The Most Anticipated Oregon Beer Bars & Taprooms Opening in 2020
A taproom on a hop farm, a basement cask beer bar, a cidery and taqueria and a combo beer hall/whiskey bar with Detroit Pizza and Tamales are some of our most anticipated openings of 2020.
A wave of upcoming taprooms and beer bars are proof positive that Beervana is still alive and well despite a spate of recent closures.
Oregon's taprooms and beer bars are the lifeblood of the industry; without breweries we wouldn't have craft beer, but without beer bars there wouldn't be enough tap handles to support them. Oregon wouldn't be a beer mecca without the likes of Horse Brass Pub, Produce Row and Belmont Station, or more recently Saraveza, Bailey's Taproom and The Beermongers, and others.
2020 will see the opening of some of the most exciting new craft beer bars and restaurants we have seen in quite some time. Think of these as companions to our most anticipated breweries of 2020.
TopWire Hop Project
Woodburn, OR
If you want to be surrounded by a lush field of Centennial hops, catch a glimpse of Mt. Hood and drink the best craft beer, there is only one place to go. Coming summer 2020, visit TopWire Hop Project for a one-of-a-kind beer garden experience. TopWire is situated on the beautiful estate of Crosby Hop Farm, an independent, fifth-generation hop grower, merchant, and processor nestled in Oregon’s heralded Willamette Valley.
TopWire Hop Project is the only place you can find exclusive rotating craft beers, daily tours of Crosby Hop Farm operations and more. The tap list will feature collaborations brewed by Crosby Hops’ customers from around the world, including many of the most well regarded craft beers showcasing new, classic, and novel hop varieties from the farm.
The project is the culmination of Blake Crosby’s vision (Crosby Hops CEO, 5th generation), and is spearheaded by Jenna Steward, brand experience specialist. TopWire is an extension of Crosby Hop Farm, which works symbiotically with Crosby’s R&D and new variety development efforts. TopWire is positioned to be a key beer destination in the region and a valuable gathering place for the community near and far.
The beer garden is constructed out of a large shipping container with a modern, elegant architectural approach and an urban drinking aesthetic. The spacious outdoor area features a large patio where people of all ages and dogs on leash can gather and play.
Watch for additional details on TopWireHP.com and social channels @topwirehp, coming soon.
Tiny Bubble Room
Tiny Bubble Room
Portland, OR Kenton neighborhood
Jeremy Lewis and Quyen Ly are two of Portland's best publicans, known for building unsuspecting dive bars into craft beer destinations like Roscoe's and the Stein Haus. In early 2019, the pair purchased Saraveza tavern and have been running it smoothly since. This year they take on perhaps their biggest project yet, rehabbing the vacant and rundown Lung Fung Restaurant on N. Killingsworth Ave. in the Kenton neighborhood.
Named after the lounge at Lung Fung, the Tiny Bubble Room will be similar in tone to Roscoe's. The divey-old-Portland haunt looks primed for demolition judging by its exterior, but soon will become a vintage-styled, inconspicuous beer destination with the charm Lewis and Ly's other bars are known for. Like Roscoe's, the Tiny Bubble Room will have Cajun-inspired bar food, but with more (30) taps and seating for 70 with cozy red leather booths.
Tiny Bubble Room has barely any windows, but Lewis and Ly plan to build out a large beer garden out back. Look for Tiny Bubble Room to open this April at 2025 N Lombard.
John's Marketplace Powell
Portland, OR
In 1999 John's Marketplace transitioned from traditional grocery store into a bottle shop stocking one of the largest selections of craft beer in the country with around 3,500 offerings today. This year they expand into a second, equally spacious location in central southeast Portland on Powell Blvd.
Though long delayed, work is now underway to turn the former home of the Original Taco House into Johns Marketplace SE Powell, and the shopping center it's located in feeds a number of food trucks that are open now. The center is to be called "The Original" and have space to host mid-size events outdoors and have a John's Marketplace beer garden and indoor taproom space with a 3,200 ft. bar.
The SW Portland John's Marketplace has been known for the burgers that come out of the small kitchen taproom they added in 2017, but the Powell location will focus on partnering with food trucks on the outdoor patio. Like the OG location, the vibe will remain laid-back and chill with an emphasis on an eclectic taplist rather than a large number of handles. The interior will have booths, 8ft tables and a 12' x 40' deck with 12 taps inside and 4-6 outside. And yes, it will be all-ages friendly with non-alcoholic options and the same incredible selection of thousands of packaged bottles and cans to-go that they have in Multnomah Village. Build-out of the shop is just beginning with a best case scenario of opening by early summer, in the meantime the food trucks are open and John's is serving beers to the patrons via a pop-up at 35th and SE Powell blvd.
The Cellar, a Porter Brewing Co. Bend
The Cellar, A Porter Brewing Company
Bend, OR
The rumors of cask beer's death have been greatly exaggerated. A second taproom from Redmond, Oregon-based Porter Brewing Co. is coming to downtown Bend. The basement taproom is reminiscent of the bar from famous sitcom Cheers, with a street level stairway that leads to the cozy 850 sq. ft. basement of the historic Eriksen Building.
The Cellar, a Porter Brewing Company aims to be a small but lively taproom that lives up to its English pub inspiration. The 35 seat space will be built around eight cask engines and a corner "pub snug," and has features like two lava rock walls and wooden ceiling beams that give it a lived-in historic feel. Porter Brewing is one of only two breweries in Oregon that focuses on traditional real ales served with hand pumps just like the Brits do it. The Cellar is at the corner of Wall St. and Oregon Ave. below Silverado jewelry, and aims to open by this summer.
Happy Valley Public House
Valley Public House
Happy Valley, OR
Valley Growlers has been a local destination for beer lovers in the Portland suburb of Happy Valley since 2013. This summer, Valley Growlers owners Ami and Brian Shannon plan to finally open the long gestating Valley Public House concept that will step things up considerably.
Valley Public House will share a full floor of a brand new building across from Happy Valley city hall with Ranch Pizza and Tamale Boy. One side of the restaurant/taproom will be 21+ with a 30 foot bar and around 70 taps of beer, wine, cider and draft cocktails. Beer and food will be available on both sides of the space, with counter service from both food vendors that will deliver directly to your table. The adult-only side will have a large covered and heated dog-friendly patio with 4 fire pits. A mezzanine with seating for 40 will look down upon both sides of the space and be available for private parties and live music. The public house will be open daily for lunch and dinner and weekend brunch with Bloody Marys and Mimosas.
If all that wasn't enough, the basement level will have an entirely separate but connected concept called the Whiskey Barrel Lounge. The Shannons are currently in negotiation with a very well-known Portland company known for charcuterie and sausages to take over the whiskey bar. This level will be a higher-end lounge/restaurant setting with its own separate kitchen and menu but patrons will be able to bring the drinks from downstairs to the public house above, or vice versa.
The entire Valley Public House concept is surrounded by protected wetlands and green spaces, making it easy to forget you're in the suburbs. Check back for an expected opening by summer 2020.
Proper Pint Oakroom Multnomah Village
Proper Pint Oakroom
Proper Pint Oak Room
Portland, OR Multnomah Village neighborhood
Sean Hiatt opened the stylish beer bar Proper Pint in the Woodstock neighborhood of southeast Portland in 2017 and it's become a big hit with the locals. By utilizing his own crafting skills, Hiatt built everything from the beer signs to the tables and chairs, all with a refined custom look that gives Proper Pint its own signature style. In 2020, Hiatt will open a second location called the Proper Pint Oak Room in southwest Portland's Multnomah Village neighborhood.
Hiatt is doing all the build out on Proper Pint Oak Room himself, from carpentry work and finishing to each piece of furniture. But the Oak Room will have its own look separate from the SE location, with Oregon white oak at the center of the space. Like the original Oak Room will focus on quality not quantity with 24 taps total, 15 draft beers, 2 nitro beers, 4 wines and 3 ciders. Two cooler doors of carefully chosen packaged beer will be available to-go or on-site consumption.
Oak Room sits on at the corner of SW Capital Highway and 31st, right across the street from Lucky Labrador Beer Hall and only 4 blocks from John's Marketplace and the new Level Beer taproom.
Holler
Portland, OR Sellwood Neighborhood
Doug Adams is a local chef known for his acclaimed stints at Imperial. Woodsman Tavern and as a Top Chef finalist. His new high end restaurants Bullard and Abigail Hall in downtown Portland have been two of the most talked about openings of the last year and change. But with his next venture, Adams will highlight his love of southern fried chicken, vintage arcade games and delicious craft beer.
Holler is scheduled to open in the Sellwood neighborhoods new Meeting House development at Milwaukie Ave. and Bybee Blvd in southeast Portland. 240 apartments will sit above the Holler restaurant/bar and takeout window where Adams will be frying up crispy buttermilk chicken, flipping burgers and featuring 18 taps curated by Cicerone Daniel Osborne. The casual restaurant will have a takeout window, and old school arcade games like skee-ball and 8-bit 80s era classics. Holler will be family-friendly, but also retro and down to earth with TVs to catch the games while stacking quarters and enjoying tall boys. 2020 at 7119 S.E. Milwaukie Ave.
La Familia Cider Azul's Taco House
La Familia Cider Taproom & Azul's Taco House
Salem, OR
Salem, Oregon's strong Latinx population is helping to build a unique food and drink scene unlike larger cities like Portland. The family owned La Familia Cider brand launched in 2017 and proved an instant hit, but they never had an outlet to sell their ciders directly to consumers until now. Later this year, La Familia will open a taproom in a brand new building shared with popular Salem restaurant Azul's Taco House.
La Familia co-owner Jose Gonzales and his family came from Mexico City, but are now two generations living in America. In 1973 the family came to the Willamette Valley and set down roots. Their heritage is expressed in their products inspired by agua-fresca like the Tamarind cider, which has become popular at Latin markets and restaurants. With the opening of a public taproom, Gonzales hopes to showcase their roots and support the community with regular events, live music and pop-ups from other local organizations and small businesses. The taproom will also allow them to do new exclusive small-batch ciders and highlight others by friends and colleagues in a family-friendly environment.
Fellow Salem, OR business Azul's Taco House will open its second location in the same building, with a connected pass-through to La Familia. Azul's has been a busy popular location for tacos and tequila, meaning cider, tequila and taco pairings are a must. 235 Court Street NE Salem, OR.
Williams Tap House / Cartside
Williams Tap House
N. Portland, OR
Developer and publican Valerie Hunter will anchor an ambitious new food Portland cart pod near the Moda Center with the Williams Tap House. The brand new development called Cartside is just a block from Upright Brewing and will have 8 food trucks surrounding a brand new 2-floor sports bar and taproom.
Hunter is the woman behind Happy Valley Station, a popular beer hall and food cart pod and she is taking her populous experience there into Williams Tap House. Cartside will have a large gate leading to an outdoor beer and food garden that services food for a full bar inside the taproom. The bar will have large roll-up garage doors with all of the sports balls showing from 10am to 9pm on weekdays and going all the way to midnight on weekends.
Cartside and Williams Tap House is family-friendly, but the bar will cater more to an adult crowd with 25 taps of beer and cider, full liquor and cocktails and light lottery gaming ie keno, powerball etc. Two floors with patio and covered deck with an eclectic list of cuisines will likely make Williams Tap House a hot neighborhood destination and pre-concert/Blazers game hangout, having its own parking spaces in an area where free parking is scarce adds to the draw. Cartside and Williams Tap House is planning to open this April at 1825 NE Williams St Portland, OR.
Gigantic Brewing Satellite Glisan
Gigantic Brewing Satellite
NE Portland, OR
The outer area of Montavilla in Northeast Portland has been a bit of a wasteland for some time, but it's roaring back with great spots like East Glisan Pizza Lounge, Fressen Bakery, Mudd Works Coffee and soon Gigantic Brewing's second location. On schedule to open by end of April, Gigantic Brewing Satellite lounge will become the anchor tenant on a redevelopment project with four diverse restaurants/kitchen spaces sharing the redeveloped building around a communal beer garden.
Gigantic Brewing Satellite occupies the front corner of the buildout with indoor seating for 31 at the bar, another 36 in a shared seating area and 52 more seats in the beer garden. This will all be backed up by 20 draft lines, 16 of which are Gigantic Brewing beers with 2 wines and a cider for variety. When they hopefully open later this spring, the family friendly Satellite taproom will likely be open 11am-9pm Sun-Wed and 11am-10pm Thur-Sat at 6935 NE Glisan.
Grains of Wrath kettle
Grains of Wrath Portland
N. Portland, OR
The New School just recently broke the news that Camas, Washington's Grains of Wrath Brewing is officially coming to Portland in the former Lompoc Sidebar space this Spring. A brand new 15-barrel brewhouse will replace Lompoc's aging old equipment and most of the taproom will be completely renovated aside from the wood fireplace against the wall. GOW PDX will have its own vibe with a limited minimal food menu and more of an adult feel with full liquor and the brewery's signature punk/metal-style.