The U.S. state of Oregon is home to more than 200 breweries and brew pubs that produce a large variety of beer.
History
- 1852 - Henry Saxer established the Liberty Brewery in Portland.
- 1862 - After working at and later owning several smaller breweries, Henry Weinhard purchased and expanded Liberty Brewery which was later renamed City Brewery.
- 1914 - Five years before national prohibition was established, the voters of Oregon approved a statewide ban on the manufacture, sale or advertisement of intoxicating liquor.
- 1933 - Oregon and the nation ratified the 21st Amendment.
- 1985 - Oregon Legislature legalized brewpubs.
According to a 2014 report by the Beer Institute, Oregon had 208 breweries, a number exceeded by only three states â€" California (with 509 breweries), Washington (251), and Colorado (217). As of July 2015, Oregon was home to 234 brewing facilities operated by 194 brewing companies. There are also many nanobreweries in Oregon. Many breweries have won nationwide and international acclaim.
Breweries
The following are some Oregon-based breweries. The list includes some large brewing companies that have regional or national distribution. Oregon also has many mid-size and small breweries. Most of them produce kegs of beer to be served on draft at taverns and restaurants. Many of them also package their beer in bottles or cans. Some production breweries have taprooms where patrons can drink the beer that is produced onsite. And some breweries are brewpubs â€" full-service restaurants that brew their own beer.
- 10 Barrel Brewing Company â€" bottles, cans, and brewpub locations in Bend and Portland, as well as Boise, Denver, and San Diego; founded in 2006; bought by Anheuser-Busch in 2014.
- Alameda Brewing Company â€" Portland; bottles, cans, brewpub; founded in 1996
- Ancestry Brewing â€" opened in 2016, brewery and taproom in Tualatin, restaurant in Portland
- Barley Brown's Beer â€" Baker City â€" brewpub, and production brewery with taproom; founded in 1998
- Block 15 Brewing Company â€" Corvallis â€" bottles; brewpub opened in 2008; production brewery and taproom opened in 2015
- Boneyard Beer â€" Bend; tasting room; opened in 2010
- Breakside Brewery â€" bottles; brewpub in Northeast Portland (opened in 2010), brewery and taproom in Milwaukee (2013), and brewpub in Northwest Portland (2017)
- BridgePort Brewing Company â€" Portland; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1984; acquired by the Gambrinus Company in 1995;
- Buoy Beer Company â€" Astoria; bottles, brewpub; opened in 2014
- Cascade Brewing â€" bottles; two brewpubs in Portland; founded in 1998
- Cascade Lakes Brewing Company â€" bottles; brewpubs in Redmond and Bend; founded in 1994
- The Commons Brewery â€" Portland â€" cans, taproom, opened in 2011
- De Garde Brewing â€" Tillamook; bottles, taproom; opened in 2013
- Deschutes Brewery â€" Bend, Portland; bottles, brewpubs; founded in 1988
- Double Mountain Brewery â€" bottles; taprooms in Hood River and Portland; founded in 2007
- Flat Tail Brewing â€" Corvallis; taproom, bottles, cans; opened in 2009
- Fort George Brewery â€" Astoria; cans, brewpub; opened in 2007
- Full Sail Brewing Company â€" Hood River; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1987
- Gilgamesh Brewing â€" Salem; bottles, brewpub; opened in 2009
- Great Notion Brewing â€" Portland brewpub, opened in 2016
- Hair of the Dog Brewing Company â€" Portland; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1993
- Hop Valley Brewing Company â€" Eugene, founded in 2009
- Laurelwood Pub and Brewery â€" brewpub with several locations in Portland; founded in 2001
- Logsdon Farmhouse Ales â€" Hood River; bottles, taproom; founded in 2011
- McMenamins â€" a brewpub chain with locations scattered throughout Oregon and Washington; founded in 1983
- Ninkasi Brewing Company â€" Eugene; bottles, taproom; founded in 2006
- Old Town Brewing â€" Portland; bottles and pizzeria brewpub; original restaurant opened in 1974, brewpub opened in 2012
- Ordnance Brewing â€" Boardman â€" cans, taproom, opened in 2014
- Pelican Brewing Company â€" bottles; brewpubs in Pacific City and Cannon Beach, taproom in Tillamook; founded in 1996
- pFriem Family Brewers â€" Hood River; bottles, brewpub; opened in 2012
- Portland Brewing Company â€" Portland; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1986; bought by Pyramid Breweries in 2004; acquired by Florida Ice and Farm Company in 2012
- Sunriver Brewing Company - Sunriver; bottles, cans, brewpub, brew house; Locally Owned; Founded July 4, 2012
- The Prodigal Son Brewery and Pub â€" Pendleton â€" brewpub, opened in 2010
- Rogue Ales â€" Newport; founded in 1988; bottles, cans; brewpubs in Oregon, Washington, and California
- Tugboat Brewing Company â€" Portland brewpub, opened in 1996
- Upright Brewing â€" Portland; opened in 2009; bottles, taproom
- Widmer Brothers Brewery â€" Portland; founded in 1984, Widmer Brothers is now part of Craft Brew Alliance
- Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery â€" Newberg â€" bottles, taproom, opened in 2016
- Worthy Brewing â€" Bend; cans, brewpub; founded in 2013
- Yachats Brewing â€" Yachats â€" farm store opened in 2012, added a brewpub in 2015
Closed breweries
- Henry Weinhard's, formerly of Portland, is now owned and brewed by SABMiller, although some beers are brewed under contract by Full Sail Brewing Company. The Weinhard Brewery Complex is now a mixed-use development.
Festivals
The Oregon Brewers Festival the largest gathering of independent craft brewers in the United States.
The Gold Beach Brew & Art Festival is always held the Saturday after Labor Day. It is the oldest brew festival in southern Oregon and on the Oregon Coast.
Oregon is host to several other beer oriented festivals throughout the year, each with their own unique focus and feel.
Awards
Caldera Brewing Company of Ashland, Oregon (3,300 barrels brewed in 2009), Barley Brown Brewery, Bend Brewing, Deschutes, Full Sail and Widmer Brothers won gold in 2010 at the World Beer Cup. In the same competition, Upright Brewing and Hop Valley Brewing won Bronze; while Pelican Pub & Brewery, Hopworks Urban Brewery, and Rogue Ales won Silver.
See also
References
External links
- Metro US article on Portland breweries
- Labels from pre-prohibition breweries, from Oregon State Archives
- Oregon Brewers Guild
- Video on the history of Oregon Brewing from Oregon Public Broadcasting
