Ben Parsons, left, and Rik Hall stand outside the mill room they just finished at Baerlic Brewing in Portland.
by Anthony Roberts
There are six words every homebrewer loves to hear when they take a batch of beer to a party.
“I thought you were bringing homebrew.”
When someone mistakes one of your beers for something from the shelves of Belmont Station – because it’s that good – you know you’re getting it right. Portland brewers Ben Parsons and Rik Hall heard that statement a lot over the past five years. And starting this spring, when they show up with beer, it won’t be homebrew anymore.
Hall and Parsons are opening Baerlic Brewing Company on Southeast 11th Avenue near Ladd’s Addition, right next to Blitz Ladd, former home of Kettlemen’s Bagels. The enormous building provides Baerlic with plenty of room to grow, and positions them just a few blocks away from Southeast Division Street’s rapidly growing commercial district and a future MAX stop. The building’s old bagel counter is already gone, making way for a bar that will anchor a taproom with 10 beers on draft. Baerlic. Baerlic – which translates to “of barley” in old English – will have four or five staples in the rotation, with the remaining taps dedicated to seasonals and experimental brews.
Creating a Vision
Hall and Parsons grew up together in Idaho, and reconnected after they moved, separately, to Portland. They soon found themselves homebrewing, a hobby that quickly turned into a habit. In one 2½- year stretch, they brewed a new batch every week. For them, the move to full-time brewing didn’t seem so far-fetched. Hall has restaurant experience, and had been looking to move on from his job as a bike mechanic. And while in graphic design school at Portland State, Parsons had created all of the graphics and marketing materials for a fake brewery from scratch as part of a class project. He’s been dreaming up a marketing plan for years.
And it shows. Clever and catchy posters announce the brewery’s impending arrival in the building’s windows, imperial pint glasses with the brewery’s logo are already stacked in the back room, and cycling caps bearing a Baerlic monogram just arrived. Yes, they’re a new brewery, but that doesn’t mean they have to look like one.
“Sometimes people put so much passion and effort into what they love, but they don’t spend enough time and effort telling their story,” Parsons says.
A New System
But looking good is only half the battle; there’s also that part about making beer. Hall and Parsons brew great beer on a small scale, but moving to a 10-barrel system is obviously a big step up. Are they intimidated?
“No,” Hall says, matter-of-factly. “We’ve always been meticulous about making notes and keeping records of temperatures, hops, even down to the gear we use. As you scale up, those things can get both easier and harder to (mess) up.”
The duo have also received tons of advice from friends in the industry, who they said have welcomed them with open arms.
“You just have to be willing to dump a batch if things don’t work out,” Parsons says of brewing. “We’ll only serve what is worthy of us drinking – and we’re pretty picky.”
In early March, Hall and Parsons had just finished building the mill room in the back of the brewery, and were awaiting delivery of their brewing system while tirelessly renovating their space at 2235 SE 11th Avenue. They expect to open the taproom in the spring or early summer. Visit www.baerlicbrewing.com for details.
There are six words every homebrewer loves to hear when they take a batch of beer to a party.
“I thought you were bringing homebrew.”
When someone mistakes one of your beers for something from the shelves of Belmont Station – because it’s that good – you know you’re getting it right. Portland brewers Ben Parsons and Rik Hall heard that statement a lot over the past five years. And starting this spring, when they show up with beer, it won’t be homebrew anymore.
Hall and Parsons are opening Baerlic Brewing Company on Southeast 11th Avenue near Ladd’s Addition, right next to Blitz Ladd, former home of Kettlemen’s Bagels. The enormous building provides Baerlic with plenty of room to grow, and positions them just a few blocks away from Southeast Division Street’s rapidly growing commercial district and a future MAX stop. The building’s old bagel counter is already gone, making way for a bar that will anchor a taproom with 10 beers on draft. Baerlic. Baerlic – which translates to “of barley” in old English – will have four or five staples in the rotation, with the remaining taps dedicated to seasonals and experimental brews.
Creating a Vision
Hall and Parsons grew up together in Idaho, and reconnected after they moved, separately, to Portland. They soon found themselves homebrewing, a hobby that quickly turned into a habit. In one 2½- year stretch, they brewed a new batch every week. For them, the move to full-time brewing didn’t seem so far-fetched. Hall has restaurant experience, and had been looking to move on from his job as a bike mechanic. And while in graphic design school at Portland State, Parsons had created all of the graphics and marketing materials for a fake brewery from scratch as part of a class project. He’s been dreaming up a marketing plan for years.
And it shows. Clever and catchy posters announce the brewery’s impending arrival in the building’s windows, imperial pint glasses with the brewery’s logo are already stacked in the back room, and cycling caps bearing a Baerlic monogram just arrived. Yes, they’re a new brewery, but that doesn’t mean they have to look like one.
“Sometimes people put so much passion and effort into what they love, but they don’t spend enough time and effort telling their story,” Parsons says.
A New System
But looking good is only half the battle; there’s also that part about making beer. Hall and Parsons brew great beer on a small scale, but moving to a 10-barrel system is obviously a big step up. Are they intimidated?
“No,” Hall says, matter-of-factly. “We’ve always been meticulous about making notes and keeping records of temperatures, hops, even down to the gear we use. As you scale up, those things can get both easier and harder to (mess) up.”
The duo have also received tons of advice from friends in the industry, who they said have welcomed them with open arms.
“You just have to be willing to dump a batch if things don’t work out,” Parsons says of brewing. “We’ll only serve what is worthy of us drinking – and we’re pretty picky.”
In early March, Hall and Parsons had just finished building the mill room in the back of the brewery, and were awaiting delivery of their brewing system while tirelessly renovating their space at 2235 SE 11th Avenue. They expect to open the taproom in the spring or early summer. Visit www.baerlicbrewing.com for details.
RSS Feed