Brewing in Oregon

In 2008 Oregon ranked 3rd nationally in craft breweries per capita.^[1]

The U.S. state of Oregon is home to several breweries 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.^[2]
• 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.^[3]
• 1933 - Oregon and the nation ratified the 21st Amendment.
• 1985 - Oregon Legislature legalized brewpubs.

As of July 2015, Oregon was home to 234 brewing facilities operated by 194 brewing companies.^[4] There are also many nanobreweries in Oregon. Many breweries have won nationwide and international acclaim.

Breweries

The following are some Oregon-based breweries and microbreweries. The larger volume breweries and microbreweries in the list include the number of barrels sold using information from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), 2004. 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.^[5]

Large producers

The largest producers in Oregon, all of which are high-volume American breweries, are (per production quantity):

• Widmer Brothers Brewery, Portland 450,000 barrels
• Deschutes Brewery, Bend, 225,000 barrels
• Full Sail Brewing Company, Hood River, 130,000 barrels (in 2007)
• BridgePort Brewing Company, Portland, 100,000+ barrels (2007)
• Rogue Ales, Newport, 66,000 barrels
• Ninkasi Brewing Company, Eugene, 50,000 barrels

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.

Notable brewpubs

• Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, Portland. ^[6]
• The McMenamins brewpub chain, with locations scattered throughout Oregon and Washington, produced 17,896 barrels in 2004.

Festivals

The Oregon Brewers Festival the largest gathering of independent craft brewers in the United States.^[7]

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.^[8]

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