more stability, weekends with the family, maybe even some health insurance!” says Born.
But while he figures it all out, Born is helping Living Häus Beer with event planning and picking up random shifts at The BeerMongers and HarBQ when they need an extra hand.
Friday, August 28- Sunday, August 30:
- Kölsch Fest 2026.
FINAL WEEK:
Tuesday, September 8:
- FinalKenton Trotters Run Club 6:30p
- Taco Gang 4-8p
Wednesday, September 9:
- $5 Glass Pours or Wine
- All Bottles $10
- Cheese Cups available (Either Le Femme Fromage, or we will assemble our own)
Thursday, September 10:
- Final Trivia with Sam night 7-9p
- The Good Bird 4-8p
Friday, September 11:
- Plant sale/auction/raffle - All plants must go to a good home!
- Makers Market with Hustle Home Decor, Obi Plants, Super Cool Ceramics and more.
- Steely's/HarBQ pop-up in the plaza 4-8p
Saturday, September 12:
- $4 Beers All Day
- 60 Mayfly commemorative gold-metallic glasses will be for sale. ($10 for the glass and then all beers in that glass are only $2)
- Tattoos from Howdy Slow Poke 2-8p
- Trivia Sam will be DJing
- We will be rolling a grill into the plaza and having a good old-fashioned neighborhood cook-out
“I met all of my closest friends through the community that we built at Mayfly,” adds Born. “I'll be forever grateful for this period in my life and I thank each and every person who walked through our doors...Mayfly was a magical space for so many people and I know that whatever comes next for this space it will continue to be special! Hug your friends, tell them you love them cause "Life is Short. Be Good. Have Fun."
Mayfly (soon to be The Watershed taproom & bottle shop)
8350 N Fenwick Ave, Portland, OR 97217