Asheville's Thirsty Monk Celebrates Portland Grand Opening

Asheville, North Carolina's the Thirsty Monk celebrates its Portland Grand Opening this Friday, June 15th for Portland Beer Week. Since announcing it was acquiring SE Hawthorne Boulevard's Euro bar, Bazi Bierbrasserie, in November 2017, the transition has been slow and methodical as the Thirsty Monk team builds up to relaunching the bar under the Thirsty Monk brand and debuting the first Portland-brewed Thirsty Monk beers.

Thirsty Monk has just finished renovating the former Bazi space, though it's still recognizable but with more monk like features and, possibly down the line, its own in-house brewery. The remodel has wooden pew benches, artwork of monks and monasteries, comfortable wooden swivel barstools, and a statue of Brussels’ famous Manneken Pis, which will feature rotating game-day soccer scarves to honor Bazi’s soccer bar history and loyal patrons.

More from a press release:

“While Thirsty Monk expanding across to the Northwest might sound like a far reach, it actually feels more like coming home,” says CEO Barry Bialik about the Asheville-born company that also operates a brewhouse in Denver, Colorado. Bialik designed the original Thirsty Monk Belgian Bar in downtown Asheville based on his favorite Northwest pubs from his years spent living in Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska, and his wife moved to Asheville after 17 years in Portland. “Some of our nearest and dearest friends live here, and my brother and his family moved here to manage the Thirsty Monk,” continues Bialik.Thirsty Monk’s Head Brewer Brian Grace, who is based in Denver, recently visited Portland to brew the company’s first Oregon-brewed recipe with well-respected Portland brewer Carston Haney. This beer, a flagship Abby Blonde, will be on tap along with nine other Thirsty Monk beers to celebrate Thirsty Monk’s Portland grand opening on Friday, June 15 at 4pm. Thirsty Monk Portland will also be debuting its new Food Menu featuring our Expertly Beer-style paired burgers and Food Flights.

Thirsty Monk PDX - 1522 SE 32nd Avenue Portland, OR 97214 503.234.8888 www.monkpub.com/portland

ABOUT THIRSTY MONKFounded in 2008, Thirsty Monk currently operates four locations in Asheville, North Carolina including Thirsty Monk Downtown, Thirsty Monk Biltmore Park, Top of the Monk Craft Cocktail Bar, and Brother Joe’s Coffee Pub, Thirsty Monk in Denver, and the former Bazi Bierbrasserie just off Hawthorne Street along Southeast 32nd Avenue in Portland, OR. Find the company online at monkpub.com.