Weinhard's Brewery (Clohessy and Strengele, 1890)

The

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sov ...

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. ...

is home to more than 200

breweries A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

and brew pubs that produce a large variety of beer.

History

Many sources credit Swiss-born Henry Saxer and his Liberty Brewery as being Oregon’s first commercial brewery (supposedly opening in 1852); however, the first verifiable record of a brewery in Oregon is an advertisement in the August 5, 1854 issue of ''The Weekly Oregonian'' for Charles Barrett's Portland Brewery and General Grocery Establishment. * 1862 – After working at and later owning several smaller breweries,

Henry Weinhard Henry Weinhard (February 18, 1830 – September 20, 1904) was a German-American brewer in Portland, Oregon. After immigrating to the United States in 1851, he lived in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Sacramento before settling in th ...

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 – 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. Alongside brewing, hops have a historical presence in Oregon. Hop production in Oregon began in 1867 when William Wells planted his first crop in Buena Vista, Oregon. This grew throughout the 20th century, when Oregon was dubbed the "Hop Center of the World" for its production around Independence, Oregon, in Polk County. Hop production later saw some decline due to mildew and mechanical picking technology; however, Oregon remains the second largest hop producing state in the US. Oregon State University began planting and experimenting with hops as early as 1893. Dr. Alfred Haunold influenced modern and popular hop varieties through his work with food studies. The Fermentation Science Program established itself in 1995 and further aided the study of hops and brewing at Oregon State, followed by the creation of the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives in 2013. The Oregon Brewers Guild was established in 1992 to promote Oregon breweries; it is the second-oldest nonprofit brewer trade association in the United States.

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

keg A keg is a small barrel. Wooden kegs made by a cooper were used to transport nails, gunpowder, and a variety of liquids. A keg is normally now constructed of stainless steel, although aluminium can be used if it is coated with plastic on th ...

s 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 – full-service restaurants that brew their own beer. * 10 Barrel Brewing Company – bottles, cans, and brewpub locations in Bend and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

, as well as

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, and

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

; founded in 2006; bought by

Anheuser-Busch Anheuser-Busch Companies, LLC is an American brewing company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Since 2008, it has been wholly owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV ( AB InBev), now the world's largest brewing company, which owns multiple gl ...

in 2014. *Agrarian Ales – Eugene; bottles, brewpub, opened in 2012 *Alesong Brewing & Blending – Lorane; bottles, tasting room; founded in 2015 * Ancestry Brewing – opened in 2016, brewery and taproom in Tualatin, restaurant in Portland * Barley Brown's Beer –

Baker City Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 2020 census. History ...

– brewpub, and production brewery with taproom; founded in 1998 * Block 15 Brewing Company – Corvallis – bottles; brewpub opened in 2008; production brewery and taproom opened in 2015 * Boneyard Beer – Bend; tasting room; opened in 2010 * Breakside Brewery – bottles; brewpub in Northeast Portland (opened in 2010), brewery and taproom in Milwaukie (2013), and brewpub in Northwest Portland (2017) * Buoy Beer Company – Astoria; bottles, brewpub; opened in 2014 * Captured by Porches Brewing – Saint Helens * Cascade Brewing – bottles; two brewpubs in Portland; founded in 1998 * Cascade Lakes Brewing Company – bottles; brewpubs in Redmond and Bend; founded in 1994 *Claim 52 Brewing - Eugene; cans, taproom, brewpub; founded in 2012 *Coldfire Brewing – Eugene; bottles, cans, brewpub; opened in 2016 * De Garde Brewing – Tillamook; bottles, taproom; opened in 2013 * Deschutes Brewery – Bend, Portland; bottles, brewpubs; founded in 1988 * Double Mountain Brewery – bottles; taprooms in Hood River and Portland; founded in 2007 *Elk Horn Brewing – Eugene; brewpub; founded in 2014 *Falling Sky Brewing – Eugene; brewery, multiple taprooms, founded in 2012 *Fearless Brewing – Estacada; cans, brewpub, founded in 2003, sold and renamed to Time Travelers Brewing in 2022 * Fort George Brewery – Astoria; cans, brewpub; opened in 2007 * Full Sail Brewing Company – Hood River; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1987 * Gigantic Brewing –

; bottles, brewpub; opened in 2012 * Gilgamesh Brewing – Salem; bottles, brewpub; opened in 2009 * Great Notion Brewing – Portland brewpub, opened in 2016 *

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is a brewery in Portland, Oregon. Several of its beers are bottle conditioned. The tasting room in southeast Portland's Buckman neighborhood closed on June 26, 2022. Alan Sprints is the owner and brewer with a few ...

– Portland; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1993 * Heater Allen Brewing -- McMinnville, lager focused, opened in 2007 * Hop Valley Brewing Company – Eugene, founded in 2009 * Laurelwood Pub and Brewery – brewpub with several locations in Portland; founded in 2001 *Little Beast Brewing – Clackamas (brewery); Portland (beer garden); bottles, brewpub; founded in 2017 * Logsdon Farmhouse Ales – Hood River; bottles, taproom; founded in 2011 *

McMenamins McMenamins is a family-owned chain of brewpubs, breweries, music venues, historic hotels, and theater pubs in Oregon and Washington. Many of their locations are in rehabilitated historical properties; at least nine are on the National Register ...

– a brewpub chain with locations scattered throughout Oregon and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

; founded in 1983 * Ninkasi Brewing Company – Eugene; bottles, taproom; founded in 2006 *Oakshire Brewing – Eugene, bottles, cans, ; founded in 2006 * Old Town Brewing – Portland; bottles and pizzeria brewpub; original restaurant opened in 1974, brewpub opened in 2012 * Ordnance Brewing – Boardman – cans, taproom, opened in 2014 * Pelican Brewing Company – bottles; brewpubs in Pacific City and

Cannon Beach Cannon Beach is a city in Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Its population was 1,690 at the 2010 census. It is a popular coastal Oregon tourist destination, famous for Haystack Rock, a sea stack that juts out along the coast. In 2013, ''Na ...

, taproom in Tillamook; founded in 1996 * pFriem Family Brewers – Hood River; bottles, brewpub; opened in 2012 *Plank Town Brewing – Springfield; bottles, brewpub; founded in 2013 * The Prodigal Son Brewery and Pub – Pendleton – brewpub, opened in 2010 *

Rogue Ales Rogue Ales is a brewery founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon. The company brews their own beer, distills their own spirits, farms their own ingredients and coopers their own barrels. Rogue has locations in Oregon and Washington. History Rogue Ales ...

– Newport; founded in 1988; bottles, cans; brewpubs in Oregon, Washington, and California *Sam Bond's Brewing Company – Eugene; bottles, taprooms, founded in 2013 *So Many Roads Brewery – Denver; brewery, taproom, music venue, and museum; opened in 2020 *Stickmen Brewing Company – Lake Oswego; bottles/cans, brewpubs in Lake Oswego and Tualatin, founded in 2013 * Upright Brewing – Portland; opened in 2009; bottles, taproom *Viking Braggot Company – Eugene; bottles, taprooms; opened in 2013 *Wayfinder Beer -- Portland; brewpub, opened in 2016 *

Widmer Brothers Brewery Widmer Brothers is a brewery founded in 1984 in Portland, Oregon, by brothers Kurt and Robert Widmer. It is part of the Craft Brew Alliance, Inc., the 12th largest brewing company in the United States in 2017. Details In 1986, the Widmer Broth ...

– Portland; founded in 1984, Widmer Brothers is now part of Craft Brew Alliance * Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery – Newberg – bottles, taproom, opened in 2016 * Worthy Brewing – Bend; cans, brewpub; founded in 2013 * Yachats Brewing –

Yachats Yachats ( ) is a small coastal city in the southernmost area of Lincoln County, Oregon, United States. According to ''Oregon Geographic Names'', the name comes from the Siletz language and means "dark water at the foot of the mountain". There is ...

– farm store opened in 2012, added a brewpub in 2015

Closed breweries

* Alameda Brewing Company – Portland; bottles, cans, brewpub; founded in 1996. Closed in 2018. *

BridgePort Brewing Company BridgePort Brewing Company was a brewery in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. It operated from 1984 until 2019. Brewery operations ceased in February 2019, and the brew pub closed March 10, 2019. History BridgePort was founded in 1984 b ...

– Portland; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1984; acquired by the Gambrinus Company in 1995; * Burnside Brewing Company *The Commons Brewery – Portland – cans, taproom, opened in 2011. Closed in 2017. *

Henry Weinhard's Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve and Blitz-Weinhard were brands of beer first brewed in 1856 in Portland, Oregon. The brewery was owned by the brewer Henry Weinhard of the Weinhard family, who also made a line of soft drinks which survives to t ...

, formerly of Portland, is now owned and brewed by

SABMiller SABMiller plc was a South African multinational brewing and beverage company headquartered in Woking, England on the outskirts of London until 10 October 2016 when it was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Prior to that date, it was the world' ...

, although some beers are brewed under contract by Full Sail Brewing Company. The Weinhard Brewery Complex is now a mixed-use development. * Tugboat Brewing Company – Portland brewpub, opened in 1996. Closed in 2017. * Portland Brewing Company – Portland; bottles, brewpub; founded in 1986; bought by

Pyramid Breweries Pyramid Breweries, Inc., is a brewing company headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It produces beer under the Pyramid brand at two breweries and several brewpubs in Washington, Oregon, and California. It was founded in 1984 as Hart Brewing, a ...

in 2004; acquired by Florida Ice and Farm Company in 2012; closed in 2021.

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.

Homebrewing

F.H. Steinbart is a homebrew supply store on SE 12th Avenue in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. It is the oldest homebrew supply store in the country and helped nurture the vibrant

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

craft-brewing scene. President Jimmy Carter signed HR 1337 into law in 1978, which legalized homebrewing at the federal level. In the years that followed, many commercial brewers began as homebrewer customers who were introduced to the company by buying supplies there – the Widmers and

brothers were customers. Owner John DeBenedetti helped establish the Oregon Brew Crew in 1980; it is Oregon’s largest active homebrew club and meets monthly in the FH Steinbart warehouse.

Awards

World Beer Cup

Brewery Awards

(Discontinued in 2018)

Awards

References

External links

''Metro US'' article on Portland breweriesLabels from pre-prohibition breweries
from

Oregon State Archives The Archives Division of the Office of the Secretary of State of Oregon, or the Oregon State Archives, is an agency of the Oregon Secretary of State charged with preserving and providing access to government records. The Oregon State Archives is ...

Oregon Brewers GuildVideo on the history of Oregon Brewing
from

Oregon Public Broadcasting Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF tr ...

Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives
from

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

Brewing Industry in Oregon
from

Oregon Encyclopedia The ''Oregon Encyclopedia of History and Culture'' is a collaborative encyclopedia focused on the history and culture of the U.S. state of Oregon. Description The encyclopedia is a project of Portland State University's History Department, thOreg ...

{{Lists of United States breweries

Oregon-related lists

History

Breweries

Closed breweries

Festivals

Homebrewing

Awards

World Beer Cup

Brewery Awards

Awards

See also

References

External links