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Travel: Round-Up of Oregon's Best Beer Tours

7/30/2014

There are several kinds of brewery and beer- based touring options in Oregon: you can hop on a bus or in a van and visit the breweries on a scheduled tour. you could join a walking tour of a neighborhood – there are several in Portland. Or, you could drive or bike the route of the three “Ale Trails” in Oregon, or join a group “cycle pub.” Or, put together your own tour from the list of OLCC licensed breweries, listed on pages 11–14. Don’t worry about the weather. Most breweries and pubs are open year-round.

Self-Guided Tours

Oregon Brewers Guild – For the whole state, the most comprehensive online guide by far is the Oregon Brewers Guild’s website, oregoncraftbeer.org/breweries. Although it is actually a listing of Oregon’s breweries and not specifically a guide, it is handy enough for those who are in any Oregon town and wish to visit the nearest brewery or brewpub. The listings include maps, website links, addresses and phone numbers of each brewery.

Portland visitors might start with the free walking/biking tours listed on portlandbeer.org/breweries/crawls. Portland’s plethora of breweries are arranged into “Brewery Crawls” that you can choose from the recommended list of four “crawls or you can create your own and share it on social media or by e-mail. We like this option, not just because it is free but also because it includes a map, and estimated time and distance for walking. Although this map is a bit outdated, it includes most of the Portland-area breweries to add to your self- guided tour.

Bend Ale Trail – Visit Bend, the region’s center for tourism, has put together a map of 17 breweries in Bend and Sisters, and the map is updated annually. Find the latest map (it’s interactive) at visitbend.com/Bend_Oregon_Map/Maps/Bend-Ale-Trail-Map, or pick up the print edition at any of the breweries along the trail or at the Visit Bend headquarters, 750 N.W. Lava Road. We also like the Bend Ale Trail app you can download to your smartphone from the visitbend.com website.

Eugene Ale Trail – Travel Lane County has put together a map of 10 regional breweries and several other beer destinations that are also members of this tourism group. In addition to breweries in the Eugene, Springfield and Oakridge areas, the map includes bottle shops and craft-centric pubs, taphouses and growler fill stations. The map is at eugenecascadescoast.org/eugene-ale-trail. Like the Bend Ale Trail, you can earn prizes by collecting stamps on a passport. Download the Eugene Ale Trail map from the website, or pick up a printed copy at any of the participating breweries or businesses.

The North Coast Craft Beer Trail – This map of 10 craft beer destinations between Seaside and Astoria was put together by Seaside Naturally, a company that has produced several other guides to the area. The trail map is accessible via the website oregoncoastbeer.com, but the site works best on your smartphone. I recommend downloading the pdf and taking it along on your trip with this reminder: Only about half of the breweries in this region are listed, but this trail is a good start.
For more details about this area online, check out visittheoregoncoast.com/activities/breweries, the Oregon Coast Visitor’s Association’s list, or travelastoria.com/itinerary/beer-lovers-guide-to- astoria-warrenton, put together by the Astoria- Warrenton Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center.

Don’t Worry, Be Hoppy – Travel Southern Oregon has put together a two-page downloadable guide
to breweries in the Rogue Valley — Ashland, Grants Pass, Jacksonville and Medford. The guide includes 13 of the area’s brewing companies with additional beer festival links and suggested places to stay. The guide can be downloaded from southernoregon.org/pub/doc/Beer-Tour.pdf.

Finally, if biking in Portland is on your itinerary, buying “Hop in the Saddle” is worth your $9.95 investment. This book by Lucy Burningham and Ellee Thalheimer released in 2012 is already slightly out-of-date, but its five tour suggestions takes you on a self-guided tour through Portland’s neighborhoods and breweries. The authors’ insights on side-tours, routes and tastes along the way are invaluable. The book can be purchased at hopinthesaddle.com.

Guided Commercial Tours

Pubs of Portland Tours – Marc Martin, a longtime Portland-area brewery consultant, will take you and your group on a “Beer College on Rails,” walking/riding through Portland’s best craft beer pubs using Portland’s light rail, bus and trolley system. Tickets prices are $27 per person plus the cost of beers. Martin’s knowledge of Portland history and architecture is combined with his love of beer ingredients. Feel, smell and taste what makes this town “beervana.” Tours are by reservation only
and can be scheduled by calling 512-917-2464 or e-mailing pubsofportlandtours@hotmail.com

Brewvana Tours – This is a must for every craft beer apostle who has come to Portland to worship at the tap. There are dozens of tours to choose from – behind the scenes tours, beer-tasting tours, walking tours, holiday tours and even festival tours. Most of the regular tours are to Portland breweries, but there are also a few specialty tours to Hillsboro Hops games, Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, Hood River’s Fresh Hop Fest and many other seasonal tours. Private tours, where your group can choose its own experience, are also available. Strip tours and history tours are also among tour choices. Public tours range from $59 up to $120 for private tours, and include food, beer, a beer journal, a commemorative glass. To book the tour, visit www.experiencebrewvana.com, or call 503-729-6804.

Salem Aleways – Visitors to the Mid-Willamette Valley can ride the short bus to a lengthening
list of breweries in Albany, Corvallis, Salem and Independence with Bobby Marcum, owner of Salem Aleways. Marcum currently offers three tours:

The Capitol Crawl, which may include Vagabond, Gilgamesh, Santiam, Salem Ale Works, McMenamins Thompsons, Seven Brides and other Salem-area breweries;
The Pub Crawlbany Tour, which includes Sinister/Deluxe Brewing, Calapooia Brewing, and Rogue Farms;
The Pub Crawlvallis, which includes 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Mazama Brewing and Nectar Creek Honeywine in Corvallis. The tours include drinks, food and driving, for $60. Register online at www.aleways.com or call 503-569-3022.

Magic Brew Bus Tour – This Southern Oregon tour runs every other Saturday out of Ashland and includes visits to at least three breweries in four hours. The $69 fee includes appetizers and beer. Call 541-482-9852, or visit www.ashland-tours.com.

More Guided Tours

Bend Brew Bus – www.bendbrewbus.com, 541- 389-8359. Daily tour is $60 per person and includes beer and food.
Bend Brew Taps Tour – www.getitshuttle.com, 541-610-6103. Wednesday through Sunday $50 tours includes beer and food.
Bend Hoppy Tours – www.bendhoppytours.com, 541-610-2323. Daily tour is $55.
Cowboy Carriage, Bend – www.cowboycarriage.us, 541-728-3750. Ride in a horse-drawn carriage to four breweries for $50 including beer and lunch.
Indigo Creek Outfitters, Ashland/Southern Oregon — http://indigocreekoutfitters.com/tours/rogue-valley-breweries, 541-282-4535, $70 per person including beer and appetizers.

Bike Tours

Bike to Beers – Oregon is a state that loves its bicycles. Portland, with its green lanes for leg-powered drivers, has the largest variety of pedal-powered tours to breweries. Eugene and Bend also offer bike tours on “brew-cycles,” carts carrying a dozen or more imbibers to breweries and pubs. Portland has several of these, but for the true cyclist, look for the bicycle rental companies that will lead you on your own, or a rented bike, to various breweries. You will even find bike-centric breweries like Hopworks’ Bike Bar, where you can pedal on stationary bikes to generate energy to power your gadgets or borrow tools to tweak your sprockets, or Thunder Island Brewing’s “bikeport” in the scenic Columbia River Gorge.

One note: Each city’s rules for drinking on the “cycle pubs” vary. Some don’t allow it; others do. Whether drinking is allowed or not, most cycle pubs stop at breweries often enough to quench your thirst.

The Portland list of cycle-centric brewery tours is endless, but a few include:
BrewCycle, — www.brewcycle.com
Portland PedaLounge – www.pedalounge.com
Cycle Portland Bike Tours --portlandbicycletours.com/bike-tours

Other cycle tours:
Cycle Pub, Bend — cyclepub.com, 541-678-5051.
Bend Bike and Brew — cogwild.com/multi-day-vacations/bend-bike-brew
Pacific Pub Cycle, Eugene and Corvallis – pacificpubcycle.com, available daily through September. 541-632-4343.
Bike to Brew Guide – 1859 Magazine has put together a list of 10 self-guided Oregon bike tours paired with breweries and even suggested beers. It’s at 1859oregonmagazine.com/bike-to-brew-guide.

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Swing Tree Finds Fans in Ashland's Historic Railroad District

7/30/2014

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Brandon Overstreet, background, serves beer to patrons in his taproom at Swing Tree Brewery in Ashland.

By Sam Wheeler

For the Oregon Beer Growler

Ashland-based nano-brewery, Swing Tree Brewing Company, is located a little off the beaten path of its Shakespeare-centric Southern Oregon hometown, but its beer and atmosphere are spot on.

Swing Tree got off the ground in November 2013 and although the brewery is experiencing a few growing pains, finding people to drink Swing Tree’s craft beer isn’t one of them, said Brandon Overstreet, founder, owner, and lead brewer.

“Ever since we opened we still haven’t been able to meet the demand,” Overstreet said. “We are clawing away to upgrade as soon as we can.”

The brewery is currently operating a 3 1/2 barrel system Overstreet called a glorified homebrew system. Pulling quality beer off of the setup isn’t an issue, but keeping up with the thirst of the brewery’s patrons is.

Optimistic, Overstreet is inching closer, one pint at a time, toward upgrading to a seven-barrel system, but that’s only a piece of Swing Tree’s grand scheme.

“We need a kitchen,” he said, waving his hand around the brewery/tap house digs inside the No. 7 space of a business park at 300 East Hersey Street — across the tracks from Ashland’s Historic Railroad District.

Within the next two to three years, he said, he’d like to see Swing Tree opening up a second location — a brew pub — along A Street in the Railroad District.

It’ll be more of a family atmosphere than the current brewery/tap house, and it will serve top- notch pub food, he said.

Swing Tree’s current home base offers a relaxing atmosphere with a clear view of the mountains above Ashland. A shuffleboard table — the only one in Ashland — flanks one end of the space while six retired wine barrels filled with a soon-to-come specialty sour beer are stacked on top each other.

“It’s a really relaxed, fun atmosphere and even if you don’t know anyone, you’re bound to make a friend,” said Teri Badenhop, Swing Tree tap house manager. “We’re geared definitely toward the locals — we do get some tourists, but they are usually beer geek tourists.”

If you want some grub with your brew, come by Swing Tree on a Sunday for one of Badenhop’s Sunday Funday feeds – sometimes tacos, other times barbecue — always tasty.

With five faucets, the tap house tries to keep its four mainstay brews flowing all the time along with a guest beer.

Swing Tree currently offers its flagship Porch Swing Pale, an easy-drinking American pale ale; Obligatory IPA, a hopped-to-the gills lip smacker of an IPA; Lonely Trike Red Ale, it has a hoppy IPA kick with more malty quench, and Two Shilling Ale, a rich-flavored brown that rolls easy off the back of your tongue leaving a fruity tingle.

“We want the community to really take ownership of our pub and these beers, but the nation will know us for our traditional series specialty beers,” Overstreet said.

Take, for instance, the specialty sour beer Overstreet has aging in the old Petite Sirah barrels. It’s being brewed in the traditional Belgian Lambic style using spontaneous fermentation and will be bottled in 750 milliliter bottles just in time for the holiday season.

“I don’t want to work in a brew factory and I don’t want brewers that want to work in a brew factory. I want brewers that are going to be creative,” Overstreet said. “We don’t want to be a distribution brewery, ever.”

Swing Tree is currently open Thursday through Saturday 3 to 10 p.m. and 3 to 9 p.m. on Sundays. Check the brewery’s Facebook page for regular updates on its rotating tap and Sunday Funday menu schedule, Overstreet said.

“I try as hard as I can to just create this environment where it feels like you’re going over to your buddy’s house to have a beer,” he said.

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Barley Brown's Bling Shines Spotlight on Baker City Brewery

7/30/2014

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In Ascending order, Tyler Brown, owner; Eli Dickison, brewer, and Addison Collard, cellerman, make up the core of Barley Brown’s winning brewery team .

By Andi Prewitt

After Barley Brown’s Beer won five medals and Very Small Brewing Company of the year at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival, a competition some liken to the Super Bowl, you’d expect beer geeks would be clamoring for a photo of owner Tyler Brown. But the same day Brown collected all that hardware, he found himself being asked to get out of a shot while pouring his gold medal Pallet Jack IPA in the Barley Brown’s booth. Apparently, he didn’t move far enough and once again received a request to take a few steps aside. It turns out the photographer wanted to snap a picture of two more famous brewers: Jeff Bagby, formerly of Pizza Port, and Fat Head’s Matt Cole. But what that beer fan failed to notice was why the men were at the booth to begin with. Brown pointed out, “yeah, they’re drinking our beer. If you want a beer I’m going to pour you a beer, otherwise get out of the way.”

That exchange summarizes the journey of Barley Brown’s, aka Baker City Brewing Co. Barley Brown’s seemed to fly under the radar of most drinkers in the state even though it has been operating since 1998 and winning awards at major competitions since 2006. Perhaps it’s the far-flung location, the brewery’s initial low-key presence in Portland, or Oregon’s metro-area myopia. Whatever factors might have contributed to Barley Brown’s muted profile seem to be diminishing now that the brewery has won a slew of medals, including the much- coveted gold in American-style IPA at GABF. Brown knows that Portland has started to notice because people tell him they think his brewery is new.

“Yeah, I hear that all the time,” Brown laughs. “‘Oh you guys just popped right in the middle of the scene!’ yeah, about 16 years ago!”

Barley Brown’s cellerman Addison Collard says the recent notoriety “is like being a band that’s been together for years and you finally get that one hit album and they’re like, ‘Oh, these guys are good!’ Like, no. We’ve been struggling. Pounding the pavement for a long time.”

While it took time to draw the attention of the average beer consumer, bar and bottle shop owners have been in the know for about 10 years. Brown recalls Belmont Station’s Carl Singmaster making the 300-mile journey to Baker City just to get a few kegs he seat-belted in the back of his Subaru before returning to Portland. Brown would also take kegs to the city and target outlets that were choosy about which beers they offered, making them difficult to get into and often filled with sophisticated drinkers. He used these opportunities as tests to see how
his beer would stack up against some of the best. Brown is clearly a man who likes a challenge since his tests these days pit him against not just the top competitors in Portland, but some of the finest in the world.

Before Brown was turning out top-quality beer in his remote section of the state, he witnessed his parents experiment with various businesses in the building that would eventually house the brewpub. The couple ran a bakery out of the property after purchasing it in the 1970s and parked bread trucks where the current dining room is situated. In 1983, they remodeled the space and turned it into a restaurant. Despite changing the cuisine several times—pizza, breakfast, and what Brown describes as “pseudo-Mexican,” nothing would really stick. Meanwhile, Brown would use the building’s kitchen space to brew during slow nights.

The rise of the brewpub came with the collapse of the Mexican food joint. That business actually had some success since it was the only one in town at the time. But it was the beginning of the end when a Mexican family moved to Baker City and opened their own restaurant with authentic fare. Brown’s father told him he was done with the place and that he could now do whatever he wanted with it. So he did. Brown installed a four-barrel brewery that he had built for the tight quarters and didn’t look back. And the Mexican restaurant that helped push his family’s place out of business is still one of Brown’s favorites.

Baker City is one of those towns where the only strangers are those who make a pit stop
while traveling along bustling I-84. It’s no surprise, then, that Brown and his brewer Eli Dickison have longstanding ties. Dickison started as a prep cook at the pub, but decided it was time to go back to school after working odd jobs for seven or eight years. Leaving Baker City for college at Oregon State University caused a bit of a culture shock. But it wasn’t due to the larger population or urban living.

“I realized just how expensive and hard-to-find good beer is,” says Dickison. “So I started to play around with making some myself.”

Dickison was finally able to fuse his two favorite things, science and beer, into a career path. He joined OSU’s Fermentation Science program while continuing to homebrew. One of those beers made its way into Brown’s hand while Dickison visited Baker City on winter break. Instead of having to sip and politely smile while secretly choking down the homemade concoction, Brown was blown away. That night, he told his wife how excited he’d be if Dickison came to the brewery after graduating. About one year later, Dickison joined the brewing family he seemed destined for.

While Brown and Dickison continue to garner ecognition for their beers, they never set out to perfect any particular style. Brown says that’s a big difference between homebrewers and craft brewers. Rather than worrying about style guidelines, the Barley Brown team develops new brews by tossing around ideas. Sometimes a beer is born when an ingredient isn’t available and the brewers have to improvise. Dickison explains that’s one element that led to the making of Ratchet Strap IPA. The brewery lacked hops normally used in Pallet Jack IPA and Hand Truck Pale Ale. However, some new German Melon hops had recently arrived, so they decided to try something new. Brown says the Germans claimed that particular hop could never be used in an American-style IPA. Once again, he rose to the challenge and proved those doubters wrong.

“We have targets. We have an idea. And I guess it would be more of a style of brewing instead of brewing beer styles,” explains Brown. “We have favorite hops we use; techniques we use. So our process is more the Barley Brown style process rather than trying to create the perfect IPA. We want our IPA that we’re going to drink.”

There are no special competition beers either. The beers that will be judged by experts have already been reviewed by customers at the brewpub or nearby taproom. It has become a Barley Brown tradition to pull those kegs and use them to fill bottles that are shipped to events like GABF. Although the locals taste the beer first, Brown says they won’t pay much attention to the fancy titles or shiny awards that adorn the taproom wall. But you might chalk that up to a rural Oregon mindset of not making a fuss about things. Brown points out that’s why some famous retired pro baseball players choose to call Baker City home. They can sit at the bar without being bothered.

These days you can get Barley Brown’s beer on tap just about anywhere in Baker City, including the VFW. yes—a VFW that in almost any other town would offer up Budweiser or Coors for $2.50 a pint gives patrons the option of a craft beer for the same price. But 16 years ago when the brewery started, Brown says his best-selling beer was Bud Light. He worked to prime palates by having servers offer craft beer samples to customers at the door before they even had a chance to sit down and order a mass-produced lager. It took two to three years for his beer to catch on, but now regulars never veer from some of their early favorites, like Coyote Peak Wheat and Tumble Off Pale Ale. In fact, the brewers say it can be challenging to get them to try new brews.

“I think it’s more of a local beer culture than a craft beer culture,” says Brown. “They know us and they know where it’s made and they like it, so they drink it. But they’ve probably never heard of most of the breweries in Portland.”

There is still a tap dedicated to Bud Light at the brewpub and it speaks to Brown’s nature. He’s loyal to enduring relationships and quite giving. The tap exists because of one devoted customer and a likable beer salesman. If they weren’t there, the Bud Light would probably get taken out of the restaurant. you could say that Brown is saving Baker City from bad beverages in general. Last summer, the city was under a boil order because of a cryptosporidium scare. The brewpub was able to keep operating because of the brewing equipment. Water was boiled in the hot liquor tank and cooled in a fermenter. When the nearby Powder River Correctional Facility found it had no way to easily prepare enough water for inmates and staff, Brown didn’t hesitate to help. The brewery cut back on production a bit and processed about 1000 gallons of water for the prison every other day. But while Baker City worried about water, others who heard about the boil order were concerned about Barley Brown’s beer.

“It was so frustrating hearing phone calls from some people in Portland,” says Dickison. “‘Is the beer safe to drink?’ It’s like going back in time 100 years. The beer is good.”

“The beer is the only thing that’s good,” added Brown.

While Barley Brown’s gears up for another year of competitions, additional medals could be on the horizon. The awards do carry significant meaning— to a point.

“With something like World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival you get to put your beers up against other beers, double-blind, and your peers judge it. And so when you get a medal, it’s pretty cool,” says Brown.

Sometimes the brewery even picks up memorable nicknames with victories—like the time a San Diego brewer said he knew Barley Brown’s as the “Wookey Slayer” for beating Firestone Walker’s Wookey Jack at the World Beer Cup. Ultimately, winning medals and the respect of fellow brewers is rewarding. But Brown says it’s generally not going to help sell anymore beer. The one exception, he notes, is placing first in the IPA category. What matters most, though, are the consumers whose feedback can be just as meaningful.

Brown and Dickison recently got a little surprise from a satisfied drinker. The two were unloading bags of malt and milling when Brown noticed a broad smile spread across Dickison’s face. He’d found a piece of candy—a Nut Goodie—tucked in the load from Brewers Supply Group in Vancouver, Wash. The treats come with almost every delivery. Dickison figures it’s because they know it’s going to brewers who need some sustenance to balance out all of the beer. But this time, the Nut Goodie had a note that read “Hand Truck Pale is my fav!” It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t come with national recognition. And it certainly won’t make headlines. But somehow it was a little bit sweeter than that stuff.

“You get a medal and you hang it there, but it’s not personal. But somebody had to stick that sticker on there, write it, and know those pallets were going to Barley Brown’s. Aw, that makes you feel good. A Nut Goodie,” Brown says with a smile.

CAPTION: In Ascending order, Tyler Brown, owner; Eli Dickison, brewer, and Addison Collard, cellerman, make up the core of Barley Brown’s winning brewery team .

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Below Grade Moves Up

7/30/2014

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By Alethea Smartt LaRowe

When I pull up to the modest green house in the Northwest Crossing neighborhood in Bend, there is no indication of what lies within. As Dean Wise greets me at the door and invites me into his living room, I would never guess that there is a brewery in the basement. There are a few beer-related books on the shelves lining one end
of the room, but it takes more than a quick glance to spot them. There’s no beer paraphernalia, no bottles on the nearby kitchen table, not even a hint of the smell of mash. There is, however, a 100-pound rescued mixed breed named Enzo who barks loudly at the back door until Dean asks if I mind if the dog is allowed inside.

We settle into cozy armchairs and, after greeting me with some friendly nuzzling, Enzo eventually lies down on his bed at one end of the room. I quickly learn that if I gesture too much with my hands, Enzo interprets that as an invitation to come over; thus Dean ends up spending most of the interview trying in vain to keep the dog by his side.

While Enzo is not exhibiting his best manners, Dean has much better control of his brewing process. In fact, it becomes readily apparent that one of the things he takes the most pride in regarding his Below Grade beers are their high quality and layers of flavor. “I do not want my beers to be a one-note experience on the palate,” Dean explains.

Dean gained an appreciation of craft beer early in life. He remembers asking his parents to buy beer for him when he was a teenager. Born in Eugene, OR, he has lived in Bend since 1978, with the exception of spending six years at Portland State University where he studied art and architecture.

In 1991, Dean read The Complete Joy of Homebrewing by Charlie Papazian for the first
time. The book peaked his interest and he started brewing shortly thereafter. He made a handful of extract beers before switching to all grain. After a decade of home brewing, Dean started focusing on being more precise in his methods with the goal of making better quality beers. He has many dog-eared notebooks to attest to those efforts.

In 2010, with years of positive feedback on his homebrews and after losing his job in land development, Dean decided to market test his beer.

Over the past few years, Dean has brewed a variety of unique beers including Identity Crisis, a blend of his naturally soured Nevermind White IPA and Validation Imperial IPA. Lately, he has “enjoyed experimenting with fermentation using Lactobacillus versus Brettanomyces.” Self-distributing to a few local bottle shops and pouring from a booth at the summer-only NorthWest Crossing Farmers Market, his beers have been well-received to the point that he can’t keep up with demand.

Now brewing one barrel twice per week with
an average of 50 barrels per year, Dean is looking to scale up his brewing operation and thus needs
a larger facility in which to brew. He is biding his time, waiting for the ideal space in a preferred area to be available. The focus will continue to be on the beer, so there are no plans for anything more than a brewery with a small tasting room.

The new operation will allow him to increase annual production twelve times. While he understands the advantages of a 10-barrel system, Dean plans to brew on a 5-barrel system three times per week. He’ll continue to make noteworthy beers like Faux Pilz, made with Carapils malt and Saaz hops, that he will debut at Bend Brew Fest

in August. After the expansion, he just might need to change that Seriously Underground Ales tagline!

Photo Caption

Dean Wise is scaling up his brewing operation to meet local demand .

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Elk Horn Brewery to Open by September

7/30/2014

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By Anthony St. Clair

Construction continues on Elk Horn Brewery, with plans to open by Duck football season in September. Located in a former Carl’s Jr. building near the University of Oregon campus at 686 E. Broadway St. in Eugene, Elk Horn is the newest passion of Colleen and Stephen Sheehan and who are locally renowned for their Southern food cart, Delacata.

“We have already started demolition work in the basement and restaurant, and we’re finishing the 1,800 square foot deck,” says Colleen Sheehan, Elk Horn owner and founder. “The patio will look rustic with a concrete stone-stamped finish, a fountain, and a fire pit, with seating all around the deck.” Patio plans also include a trellis where kiwis will grow, for the making of kiwi cider.

The brewhouse will be located in the basement. A new concrete slab is being poured, with accompanying plumbing and electrical work underway. Equipment includes four 14-barrel fermenters, a 7-barrel kettle, mash tun, and a custom 23’x12’ cooler which will feed into a 20-tap system for the upstairs restaurant.

“The equipment is being built in Portland and we should have it by mid-August,” Sheehan says. “We will be open before Oregon Duck football season. We can shoot for an August 1 soft opening with guest taps. We’ll have the grand opening once our beer and cider are on tap.”

In partnership with Sweet Cheeks Winery, a 15-barrel bright tank is also on order. This tank will be housed at Sweet Cheeks and used for production of Elk Horn ciders and meads.

“To start we will just want to create flagship beverages, but we have barrel storage in the brewery for creating unique wild ales and wild ciders,” Sheehan says. “We already have rum barrels, tequila barrels, and pinot noir barrels.”

Plans for a variety of beverages reflects Elk Horn’s dedication to food pairing. “We want to
think about flavors that might not have been done before and flavors that can pair well with our food,” Sheehan adds.

Elk Horn plans to roll out a range of house beers and develop their offerings depending on customer input. House beers will include a blonde ale, a
pale ale, “an Oregon botanical wheat series—with honeysuckle wheat, sweet pea, nasturtium, etc.”—an IPA, a DIPA, a lambic, and a porter. In addition to a wildflower mead, Elk Horn will also produce a line of ciders, including dry apple, sweet apple, pear, apricot, and blackberry. Sweet Cheeks wines will be on tap, and non-alcoholic house sodas and bubble teas will also be available.

“We want to be a place where everyone can come, from students to families,” Sheehan says. “Everyone will have something they can enjoy, both in food and drink.”

Elk horn brewery owners are planning a “rustic/modern” facelift for the building at broadway and Hilyard streets.

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Travel: Round-Up of Oregon's Best Beer Tours

Swing Tree Finds Fans in Ashland's Historic Railroad District

Barley Brown's Bling Shines Spotlight on Baker City Brewery

Below Grade Moves Up

Elk Horn Brewery to Open by September

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