New School Beer + Cider

2026 Oregon Hop Harvest Looks Promising For Farmers & Brewers

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:13:18 +0000

Its too early to know if Oregon Hop growers can retain the #2 ranking for hop production in the U.S. after narrowly beating Idaho in 2025. But, Oregon growers and brewers are excited about the quality of this year’s harvest and expect the volume to remain roughly the same.

Next week, many of Oregon’s hop growers will begin the first round of harvest, with fresh hop beer season soon to follow as brewers pick up fresh hops from local farms for a once-a-year beer experience unique to the Pacific Northwest. Growers and brewers say Oregon beer drinkers should be especially excited about this year’s batch, as favorable weather yielded high-quality hops.

“After a few tough years with hop acreages declining as beer sales dipped, Oregon hop growers are especially excited about this year’s hop harvest. The mild spring resulted in ideal growing conditions for the hops, meaning we’re expecting great flavor and aroma,” said Michelle Palacios, executive director of the Oregon Hop Growers Association. “The Willamette Valley’s unique terroir allows us to produce hops specifically for craft brewers. And with our proximity to major brewing cities, like Portland, aka Beervana, it means our hops hit brewers’ tanks within hours of harvest. Our fresh hop beer season is unlike anywhere else in America.”

According to U.S. Department of Agriculture, Oregon hop growers strung 5,443 acres in 2026, a slight increase of 1.6% from last year, putting it in third place in hop production, behind Washington state, which grew 30,301, a 2.8% decrease, and Idaho with 5,898 acres.

Photo from Brewers Select visit to Oregon Hop Harvest

“Beer is usually only four ingredients – water, malt, yeast and hops, which makes the quality of those ingredients all the more important,” said Sam Pecoraro, brewmaster at Von Ebert Brewing and Oregon Grower Relations Ambassador of the Hop Quality Group. “We’re lucky to be in the Northwest where nearly all of America’s hops are grown. Fresh hop beer season is the perfect time to celebrate and support our local brewers and growers.”

Depending on the hop variety, some will begin harvest as soon as next week, while others will continue through mid-September. Over the past few years, hop production had seen double digit declines as beer sales are down -4% for a second year in a row.

According to Beer Serves America data, Oregon is home to 300 breweries, brewpubs and taprooms generating more than $8.9 billion in economic output, $2.8 billion in wages, creating 46,700 jobs in the state. It’s so important to the local economy, Oregon is the fifth most beer-job reliant state, accounting for 1 out of every 633 jobs in Oregon.

Summer Supper foodie festival tackles waste and food insecurity

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 10:04:37 +0000

Photo by Leesa Morales

Portland, Oregon is host to dozens and dozens of food festivals annually, but among the most unique and impactful is Urban Gleaners Summer Supper on Sunday, September 13th - tickets are on sale now.

Summer Supper will feature over a dozen of Portland's most revered chefs, serving dishes made from almost entirely gleaned ingredients, all while raising money to tackle food insecurity in Oregon.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of Urban Gleaners. For two decades, this non-profit organization has provided the vital, ongoing service of eliminating hunger and food waste in the Portland metro, all while celebrating the amazing food community that defines this city. Urban Gleaners rescues nearly 1.2 million pounds of food from the landfill every year, and distributes nourishing meals to over 8,000 food-insecure families in the Portland metro every week, with no questions asked.

Some of Portland’s brightest stars have participated in the past Summer Suppers, like chefs Bonnie Morales, Tyler Malek, Lalo Camarena, and Urban Gleaners board member Gregory Gourdet. Many are excited to return this year.

“Zero-waste cooking is in my roots,” shared Fatou Ouattara, chef and owner of Akadi PDX, “Growing up in Côte d’Ivoire, with family from Mali and Burkina Faso, nothing good ever went to waste. That’s exactly why we love working with Urban Gleaners: rescuing good food and turning it toward fighting hunger in our community. The event is such a joy from start to finish, and we can’t wait to come back and do it again.”

Summer Supper 2026 Chef Partners:

Tyler Malek – Salt & Straw
Emily Cafazzo & Ryan Domingo – Sugarpine Drive-In
Jason Howd – Urban Gleaners
Jewan Manuel – Plant Based Papi
Lalo Camarena – The Malarkey
Fatou Ouattara – Akadi
Bonnie Morales – Kachka
Alexa Numkena-Anderson – Javelina
Mel McMillan – Sammich
Althea Grey Potter – Bar Nouveau
Liz Serrone – Gabbiano's
Dan & Elise Gold – Sebastiano’s
Ryan Roadhouse – Nodoguro
Darby Aldaco – Pizza Thief
Mika Paredes – L'Echelle

Summer Supper 2026 Beverage Partners:

Straightaway Cocktails
Bauman’s Cider
Post Familiar
Commensal
Dappled Tonic
More to be announced

What: Summer Supper from Urban Gleaners

When: Sunday, September 13th from 5pm to 8pm

Where: The Redd on Salmon

Photo by AJ Meeker

Ticket Info

GA : $100, includes 1 drink token, Summer Supper reusable cup

VIP : $150, includes 30 min early entry, 2 drink tokens, custom event tote bag with goodies, Summer Supper reusable cup

https://secure.qgiv.com/for/testsummersupper2026/event/summersupper2026/

More on Summer Supper 2026:

Join us for Urban Gleaners' Third Annual Summer Supper, a one-of-a-kind walk-around tasting experience that celebrates Portland’s vibrant food scene, highlights the power of upcycled ingredients, and supports our mission to fight food waste and food insecurity in our community.

This unforgettable evening features 15 of Portland’s most acclaimed chefs, each crafting inspired small plates using gleaned and upcycled ingredients, transforming what’s often discarded into something extraordinary. Complementing the culinary creations will be a curated selection of local beer, wine, craft cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages from some of the region’s favorite vendors.

Urban Gleaners will be celebrating their 20 year anniversary, so guests can expect celebratory activities, and cake! Explore interactive booths hosted by Urban Gleaners’ nonprofit and local farm partners, and take part in fun, educational activities centered around food systems and sustainability.

This is an all-ages, family-friendly event.

About Urban Gleaners:

Since 2006, Urban Gleaners has been committed to eliminating the barriers to accessing nourishing food, and creating a resilient food system that recognizes nourishment as a fundamental right in a just society. The organization collects fresh, delicious food that would otherwise go to waste, and redistributes it to families experiencing food insecurity through their 42 Free Food Markets across Portland.

With 40% of food ending up in landfills and 1 in 4 children in Oregon lacking access to healthy meals, the need is clear. Just in the last two years, attendance at Urban Gleaners’ Free Food Markets has increased by an average of 44%. As the cost of groceries, housing, transportation, and everyday essentials continues to rise, more families are turning to reliable sources of free, nutritious food to help make ends meet. Supporting Urban Gleaners allows them to rescue and redistribute high-quality food every single day, operate consistent community-centered programs, and ensure neighbors can access food with dignity, choice, and cultural relevance.

2026 Best of The West Coast National IPA Competition Winners

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Sun, 02 Aug 2026 07:00:54 +0000

Best of the West national IPA competition announced the 2026 award-winning beers from across the country. Oregon breweries topped the leaderboard with 19 medals, with California following closely with 17 medals. Overall, breweries from 11 states took home medals.

Breweries from around the country entered 330 West Coast IPAs into the fourth annual Best of the West Coast National IPA Throwdown, and results were announced Friday, July 31st at TopWire Hop Project.

Thirty-six judges from 7 states evaluated the 330 entries in triplicate, making Best of the West one of the most thorough and intensive beer competitions in the world. When all was said and done, 91 beers from 62 breweries met the criteria to enter into medal contention, and 64 beers walked away with awards.

The Best of the West is a national competition dedicated to a single style of beer: West Coast IPA. Unlike other competitions, it awards multiple gold and silver medals, recognizing the quality, breadth, and depth of world-class IPA being produced in the country. The winning beers represent genre-leading examples from some of the world's top producers of hoppy beer.

Moonraker Brewing won the Grand Champion IPA award for their West Coast IPA above 6.7%, Spinal Sap. Additionally, Moonraker’s Flagship IPA, Outrigger, was named runner-up Grand Champion IPA. Finally, Moonraker’s third beer, Wild West, won a gold medal, allowing Moonraker to go three for three. This is the first time in the Best of the West history that a single brewery was named both Grand and Runner-Up Grand Champion. Hop lovers around the world better be planning their trip to Auburn, CA! Other notable winners include Alma Mader Brewing, Meanwhile Brewing, Breakside Brewery, Grains of Wrath Brewing, and Riip Beer Co. for taking home medals for all three of their competition entries.

Breweries from 26 states participated in this year's competition, with heavy representation coming from Oregon, California, and Washington. Medal-winning beers came from 11 states – proving that West Coast IPA doesn’t have to be coastal. Oregon breweries led the medal count with 19 awards, followed by California at 17. Breweries were limited to 3 entries regardless of size or number of locations.

Proceeds from Best of the West go to support the Oregon Brewers Guild and aid in our mission of promoting and protecting Oregon beer.

Grand Champion IPA Moonraker Brewing Spinal Sap (CA)

Runner Up Grand Champion IPA Moonraker Brewing Outrigger (CA)

Very Small Brewery Champion IPA Alma Mader Brewing SOMO (MO)

Small Brewery Champion IPA Ruse Brewing Nectar Extracto (OR)

Medium Brewery Champion IPA Moonraker Brewing Wild West (CA)

Large Brewery Champion IPA Meanwhile Brewing Dream Logic (TX)

Regional Brewery Champion IPA Breakside Brewery Gala (OR)

Very Large Brewery Champion IPA Deschutes Brewery West Coast Steeze (OR)

Champion Traditional American IPA Masthead Brewing Co. Masthead IPA (OH)

Champion WC IPA Below 6.7% Trap Door Brewing Trap Door IPA (WA)

Champion WC IPA Above 6.7% Moonraker Brewing Spinal Sap (CA)

Champion International IPA Grains of Wrath Brewing Wastelandia (WA)

Champion Flagship IPA Moonraker Brewing Outrigger (CA)

Champion Oregon Hop IPA Fieldwork Brewing Company Pinch Me, I’m In Medford (CA)

Gold Medal Alma Mader Brewing Canyon Call (MO)

Gold Medal Breakside Brewery Breakside IPA (OR)

Gold Medal Brujos Brewing King Chachi (OR)

Gold Medal Cannonball Creek Brewing Company Mindbender (CO)

Gold Medal Formula Brewing Formula 33 (WA)

Gold Medal Grains of Wrath Brewing Built for Speed (WA)

Gold Medal Grains of Wrath Brewing Blessings of the Highest Order (WA)

Gold Medal Grand Fir Pink Sky (OR)

Gold Medal Great Notion Brewing Easy Lift (OR)

Gold Medal Meanwhile Brewing Secret Beach (TX)

Gold Medal Riip Beer Co Chaos Creation (CA)

Gold Medal Roughtail Brewing Company Temperance (OK)

Gold Medal Ruse Brewing Clock of Grey Hours (OR)

Gold Medal Sunriver Brewing Company Always Sunny in Yakima (OR)

Gold Medal Templin Family Brewing Ferda (UT)

Gold Medal Tenma Beer Project Subvert the Hierarchy (CA)

Gold Medal Urban Roots Brewing Like Riding A Bike (CA)

Silver Medal Alma Mader Brewing Surcharge (MO)

Silver Medal Amalgam Brewing Classic West (CO)

Silver Medal Bend Brewing Space Cowboy (OR)

Silver Medal Bend Brewing Tropic Pines (OR)

Silver Medal Berryessa Brewing Co Separation Anxiety (CA)

Silver Medal Breakside Brewery Wanderjack (OR)

Silver Medal Bridger Brewing Sneak Route (MT)

Silver Medal Brothers Cascadia Brewing Lickity Split (WA)

Silver Medal Claremont Craft Ales 14th Anniversary IPA (CA)

Silver Medal Cloudburst Brewing Actual Poison (WA)

Silver Medal Counter Weight Brewing Company Bright Wave (CT)

Silver Medal Fieldwork Brewing Company Westcoast Slang (CA)

Silver Medal Formula Brewing Textured Approach (WA)

Silver Medal Fort George Brewery 3-Way NZ-Style West Coast IPA (OR)

Silver Medal Ghost Town Brewing Vinebreaker (CA)

Silver Medal Ghost Town Brewing Wandercrust (CA)

Silver Medal Great Notion Brewing Counting Rings (OR)

Silver Medal Heater Allen/ Gold Dot Staggers & Jags Cold IPA (OR)

Silver Medal Hop Dogma Brewing Company Sunset Serenade (CA)

Silver Medal Liquid Mechanics Brewing Lucid AF (CO)

Silver Medal Little Beast Brewing Lion's Share (OR)

Silver Medal McFleshman's Brewing Co. 547 (WI)

Silver Medal Meanwhile Brewing Edible Colors (TX)

Silver Medal pFriem Family Brewers Cosmic Guava West Coast IPA (OR)

Silver Medal Riip Beer Co Riip'n Greens (CA)

Silver Medal Riip Beer Co Danky Doodle Dandy (CA)

Silver Medal Single Hill Brewing Eastside (WA)

Silver Medal Trap Door Brewing DREAM Jr (WA)

Silver Medal Uprise Brewing Ground Loop (WA)

Silver Medal Varietal Beer Co Westie Willis (WA)

Silver Medal Vice Beer Stay Dursty (WA)

Silver Medal Von Ebert Brewing Co. The Heavy Lift IPA (OR)

Silver Medal Von Ebert Brewing Co. Tidal Escape IPA (OR)

Silver Medal Westbound & Down Brewing Co. Westbound IPA (CO)

Category	Total Entries	Prelim Flight	Avg. Flight Size	Beers Getting 0 Top 3 Votes	Beers Getting 1 Top 3 Vote	Beers Getting 2 Top 3 Votes	Beers Getting 3 Top 3 Votes	Total Beers Advancing to Trophy Contention	Silver Medals Awarded	Gold Medals Awarded
Traditional	25	2	13	11	6	6	2	8	1	2
WC IPA Below 6.7%	78	6	13	31	25	19	3	22	8	6
WC IPA Above 6.7%	83	7	12	32	28	13	10	23	11	9
International	37	3	12	17	8	8	4	12	5	3
Flagship	67	6	11	26	17	17	7	24	9	7
Oregon Hop	12	11	12	3	7	1	1	2	1	1
No Show/Withdrawn	28	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Total	330	25	13	120	91	64	27	91	35	29
Total %	-	-	-	39.74%	30.13%	21.19%	8.94%	30.13%	11.59%	9.60%

State-by-state Entries:

CA 87

OR 81

WA 55

CO 23

TX 12

OH 7

MT 6

NE 6

OK 6

KS 5

MO 5

NY 5

AZ 5

IA 4

CT 3

UT 3

FL 2

IL 2

MN 2

NC 2

PA 2

WI 2

ID 1

MI 1

ND 1

SC 1

First look at The Malarkey: Flamboyant new Woodfired Steak & Seafood Lounge in NW Portland

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 20:20:16 +0000

The Malarkey is one of Portland’s most anticipated restaurant openings of the year. Combining elements of the Oregon Coast, cattle ranches of Central Oregon, Mexican wood-fired grilled specialties, and a Portlandia “Keep Portland Weird” flair, The Malarkey is certainly the most wild and free-ranging concepts to open in awhile.

Brian Malarkey grew up on a cattle ranch outside of Bend, attended the University of Portland and flunked out, quit acting school, and then turned to culinary school—a path leading to a career of throwing dinner parties. Brian built a national TV presence on the Food Network (Top Chef, Guy’s Grocery Games, Tournament of Champions), and started a restaurant group called The Brothers Malarkey (Brian’s restaurant group with his brother James), with their first location in Bend - Hawkeye & Huckleberry Lounge.

Brian brings a flamboyant showmanship to the fore at The Malarkey, referred to as “a maximalist ode to the state that shaped him.” The 10,000-square-foot space has a sunken bar, a small dance floor and DJ stage, and an upstairs dining room, and more dimly lit private back room for events and spillover. The space has lots of natural light, crystal balls, mirrors, and silver and gold like the elk sculpture that makes for the centerpiece of the bar, and a vintage motorcycle that sits over the edge of the upper and lower level floors.

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The Malarkey is primarily a wide open floor plan with ramps and open levels creating separation between unenclosed “rooms” each with a different theme, primarily bright and pastel swathed with only the back room and bathroom hall taking on a darker more moody woods and ranch tone. The space is designed by Heylen Thienes of Bend-based Tricorn Black , who has covered one area in extra Portland concert posters instead of paintings or prints, and the bar/lounge area with vintage Oregon photos, wall mounted fish, and ornamental mirrors. Above it all are neon tubes throwing off an ambient pink hue, and punctuated by neon signs and hanging plants. There is also a private dining nook inspired by Chinatown. But what has received the most talk is the stripper polls in the bathrooms, though we did not experience them in the men’s room. Instead we were greeted by crystal balls, and a retro 70s club chic.

I won’t comment too much on the food, as we only experienced small bites and snack food at a pre-opening party and I still can’t find a full menu online for the Malarkey. But I will say the steak bites, roasted salmon, and trout crudo, were all excellent.

The full menu is stated to respect local ingredients and the farmers behind them with emphasis on steak, seafood, the Oregon coastal flavor with Mexican seeping in.

Chef Lalo Camarena is heading up the kitchen after leading the nationally recognized República as executive chef, a role he stepped into at just 23. Raised between Mazatlán and Los Angeles, from generations of ranchers and farmers, Chef Lalo’s approach is shaped by wood-fired cooking, fine-dining playfulness, and a wide-ranging, cross-cultural perspective. Above all else, his approach is guided by a simple ethos: “Feed them like they’re your grandma.”

Chef Lalo will focus on simple, yet perfect, preparations. An abundant raw oyster selection and geoduck fritters celebrate the Oregon Coast. Wood-fired tomahawk steaks, marrow bones, and beef cuts will arrive on spinning lazy Susans for the whole table. Steakhouse classics like Caesar salads and baked potatoes will have distinct Lalo spins, drawing inspiration from both his Mexican-American upbringing and the diverse culinary cultures of the Pacific Northwest. Sourcing remains close to home and includes hemp-fed beef raised on Brian’s family ranch in central Oregon.

With The Malarkey, owner Brian Malarkey is returning to his birthplace, where his family has been since the 1880s and he is not shy about attracting attention in any way he can with his maximalist sensibility.

“I'm just building a beautiful venue for Lalo to throw an amazing celebration for all of Portland to enjoy,"said Malarkey.

The Malarkey, 1210 NW Hoyt St, Portland, OR 97209, reservations are now live on OpenTable .

Breakside Brewery’s new West Coast IPA replaces Stay West IPA in 12oz cans

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:23:44 +0000

Breakside Brewery, one of Portland's largest and most award-winning breweries, is adding a new core beer to their year-round lineup. Breakside West Coast IPA joins the already extensive year-round India Pale Ale lineup of classic Breakside IPA, Wanderlust IPA, and Stay West IPA. The new Breakside West Coast IPA will replace the core Stay West IPA in 12oz cans which will be winding down production this Fall and Winter.

Breakside Stay West IPA is being discontinued

To celebrate the new Breakside West Coast IPA release, the beer will be tapped simultaneously across Portland on National IPA Day, August 6, at beloved bottle shops and neighborhood beer bars.

Yakima’s favorite craft beer industry hangout has closed

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 09:47:37 +0000

The oldest bar in Yakima, Washington has closed. Since 1912 generations of locals and brewers visiting from around the world for the annual hop harvest have patronized this downtown bar. The bar-restaurant had become a full-time card room before going out of business in 2003 and reopening as The Sports Center in 2006

The Sports Center, (214 E Yakima Ave, Yakima, WA 98901) an iconic pub known for their bright neon lights and spinning duck hunter marquee has been a mainstay in the heart of Washington’s apple, marijuana, and hop growing region. While The Sports Center was a dive bar through and through, you could always count on a great craft beer selection, especially during hop harvest when brewers and local hop farms wanted to see their experimental hops and seasonal brews on draft at everyone’s go-to watering hole.

The Yakima County-Herald once wrote that “The Sports Center has been a key player in downtown Yakima's post-mall cultural renaissance. It gave hip, young Yakima a place to congregate downtown.”

Sky's Shutter Media reporting for the New School says The Sports Center officially closed on Tuesday, July 21st without warning. The Sports Center social media accounts last post was in promotion for a DJ Dance Party the bar was hosting on Friday, July 17th.

The Sports Center had previously closed for an entire year in the beginning of the pandemic with the owners opting not to reopen before finding a buyer to keep the business alive. Willie Edwards and Todd Widner, both owners of the The Sports Center building, decided to take over and reopen the bar in January 2022. The reopening refreshed the bathrooms, got a new dance floor, and made upgrades to the bar. The biggest change was the opening of sister business Gus’s Pizza next door, providing slices to the bar and in a separate family friendly space. The bar schedule also shifted to a Thursday - Sunday schedule, and more of a late evening experience featuring more live music and dance parties.

“Over the past day, I reached out to several people involved to better understand the closure,” says Sky’s Shutter Media reporting for New School Beer.

The Sports Center’s former manager Erin said, "I will be forever grateful that the ownership gave me the opportunity to fulfill my vision of what The Sports Center could be, and I am very proud of what we built."

Erin said the decision to close was a personal decision by the ownership, adding that she has nothing but respect and understanding for that decision. She also thanked her staff and the many customers who supported the bar throughout the years, calling it "a crazy beautiful ride."

Willie Edwards of WMT Enterprises LLC, the building co-owner and Sports Center bar co-owner since 2021 said that he and his business partners met with management on Tuesday, July 21, where they made the difficult decision to close the bar.

Edwards said that despite being one of the busiest bars in town, the business had been consistently losing money. According to Edwards, he and his partners had continued putting money into the business to keep it operating, but eventually decided it was time to hit the reset button.

Edwards emphasized that he does not want this to be a permanent closure.

Instead, he said the owners hope to make changes to the business, find new management, and eventually reopen The Sports Center under a more sustainable business model.

Sky Media also looked into online claims regarding the property's tax status. When initially asked about the issue, Edwards said the business was not behind on taxes. But, the Yakima County Assessor's Office and the Yakima County Treasurer's Office showed something different.

As of Thursday July 23rd, the WMT Enterprises LLC property tax account associated with the property showed a cumulative balance due of $16,756.08, including a delinquent 2025 property tax balance.

After sharing those records with Edwards, he said he believed the taxes had been paid based on what he had been told by the business's accountant and manager. He expressed surprise at the information and said he planned to look into it further.

It is unclear if and when The Sports Center could reopen in a new form, but what would be their busiest season during the annual hop harvest is only about 1 month away.

2026 Midyear Report on the State of the Craft Beer Industry

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:10:03 +0000

Craft production trends held steady at -4% in the first half of 2026, while the decline in operating breweries slightly increased and consumer engagement strengthened.

The Brewers Association (BA) craft beer trade group has released results from its midyear survey, presenting an updated look at the craft beer industry. While the findings point to continued pressure, several indicators suggest the contraction may be moderating.

Wider Beverage Alcohol Struggles

Retail scan data showed steeper declines than the BA estimate. Off-premise data from NielsenIQ (NIQ) shows BA-defined craft down 5.2% in the first half of 2026 across all channels (xAOC + Convenience + Liquor). By comparison, NIQ-defined craft was down 5.6% for the same period, and beer plus non-alcohol beer was down 4.0%. The shift from packaged to draught helps explain why the BA estimate for craft overall outperformed scan trends. When channels not measured by scan (i.e. draught and onsite) outperform packaged sales, the overall category estimate outperforms scan trends.

Beer continues to experience declines alongside other beverage alcohol categories. Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) SipSource data showed spirits volume down 5.3% and wine down 9.2% for the 12 months ending May 2026. That period does not align perfectly with the first-half craft beer figures, but it offers the most recent comparison available.

Signs of Resilience

The overall decline of craft volume is not the only story in these data. Among survey respondents, 54% reported growth, 43% reported declines, and 3% remained flat. Every craft brewery type had a greater share reporting growth than decline, with taprooms (57% growing) and regional breweries (56% growing) leading the charge. Among breweries producing more than 10,000 barrels, 59% reported growth and just 40% reported declines. While there’s likely positive-leaning sample bias (breweries are more likely to report when things are going well), this is an overall bump from 49% reporting growth in this survey last year.

Craft consumers offered another encouraging signal. In the 2026 Brewers Association and Harris Poll Consumer Survey of more than 2,000 adults, monthly craft consumption among craft drinkers reached 85%, up 10 percentage points year-over-year and up to its highest level since 2019–2020. Craft drinkers also visited breweries 5.5 times on average over the past year, up from 5.1 in 2025.

In spite of these bright spots, it is too soon to say whether craft has reached the bottom of the valley for trends in production volume or number of breweries. Still, after several years of figures moving in the wrong direction, that moderation may catalyze some cautious optimism for an industry of perseverant brewers. The world in which craft brewers operate hasn’t gotten any easier or more predictable in 2026, but perhaps the breweries that have weathered the storm so far are the ones that have best positioned themselves for storm weathering into the future.

Single Hill Brewing Retires Lateral A, Introduces Greenway Pale Ale to Core Lineup

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:08:51 +0000

Single Hill Brewing adds west coast-style pale ale to core lineup, retiring Lateral A

“It's a month and a half until Fresh Hop Season, so what better time to announce a new hop-forward core beer!” says Single Hill Brewing’s director of sales and marketing Andrew Pytel sarcastically. “Oh well, that's how the timing shook out. Single Hill is retiring Lateral A as a core beer after about six years on the lineup, to make room for Greenway, our new year-round pale ale.”

Yakima, Washington’s Single Hill Brewing Company will add Greenway Pale Ale to its core lineup in early August, replacing longtime staple Lateral A IPA in retail accounts across the greater Seattle area and at both of the brewery's retail locations. The beer will be available on draft and in 16-oz cans by August, and the first batch is getting canned up on Tuesday, July 28th.

Greenway is a modern, West Coast–style pale ale brewed with Riwaka, Mosaic, and Centennial hops over a pilsner malt base. At 5.2% ABV and 35 IBU, it's built to be lower in strength than the IPAs it sits alongside, with pine and lime zest aromatics and a crackery malt backbone.

The change keeps Single Hill's core lineup at four beers, swapping one of its IPAs for a pale ale that the brewery says gives hop-forward drinkers a lighter, everyday option alongside its existing core beers.

"We've been working on these lighter, hop-forward beers as rotators for years, and decided it was finally time to put our signature on a pale ale that will be available every day, all year round," said Andrew Pytel, Director of Sales and Marketing at Single Hill Brewing. "Lateral A is a great beer, but it overlapped too much with our other core IPAs and rotating IPAs. We think it will have more time to shine as a rotating option."

Lateral A isn't disappearing for good. The brewery plans to bring it back seasonally as Fresh Hop Lateral A and as an occasional rotating release.

Greenway will roll out to Single Hill's two retail locations and Seattle-area accounts in the first week of August; further distribution details will follow.

About Single Hill Brewing
Single Hill Brewing was founded in 2018 in Yakima, WA to create good times and great beer. The Yakima valley produces over 75% of the world's hops, and Single Hill is known for making good use of them—frequently winning awards for their hop-forward beers. To learn more, visit their website at www.singlehillbrewing.com.

Galleria & Grotto opening in former Doug Fir Lounge space

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 10:31:13 +0000

The original Doug Fir Lounge location at 830 E. Burnside will become Galleria + Grotto

Doug Fir Lounge was one of Portland’s most popular music venues and bars for 19 years before they closed in 2023 and announced plans to relocate to the former Le Bistro Montage space under the Morrison Bridge. As Doug Fir’s new location has continued to be pushed back from a projected early 2024 opening to the current fall 2026 timeline, the original location at 830 E. Burnside has remained vacant and for lease until now.

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The New School recently observed workers inside the papered over windows at the old Doug Fir Lounge space which anchors the corner of E. 9th and Burnside in front of the Jupiter Hotel. An Instagram post from @djdrewgroove back in September 2025 revealed the log-cabin themed interior, spaceship bar, and underlit floors and mirrors that gave the main floor bar its swagger were completely gutted. Now we have an idea of what is coming next, and I don’t mean Jupiter Next, the sister hotel just across the street.

Galleria & Grotto is a new concept from A2Z Jupiter and investment firm Fortrex Capital. Established in 2003 in Toronto, Canada, Fortrex started with a focus on residential development in underserved urban markets. In 2008 Fortrex moved into hospitality by acquiring a boutique hotel in Montreal, and then came to the U.S. in 2014 opening an office in New York. In Portland, the group opened the high end Japanese and Korean fusion restaurant “Janken” in Portland’s Pearl District in 2022.

Update 7/27/26 2:38pm: Fortrex Capital has issued a statement denying their involvement in either Janken or the Galleria & Grotto projects. Apparently, “Fortrex is an affiliate company of one of the owners of A2Z, but Fortrex Capital itself is not behind Galleria & Grotto.”

Both Janken and Galleria & Grover had pages on the Fortrex website in their hospitality assets section, and both of those pages were deleted later today after this article went public. See the Fortrex statement, and screenshots of the Google listings showing the deleted pages below.

Rendering of the upcoming Galleria + Grotto

Galleria & Grotto will be a modern vintage dining destination located within Portland’s historic music hall, attached to the newly renovated Jupiter Hotel. This is a 2-part concept utilizing both the former concert venue area downstairs as well as the main level lounge.

Just as Janken blends Korean and Japanese, Galleria & Grotto blends Italian and American fusion cuisine “where tradition meets innovation and every dish is crafted with intention.”

The kitchen will serve fresh handmade pasta and seasonal ingredients with global influences and a mix of familiar comfort dishes and creative outside the box items.

Doug Fir’s signature aesthetic of futuristic elevated roadside diner in a modernist structure will be replaced by a contemporary “Great Gatsby” ambiance at Galleria & Grotto: Rich burgundy tones, golden accents, candlelight, and glamorous special night out vibes.

It looks to keep the late evening hours of Doug Fir, opening daily not until 5pm and staying open to 11pm on weekdays and 2am on Saturday and Sunday.

Another rendering of Galleria & Grotto gives a sense of the posh decor

While Galleria serves as the main dining room, Grotto is a private event space for gatherings of up to 90 guests. While the ownership has not specifically mentioned anything about live music, their OLCC application indicates licensing for both DJ and Live Music performances on the weekends, so it’s unlikely this will be a full-time concert venue like Doug Fir.

Doug Fir should return to inner eastside Portland soon and rejuvenate an equally iconic space with an even larger concert venue at 301 SE Morrison Street. They are currently seeking a food truck/kitchen partner as they hope to open later this year. No word yet on a timeline for Galleria & Grotto, but the recently application for a liquor license indicates the near future.

Easy Jack & Electric Eagle Featured in New Firestone Walker IPA Mixed Pack

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:25:52 +0000

Exclusives Include the Return of Electric Eagle and Easy Jack

Paso Robles, CA – Firestone Walker introduces its next 2026 IPA Mixed Pack as a special selection of hop-forward beers that go to the heart of West Coast California beer culture, including the return of two pack exclusives—Electric Eagle and Easy Jack.

Landing amid Firestone Walker’s 30th anniversary year, this latest mixed pack is a hand-picked lineup of award-winning, style-defining beers, all brewed with a signature dedication to craftsmanship and flavor. No weak links—just four beers that stand shoulder-to-shoulder in a box built for true hop heads. The latest IPA Mixed Pack (12x12oz cans) is now rolling out to all Firestone Walker markets.

“This new pack captures the range of what West Coast IPA brewing can be, from classic expressions to newer flavors that push the style forward,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It also reflects our decades-long passion for creating hop-forward beers with balance, flavor and a distinct California point of view.”

Electric Eagle: West Coast IPA | 7% ABV
Two Central Coast icons are making noise with the return of Electric Eagle, a West Coast IPA brewed by Firestone Walker in collaboration with legendary guitar string maker Ernie Ball. With input from their friends at Ernie Ball, the Firestone Walker brewing team has pulled out all the stops to infuse Electric Eagle with explosive hop character in a progressive West Coast IPA style. A Firestone Mixed Pack exclusive.

Easy Jack: Session IPA | 4.2% ABV
This year marks the return of Easy Jack, Firestone Walker’s pioneering session IPA. First launched in 2014, Easy Jack was renowned for packing a classic IPA punch in a low ABV format, and it now resurfaces for the first time in five years. A full-flavored IPA that you can enjoy without tapping out early, Easy Jack packs vibrant citrus and tropical hop notes into a crisp 4.2% ABV package, making it the ultimate summertime IPA. A Firestone Mixed Pack exclusive.

Firestone IPA: West Coast IPA | 6.5% ABV
Firestone IPA is a future-forward beer born of West Coast roots and Firestone Walker flair. This is a beer that draws from the brewery’s nearly 20 years of experience with the ever-evolving West Coast IPA style. Liberally dry-hopped with Mosaic and Strata hops, Firestone IPA is loaded with fresh passionfruit, pineapple and citrus flavors that keep you coming back for more. A Gold Medal winner at the 2024 European Beer Star Awards and a Firestone Mixed Pack exclusive.

Union Jack: West Coast IPA | 7% ABV
Union Jack is the original Firestone West Coast IPA, brewed on the Central Coast since 2006. Union Jack is the IPA that helped blaze the trail for the revolutionary West Coast style. Named for the British Lion who co-founded the brewery, Union Jack is intensely hoppy yet eminently drinkable from start to finish. A fad-proof IPA for any hop head, and a Gold Medal winner at the 2025 World Beer Cup.

# # #

About Firestone Walker
Firestone Walker proudly celebrates 30 years in 2026. Founded by brothers-in-law Adam Firestone and David Walker, Firestone Walker is a family-led second-generation brewery based on California’s Central Coast. Helmed by Nick Firestone and decorated Brewmaster Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker's main brewery in Paso Robles produces a robust lineup of award-winning beers including 805, California's #1 craft beer brand established in 2012; Mind Haze, a top 5 national hazy IPA; and Cali Squeeze, one of the nation's fastest-growing beer brands. The Firestone brand family also includes iconic beers such as DBA, Union Jack, and Pivo Pils, as well as the storied Vintage Series of barrel-aged strong ales led by Parabola. As a California beer company, Firestone Walker also has two additional locations: the Barrelworks wild ale cellar in Santa Barbara County and the Propagator R&D brewhouse in Venice. In 2026, Firestone Walker assumed stewardship of two iconic California brands: Stone Brewing and Trumer Pils USA. More at FirestoneWalker.com.

Seattle’s 23-year-old beer bar the Collins Pub closing

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 19:50:08 +0000

The Collins Pub has been an oasis for craft beer and quality American pub food in Seattle, Washington’s pioneer square since 2003.

Before Brouwer’s Cafe, Pine Box, Full Throttle Bottles, and Chuck’s Hop Shop, there was the Collins Pub.

The Seattle Times declared The Collins Pub the 5th best beer bar in Seattle in 2011, saying ““They do about as good of a job of rotating craft beers and imports here as anywhere else in town.” And in 2009 wrote, “Seth Howard's Collins Pub remains a beacon of light in Pioneer Square.”

Fellow Seattle publican Gary Sink also opened his beer bar, Beveridge Place Pub, in 2003.

“For all the struggles of downtown since Covid I'm amazed they were able to keep going this long. 20+ years is a good run in this industry,” said Sink.

Geoff Kaiser, founder of the now defunct Seattle Beer News, was a longtime fan of The Collins Pub and had this to say;

“Collins Pub was important in large part because it was one of the few places in the downtown business core of Seattle that really cared about beer. ~20 years ago they were doing cask nights every Thursday, doing a great job of curating an interesting tap list, and doing beer dinners and other special events. One of the most memorable beer dinners I ever attended was at Collins for a HOTD dinner with Alan back in 2008. I don't remember the details, but both the food and the beers were epic. I recall a Strong Ale Fest they had back around the same time, as well.
As times changed for the beer industry and in Seattle, Collins changed over the years. They haven't had the focus on events or dinners for a long time. But they've always kept up an outstanding tap list that focused on fresh, local beers, and it's been a regular spot for many of us that work downtown for the past 20 years. The owner, Seth Howard, was an advocate for local breweries and would have been among the first to bring in stuff from new breweries making good quality beers (like Holy Mountain and Cloudburst when they started out). The food was always very good and reasonably priced, as well.
On a personal note, I've had too many good times at Collins over the years to remember. My wife and I started our first date there 20 years ago. We just held a remembrance there last month for a friend who recently passed away that used to spend a lot of time with us there. It's been the type of place that becomes a part of you, even if I haven't been going there as much these days (which was part of the problem...). It will be missed by many.”

Collins Pub closes at 11pm on Friday, July 24th. 526 2nd Ave, Seattle, WA 98104

Vice Beer and El Viejon serve up breakfast with a side of nostalgia

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:10:22 +0000

Vice Beer in east Vancouver, Washington has been serving up pop culture nostalgia and trending beers since 2022. Recently they upgraded their patio, got a new head brewer, signed a partnership with Atari, and started serving beers with a side of breakfast and fresh coffee to pair with their mimosa sour and house micheladas. Pfew!

Bullet points: New patio, more seating, new AM drinks, new El Viejon breakfast, New El Viejon Weekend brunch, new El Viejon sushi, new El Viejon menu items, new pour-over coffee program, launching 4 new beers with Atari on September 4th, celebrating 4 years on September 25th.

Vice Beer: 705 SE Park Crest Ave, Vancouver, Washington, now open at 9am daily.

El Viejon expansion under new covered patio structure

Eldy Prado is the founder of El Viejon. Born in the state of Nayarit, Mexico, Chef Eldy Prado's passion for cooking was ignited at a young age while working alongside his mother in their family food business. With nearly 30 years experience cooking for other people, Eldy opened El Viejon.

El Viejon has earned a reputation for authentic Mexican tacos and seafood that pairs well with craft beers. El Viejon launched with Vice Beer in August 2022, and they have grown alongside each other: Vice with a second downtown Vancouver taproom called ‘A Little Vice’ and El Viejon with new kitchens or food trucks attached to popular brewery taprooms like Fortside Brewing, Brujos Brewing, and briefly Gigantic Brewing’s Hawthorne pub.

Vice has finally completed a new 64-foot-long all-weather patio first promised in a New School article in September 2025. The permanent structure provides a shady place that keeps the rain out but lets the light in the warmer months with misters for extreme heat and a warm and cozy spot in the colder months where people can gather.

“It was over a year ago that I last talked with New School about these plans as well as our cellar capacity expansion that happened in June of 2025. To witness it all finally coming together and falling into place is super exciting,” says Vice Beer co-owner Michael Perozzo.

The patio is built around El Viejon’s new state-of-the-art 22’ kitchen trailer that forms a convenient wall enclosure to the parking lot and business park where the brewery is located. With tropical plants, picnic tables, turf, and partial walls and a permanent wood cover now decorating the face of the taproom, you can almost trick yourself that you are enjoying Mariscos and Cervezas on a patio in San Diego.

Weekday Breakfast and Weekend Brunch

El Viejon’s new and improved food truck means faster service times and room for the full menu that owner Eldy Prado has always dreamed of — Breakfast tacos and burritos, weekend brunch, Senora (ribeye) tacos, nachos, Birria ramen, more mariscos and Sinaloa-style sushi!

“I worked as a cook making breakfast and brunch for more the 20 years. Breakfast items are some of favorite foods,” says El Viejon owner Eldy Prado. “For the last two years, people ask me about breakfast burritos and tacos, but because of the short space on the old truck, we never got the opportunity to do breakfast. That's why I built a new trailer to have the space and equipment to execute a breakfast menu.Now we are ready to serve breakfast all day!”

Murray’s Breakfast Burrito…$14.99
Flour tortillas, mixed cheese, scrambled eggs, with choice of meatt, mixed peppers and onions, golden brown tater tots, chipotle aioli and avocado
AZ Breakfast Tacos…$3.99
Flour tortillas, mixed cheese, scrambled eggs, with choice of meat, mixed peppers and onions, chipitole aioli, avocado and a side of house salsa. Tater tots on side.
NW Breakfast Sando…$14.99
Grilled Portland bakery sourdough bread, chipotle aioli, mixed cheese, scrambled eggs, with choice of meat, mixed peppers and onions, pico de Gallo and sliced avicadi, Tater tots on the side.
Choice of Meat
Bacon, ham, pork sausage, chorizo, carne asada, pollo asodo, grilled veggies.

El Viejon is open with breakfast food all day every day at 9am, but on weekends they are executing new brunch food specials that go above and beyond, truly elevating your weekend plans.

“I love brunch, but is something different,” says Prado. “I really appreciate the loyalty of my customers and I wanted to do something different every weekend. I love to have challenges as a chef keep me sharp and busy.”

El Viejon has launched a new weekend brunch that serves unique items each weekend that are not regularly on the menu. Recently this included Chilequiles Verde, Birria Eggs Benedict and El Viejon’s own spin on Hievos Rancheros. Brunch is served 9am to 2pm on Saturday and Sunday only.

Vice wasn’t going to let El Viejon have all the fun outside on the patio, and they are both now opening at 9am all 7-days a week. In accordance they have expanded drink offerings to include things like mimosas, Bellinis, Brass Monkeys and Micheladas with a house-made climato by El Viejon and all of them are available to close.

If you are going to have breakfast, you should probably also have caffeine.

Vice developed a pour-over coffee program inspired by Philz Coffee of the Bay Area with a rotating roasts taproom-style twist. Coffees are sourced from around the world by roasters in high-acclaim like Proud Mary, Tiny Footprint; and also locally from Irrelevant, Transcendence and Kafiex. No sugary offerings. Purely 3rd wave coffee with all natural enhancements and garnishes. Coffee lovers dress their bean juice with add-Ins like heavy cream, oat milk, coconut milk, raw sugar, raw honey or fresh mint leaves. You won’t find syrups or an espresso machine. Everything is poured to-order on a Chemex brewer flask. Nitro Cold Brew coffee by Relevant Coffee is also on tap with a few house specialties like the Mint Condition - a creamy muddled mint delight, the Buzzworthy - an oat milk and honey concoction, or the Miami Mocha with Ghirardelli chocolate & cacao, cream, and a splash of coconut milk. All coffee beverages are available all day from 9am to close.

Atari collaboration beers:

Another one of the projects teased in a New School Beer article last September was a potential for collaboration beers with retro gaming icon Atari. In May of 2025, the founder of Night Dive Studios and current Atari exec, Stephen Kick, joined Vice as an investor and advisor to help bring many of these projects to life.

“We’re stoked that our collaboration with Atari is finally taking shape!,” says Vice co-owner/founder Michael Perozzo. “While we are not at liberty to reveal the can art just yet, Atari has commissioned an accomplished artist in the video game industry to create labels for 4 beers.”

Original Bug Battle Hazy IPA - inspired by Centipede
One-Button Joystick WC IPA - inspired by the original video game controller that started it all
Gemstone Sour - A raspberry lemonade tart ale inspired by Bentley Bear’s adventures in Crystal Castles.
Sunken Treasure - A S’mores Stout celebrating Atari’s retro remaster studio, Night Dive Studios!

These beers will all release for the first time at PAX West - the nation’s largest gaming convention. There will be a special afterparty hosted by Atari with games to play and beers to enjoy before the public launch at Vice Beer’s 2 taprooms and in cans to over 40 states thanks to a partnership with Tavour. Beer nerds will be able to score 4-packs from Atari.com via a portal powered by Tavour or from the Tavour app directly.

Vice Beer (left to right): Michael Perozzo, Phil Pesheck, Paul Linthacum

New award-winning Vice head brewer

Vice Beer’s former head brewer Aaron Copelin recently took over as head brewer of Great Notion Brewing, and Vice Beer was lucky to snag acclaimed brewer Phil Pesheck to take the reins.
“We’re stoked to have Phil Pesheck on the team. His reputation preceded him as the 2020 Alpha King and we’d heard his beers’ names called out at GABF and World Beer Cup a number of times in the last 5+ years,” says Michael Perozzo. “Our top focus is to continue that winning tradition with world-class IPAs, lagers and an eclectic array of styles to keep beer fun.”

Pecheck joins assistant brewer Paul Linthacum who has been there since the beginning of Vice’s year-old cellar expansion project.

“We’re really excited about his expert palette (coming from a classically trained chef background) and his passion for pushing the envelope for innovations and flavor combinations,” adds Perozzo. “Now we have the capacity to make more beer, the space for more people to enjoy our beer, and the team and talent to make really great beer. We couldn’t be more excited as we prepare to turn 4 years old in September.”

Vice Beer & El Viejon 4-Year Anniversary

On September 25th Vice Beer & El Viejon will celebrate 4 years together with a weekend-long bash that features live music, DJ’s, custom hats, merch drops, a tattoo pop-up, and a special 4-brewery collaboration series.

To commemorate 4 years, Vice has invited some of their most influential friends from each west coast state for a 4-way IPA, if you will. Trap Door, Great Notion and Original Pattern represent individuals who have been friends from the beginning.

“They’ve each had a real impact on how we do things and they each have the type of people we go to when we need to troubleshoot an issue or just want to throw down a rad collab,” adds Perozzo.

Anniversary beer “4-Player IPA” will be released in at least two styles: West Coast & Hazy. Vice is also flirting with maybe pushing that to include a Double Westy and a Double Hazy as well depending on how fresh hop season gets underway.

Vice Beer, 705 SE Park Crest Ave, Vancouver, Washington

Leadership transition at Northwest Cider Association

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 19:23:51 +0000

Jana Daisy-Ensign (left) and Emily Ritchie (right)

After nearly 12 years of leadership, Emily Ritchie has decided to step down as Executive Director of the Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) on July 31st, 2026. The NWCA board has appointed long-time friendly familiar face of the industry Jana Daisy-Ensign as Interim Director starting August 1st.

Since joining NWCA in 2015, Ritchie has helped guide the organization from formative beginnings to where it stands today, as one of the most well funded and respected regional beverage associations in the country. During her tenure, the association expanded its membership and impact, secured more than $4.5 million in grants and sponsorships, strengthened advocacy efforts and developed signature programs including Northwest Cider Symposium and the Northwest Cider Cup, recognized as one of the industry's most rigorous and prestigious cider competitions in the Pacific Northwest. Grant funding supported research, orchard and fermentation education, quality initiatives, market development and exploration of international trade opportunities, helping elevate the reputation of Northwest cider and extend its influence far beyond the region.

Over the past 16 years, NWCA has grown alongside the cider industry into a leading regional trade association serving cideries, orchardists, allied supplier partners and cider fans across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia. Today, the organization is recognized as a trusted voice for cider, a valuable resource for cider education and marketing and a model for regional collaboration.

"Emily's leadership has had a lasting impact on both our organization and the Northwest cider community," said Andrew Byers, President of the NWCA Board of Directors. "She leaves NWCA strong, resilient and well positioned for the future. On behalf of the Board, we are deeply grateful for her vision, dedication and more than a decade of service."

In 2024, Ritchie received the American Cider Association's Significant Impact Award, one of the industry's highest honors, recognizing her lasting contributions to the cider community. She was also honored with two SIP Magazine awards, reflecting excellence in communications and leadership.

The Board emphasized that NWCA enters this transition from a position of strength with a highly qualified and dedicated staff, more than a year of operating reserves, multiple active grant funded initiatives, a clear strategic plan, established organizational systems, and strong relationships with members, partners and funders.

The Board has appointed Jana Daisy-Ensign as Interim Director starting the transition Aug 1. Daisy-Ensign has been with NWCA for nearly seven years, including serving as Deputy Director. She brings more than 20 years of experience in the craft beverage industry, including 12 years in the Pacific Northwest cider industry and nearly a decade of nonprofit leadership expertise. One of the world's first Certified Pommeiliers, she serves as Competition Co-Director of the Northwest Cider Cup and received NWCA's sole Northwest Cider Leadership Award in 2019.

Ritchie reflects on the value of the relationships and connections made as she prepares for her next chapter. "Serving the Northwest Cider Association has been the honor of my professional career," Ritchie said. "I am incredibly proud of what this community has accomplished together

and grateful to the members, partners, volunteers, staff, and Board who made it possible. I leave knowing the organization is strong and well positioned for continued success."

About Northwest Cider Association

For more than 15 years, the Northwest Cider Association (NWCA) has brought cideries and cider lovers together to learn, experience and enjoy the Northwest cider culture. Representing more than 300 cider professionals throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, the group is dedicated to supporting, promoting and growing its thriving industry. For more information, visit NWCider.comand follow @nwcider on social media.

Cider Summit Seattle celebrates 15 years

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:08:27 +0000

Cider Summit Seattle Celebrates 15 Years! Seattle’s premier cider festival returns September 11 & 12 to South Lake Union

Cider lovers can once again enjoy the annual Cider Summit Seattle, the region’s largest hard cider tasting festival, with a wide selection of food and beverages. Cider Summit Seattle 2026 will take place Friday, September 11 from 3 – 8 p.m. (VIP session begins at 2 p.m.) and Saturday, September 12 from noon – 5 p.m. Once again, the summit will return to its roots on the Lawn at Discovery Center, located in the heart of South Lake Union at 101 Westlake Ave. N. In addition to this year’s festival, attendees can also purchase access to a hosted, four-course pairing session that will take place from 11 a.m. – noon on Saturday, September 12. The tasting will feature sips by Slightly Furry Cider paired with cupcakes from noted Seattle bakeries.

“We’re very excited to celebrate this benchmark,” said Alan Shapiro, Cider Summit co-founder and producer. “Each year we’re excited to introduce a range of new vendors and new products to even our most loyal festival attendees.”

Presented by Amazon and Slightly Furry’s Southend Public House, more than 40 producers convene at Cider Summit to share over 125 ciders, meads, cider cocktails, and fruit spirits, sourced both from Pacific Northwest and beyond. Additionally, many cidermakers will be in attendance to deliver firsthand guidance on tasting and pairings.

“Each year our members and cider fans throughout the region look forward to Cider Summit Seattle,” said Emily Ritchie, Executive Director of NW Cider Association. “Since 2010, it has been the area’s signature cider event. We're excited to see its momentum continue in the PNW.”

Tickets are on sale now

General admission and VIP tickets are now available online for purchase until 11:59am on September 11, 2026.

● VIP tickets – $45+ if purchased by July 31 and $50+ after. The VIP tickets include early entry into the festival on Sept.11, as well as 16 tasting tickets and a festival tasting glass.

● General admission tickets – $35+ if purchased by July 31, $40+ through Sept. 11 and $55 at the gate (includes all taxes/fees). General admission tickets include 12 tasting tickets and a festival tasting glass.

● Cider & Cupcake paired tasting – available for $30+ as an add-on to any ticket purchase. Includes access to a hosted, four-course tasting event on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. Space is limited to 60 participants and will feature a surprise bonus tasting.

● Designated driver tickets – available for $10/$11 at the gate only and include a complimentary bottle of water. Minors are not allowed at the festival.

Taxes and fees are not included except as noted. Advance-sale tickets will be available exclusively online. Additional tasting tickets are available onsite at $2 per ticket.

Food and More Fun

● Eats are available for purchase from Miss Café and Kathmandu MoMoCha along with additional onsite snacks from KaffeeKlatsch, Little Jamie’s Mini Donuts, Don & Joe’s Meats and Salt Blade Handcrafted Meats.

● Oregon Fruit Co. Fruit Cider Challenge, with voting via QR code to determine winner. ● Heritage Cider Pavilion featuring farm-based regional artisanal cider producers. ● Stop by the Dog Lounge hosted by and benefitting Seattle Humane Society for shade, water, and treats. Well-behaved dogs on leash are welcome at the festival!

● Event store featuring bottles and cans to-go, festival merch, and extra tasting tickets. ● Cider Summit Rewards featuring post-event bonus offers and discounts from event sponsors and local vendors.

About Cider Summit

Founded over a dozen years ago, Cider Summit produces cider tasting festivals in Seattle and Chicago. Cider Summit Seattle is sponsored by Amazon, Southend Public House, BevMo!, Oregon Fruit Co. and Odom Corp. Media partners include The Stranger, Sip Magazine, and Pommes & Pints Podcast. Our event beneficiaries include the Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research, Seattle Humane Society, and NW Cider Association. Learn more at CiderSummit.comand follow @CiderSummit on social media and join the conversation with #CiderSummitSEA.

It’s About the Beer! a Double Mountain, Everybody’s Brewing & Solera collaboration for Horse Brass Pub

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 18:02:27 +0000

Celebrating 50 Years of the Horse Brass Pub with a Gorge Collaboration

Last week the iconic Portland bar the Horse Brass Pub celebrated 50 years with some original collaborations. For the special occasion of honoring one of the nations most legendary beers bars, Double Mountain Brewery & Cidery teamed up with fellow Columbia River Gorge breweries Everybody’s Brewing, Solera Brewery, and the Horse Brass to create It’s About the Beer, a classic West Coast IPA brewed in honor of one of Oregon’s most influential craft beer institutions. The special limited release anniversary beer “It’s About the Beer” is still available at the Horse Brass, and now also in 12oz bottles and Double Mountain locations.

Pouring a polished English copper hue with bright aromas of grapefruit, Cara Cara orange, Meyer lemon, and fresh biscuit, It’s About the Beer delivers everything fans love about a timeless West Coast IPA. At 6% ABV and 40 IBUs, it’s a beer designed for another pint and good conversation.

The collaboration pays tribute to the Horse Brass Pub’s founder, Don Younger, whose passion for great beer helped lay the foundation for Oregon’s craft brewing scene. His famous saying, “It’s not about the beer. It’s about the beer,” became the inspiration behind both the beer and its name.

Left to Right: Greg Balch (Double Mountain), Matt Swihart (Double Mountain), Jerry Fechter (Horse Brass Pub), Jason Kahler (Solera Brewery), Doug Ellenberger (Everybody's Brewing)

“Without the Horse Brass, the craft brewing industry would be in a much different spot,” said Matt Swihart, brewmaster at Double Mountain Brewery & Cidery. “Don Younger championed local craft breweries long before it was fashionable, and the pub continues to pour some of the finest beer you’ll find anywhere. It was an honor to collaborate with Everybody’s Brewing, Solera Brewery, and the Horse Brass team on a beer that reflects what we all love to drink.”

Swihart worked alongside Doug Ellenberger of Everybody’s Brewing, Jason Kahler of Solera Brewery, and Jerry Fechter of the Horse Brass to develop a recipe that celebrates the enduring appeal of the West Coast IPA. Built on a clean, crisp malt backbone with a touch of Crystal 45 for color and a nod to classic IPA recipes, the beer showcases an abundance of Centennial, Citra, Cascade, and Simcoe hops, including Cryo Centennial for an extra burst of citrus character.

The collaboration is also an invitation to experience one of Portland’s most beloved beer destinations.

“If you haven’t been to the Horse Brass, here’s your excuse,” Swihart added. “Grab a pasty or fish and chips, throw a few darts, enjoy a pint or a cask ale, and strike up a conversation with someone new. As they’ve said for 50 years, ‘You’re a stranger no more when you walk through the door of the ol’ Horse Brass Pub.’”

It’s About the Beer

West Coast IPA

ABV: 6% | BU: 40

Without the Horse Brass, the craft brewing industry would be in a much different spot. Together with Everybody’s Brewing and Solera Brewery, we pay homage in the way we know how: with a quality beer.

It's About the Beer is now available in 500ml refillable bottles at all Double Mountain taprooms and select retailers. Cheers to 50 years!

ABOUT DOUBLE MOUNTAIN BREWERY & CIDERY

Double Mountain is a Brewery & Cidery based in Hood River, Oregon that extends a warm welcome to all. Our brewery in Hood River boasts our original taproom where you can experience the heart of our craft. We have two additional taprooms in Portland, located in the Woodstock and Overlook neighborhoods, and a kitchen at the Aladdin Theater, open during showtimes. We strive to create a living room atmosphere, where we spin vinyl, offer weekly free live music, and host trivia nights. Our food philosophy revolves around sharing moments with friends. We offer various New Haven-style pizzas, sandwiches, salads, and an array of other dishes that proudly steer clear of the fryer. We take pride in our hop-forward beers, crisp unsweetened dry-ciders, and house-made n/a root beer and ginger ale. We hope you’ll stop by and share a pint with us!

Double Mountain may be found on tap and in refillable bottles throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Goose Island reveals 2026 Bourbon County Stout Lineup

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:16:36 +0000

It will be another 4 long months before Goose Island Brewing releases their 2026 collection of the famed Bourbon County Brand Stout, but we already have the details on this years lineup of variants. Despite Goose Island’s ownership by mega beer behemoth Anheuser-Busch, many beer geeks still anxiously await Bourbon County Stout’s release every year on Black Friday. The Brewers do have an impressive track record of coming out with new and unusual, but complementary, themes and flavor combos to keep things interesting. This year’s variants capture the essence of desserts like apple crisp, and tiramisu, and one is not even a stout style but a Barleywine instead.

Leading German hop supplier releases 2025-2026 Global Hop Report

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:14:27 +0000

German-based leading global hop supplier BarthHaas, has issued a report on the 2025/2026 season concluding that the market remains oversupplied.

On July 21st, 2026 from Nuremberg, Germany, BarthHaas released their analyzation on the state of the hop industry and a call to action:

The global hop market remains under significant pressure despite further acreage reductions. Global hop acreage fell by 5.5 percent to 52,660 hectares in crop year 2025. There was also a decline in crop volume: A total of 109,188 metric tons of hops was harvested worldwide, 3.8 percent less than the year before. These figures are taken from the BarthHaas Report 2025/2026 which the world's leading hop specialist presented during an online press conference on July 21.

Germany remained the largest hop-growing country, with 18,962 hectares. This represents a year-on-year reduction in acreage of 6.5 percent. It is followed by the USA in second place with 17,057 hectares, down from 18,513 hectares the year before.

Crop volume declines worldwide

In crop year 2025, global hop production fell to 109,188 metric tons. Average alpha acid content rose slightly from 10.5 to 10.6 percent. On balance, however, the volume of alpha produced decreased by 3.2 percent to 11,532 metric tons.

The share of aroma hops in total crop volume and in the volume of alpha acids produced increased, while the share of bitter hops decreased accordingly. In crop year 2025, as in the previous year, Germany accounted for 43 percent of global alpha volume. The U.S. share fell to 40 percent (previous year: 41%).

(Note: Alpha acid is the most important hop constituent for brewing and is responsible for the bitterness in beer. Hop growers sell their hops partly on the basis of the alpha volume delivered, and alpha acid is also often a price factor in contracts with breweries.)

Overproduction despite decline in acreage

Despite the smaller planted area, hop production still exceeded demand in 2025. Global beer production fell by 0.7 percent last year to just below 1.9 billion hectoliters. At the same time, hop demand fell by nearly three percent to roughly 10,700 metric tons of alpha acid. In addition to the lower beer output, the key factors responsible were reduced hop dosage in the brewing process and changes in beer style structure. As a result, there was a surplus of approximately 1,200 metric tons of alpha acid. This corresponds to a structural overproduction capacity of approximately 5,100 hectares.

“Although acreage has been reduced once again, the market has yet to find equilibrium,” explains Heinrich Meier, the author of the BarthHaas report. "Production exceeded demand again in 2025. We expect the current supply balance sheet once more to show a surplus of approximately 1,000 metric tons.“

Germany continues to reduce acreage

The decline in hop acreage in Germany continues in 2026 as well. According to the Association of German Hop Growers, the planted area currently stands at 17,861 hectares, down 1,101 hectares, or six percent, year on year. Aroma hop acreage has contracted by 715 hectares and that of bitter varieties by 386 hectares. As a result, the balance is shifting slightly in favor of the bitter varieties.

The reduction in planted area worldwide in 2026 amounts to roughly 1,300 hectares. Therefore, according to BarthHaas, the structural surplus persists. At the same time, businesses are coming under further pressure: Production costs in hop growing and processing are rising, while the market continues to be characterized by significant overcapacity despite the adjustment measures that have been implemented.

The industry must adapt

“The global hop and beer industry is undergoing a period of far-reaching structural change,” says Thomas Raiser, CEO of BarthHaas. “A persistent surplus is compounded by changing consumer behavior and mounting economic pressure throughout the entire value chain. What matters now is how adaptable the industry remains, all the way from hop growing to brewing.“

Restoring market equilibrium therefore remains the key challenge. In addition to further structural adjustments, adequate prices and investments in variety development and production efficiency will be crucial to ensuring the long-term competitiveness of the hop industry.

About BarthHaas

BarthHaas is one of the world’s leading suppliers of hop products and hop-related services. The family-owned company specialises in the creative and efficient use of hops and hop products. As visionaries, instigators and implementers of ideas, BarthHaas has been shaping the market surrounding a unique raw material for over 225 years.

Alan Sprints remembered: tributes from the craft industry

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 18:44:53 +0000

Alan Sprints and his wife Eliana at Hair of the Dog Brewing (photo courtesy of Jana Daisy-Ensign)

On Sunday, July 19th we lost a true legend: Alan Sprints, Hair of the Dog Brewing founder and pioneer of aged beer, barrel-aged beer, food and beer pairings, and barleywine changed the craft beer world forever. In the New School’s obituary we traced Alan’s early years in southern California to culinary school in Oregon, to homebrewing, to an epic career creating some of the most iconic beers ever.

Today we turn to Alan’s colleagues in the craft beer community to share their own tributes, memories, and condolences.

Photo by Matt Wiater copyright PortlandBeer.org

Lisa Morrison, aka the Beer Goddess, co-founder of Fred Fest, and owner of Belmont Station:

“What can be said? From the first time I tried Adam at a festival (with a perfect bite of chocolate to go with it), I was always just a little in awe of Alan Sprints.
From those humble beginnings Alan never seemed to waver from his internal compass of what he wanted in his brewery. Always pushing limits in ABV and flavor, and always using beer as a way to connect with his community, Alan created what I have in my mind when I think of "boutique brewery" -- it wasn't for everybody but the fans were as loyal as they come. Alan is and always will be so rightly remembered for his generosity as a brewer and businessman. And his collaborations with brewers all around the world are a tribute to his steadfast friendships.
One example of Alan's generosity to his friends: my husband, Mark, and I, had a huge remodel done on our 1910 house many years ago and only discovered that subcontractors had guzzled all our cellared beers (despite them being hidden away in a part of the basement where the subcontactors didn't need to go AND us offering them a full fridge full of beers they could drink at the end of the day). We were devastated. Flash forward several weeks and we were hosting our house "rewarming" party for the remodel and in walks Alan with a couple of cases of super rare HotDog beers-- Adam and Fred 1, etc.- to seed our new beer cellar. He had heard of our misfortune and wanted to help us make it right.
Of course, so many great memories come from the decade-plus that Alan, Preston Weesner and I ran FredFest -- starting with Fred Eckhardt's 80th birthday. While things got a lot smoother and easier once we moved to the newer HotDog location where there was an actual kitchen and actual chefs, my favorite memories are of those first crazy years in the OG location. Alan always worked up an incredible menu of food to go with the rare beers being served. One constant for many years was his take on a green papaya salad. The morning of the first FredFest, Alan assigned me to make this salad. I had never even heard of a green papaya salad at that point, but Alan gave me a giant bowl and set me to task. And he would swing by at just the right time to tell me what to do next. After that first year, it became my job to make the green papaya salad. I still make it at home (albeit in drastically smaller proportions) and I always think of Alan. I think I need to make one this week.”

Trevor Rogers, co-owner/brewmaster of De Garde Brewing:

“I first tried Alan's beer when I was in college working part time as a cook. I'd take my portion of tips each day to a grocery store (that thankfully thought I was older than my 19 or so years) on my walk home, typically purchasing a bottle or two of more esoteric beer. Hair of the Dog was one of those beers on occasion, and they made an indelible impression. They were always an exciting and confounding little luxury, and helped broaden my palate and understanding of what beer was and what it could be.
Particularly in those days, there was nothing like what Alan was making. That never really changed I suppose.
I credit Belgian Lambic brewers as our biggest inspiration. They've inspired our methods and trajectory more than anyone else. But, Alan's work helped craft a space for weird, singular little breweries like ourselves. He helped pave the road through his creativity, and inspired so many people to rethink this beverage we make. Those of us fortunate enough to express our own creativity owe a massive debt of gratitude.
We're fortunate to have a collaborative blend with Hair of the Dog in process. Some of his last barrels of very strong beer, blended with some complementary barrels of our own. The blend is gorgeous, and I'm very excited to share it in the future, but that excitement is tempered by the timing and circumstances. I'm still so glad to have been able to work with a legend. It's hard to look at the blending tank we'll be packaging the beer from this week though. Hopefully, it will be a suitable tribute.
Alan was an original. That's the best compliment I can give.
He did things on his own terms. He created beautiful and original things, without any apparent consideration beyond the desire to craft. He left the industry voluntarily when he wanted to. He will be remembered for his great work, and celebrated by so many people.
We should all be so lucky.
Good boy.”

Sam Zermeno, founder of Brujos Brewing:

“I met Alan through Henok from Omnipollo after we brewed our maiden batch at Brujos in the winter of 2023. I remember someone had bashed the window of my little ford ranger during the night while I slept in the brewery during the long boil. I didn’t find out until the next afternoon as I was leaving to head to Alan’s house for the first time. We all had an incredible dinner at the Sprints that Alan had cooked for all of us. We shared stories and bottles of his barleywines from his reserve. It was a pretty magical evening that ended with Alan giving a toast to friendships, old and new, and ending it with “barleywine is life.”

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Photo I [Tyler Brown] took of Shawn [Kelso] and Alan in 2010. We traded bottles and beer logo glasses with Alan that day. Alan and I talked food and restaurant business much more than we talked about beer.

Tyler Brown, owner of Barley Brown’s Brewing:

“I was looking back and here’s the message I sent Alan when I heard he was retiring:”
“Hi Alan, As if the world hasn’t been crazy enough the last 2 years, now I see that you’re retiring - for the most part. I’ve always held you the highest regards, love your beers, your brand, and your taproom. I truly appreciate that you invited me to be part of Fredfest, and I enjoyed those events. Long before I recall meeting you in person. I would purchase cases of your beer in Portland and haul them back to Baker City. Many bottles of Fred were consumed as I planned, schemed, and built our brewpub. Reading the side of your bottles inspired me to use more rye in the grist, and to not be fearful of bold flavors and high alcohol! Thank you very much for the inspiration, friendship, and excellent beers over the past 24 years I’ve been at this biz. Unfortunately the way Covid regulations have crushed my business, it looks like it will be quite some time before I can think of retiring… but having grandkids visit me at the brewery won’t be too bad. I wish you the best Alan, and look forward to having beer with you once the dust settles. Cheers! Tyler”

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Dave Coyne, head brewer and co-founder of Obelisk Beer Co.:

“I think most brewers idolized him, were hugely inspired by him, and have a story about feeling star struck for the first time. I feel lucky I did get to meet him and hang out for a few special occasions. One moment I’ll never forget is hanging out at GABF and overhearing him drink one of my beers and say to Tim Ensign “Oohh wow, yeah, that’s real good”. I immediately texted my dad that Alan Sprints liked one of my beers and I got to follow him around, sampling beer together at different tables for a bit. As a new brewer that was heavily inspired by his work for years before entering the industry (Adam being especially pivotal for me), that was definitely a highlight of my early brewing career. Sometimes meeting a hero can be deflating, but he was just as warm and welcoming as he was infinitely creative and talented. I feel lucky to have lived in the right timeline to enjoy his beers and contribution to the industry.”

Matt Tarpey, head brewer and co-founder of The Veil Brewing:

“@hairofthedogbrewing has been one of the biggest inspirations to me as a brewer. Alan and his special beers helped shape our high gravity beer and spirit barrel aging program here @theveilbrewing both indirectly and directly. I didn’t know Alan personally for a long time, but I loved and cherished every beer I tried of his over the last 18ish years. When he agreed to participate and attend Forever Summer Fest in the summer of 2023, I was beyond honored. When he offered to brew a collaboration together and suggested brewing Adam, I was blown away. His openness, wisdom, years of experience, stories, and kindness will resonate with me forever. I’m lucky to have tried his beers and to have met him, but even luckier to call him a friend and a mentor. He will always be a legend to me and the imprint he left on the American craft beer industry will be remembered indefinitely.

Rest in Peace Alan. I’ll miss our conversations and your encouragement my friend.”

Alan Sprints at the annual “Beer Cider Love” pairing dinner at Hair of the Dog Brewing (photo by Jana Daisy-Ensign)

Gabe Fletcher, owner/brewer of Anchorage Brewing:

“We lost someone special today… Alan Sprints of Hair of the Dog Brewing in Oregon. One of the OG big beer brewers. Way ahead of his time in that sense. I had the pleasure of hosting Alan, Menno, Henok, and one of the brewers from Superstition Meadery to brew a black Barleywine for Omnipolloscope back in 2018. I also remember the first out of state beer fest I ever went to in was in Oregon back in 1999 and I some how ended up at the Hair of the dog Brewery. Alan was there and fed me way too much big beers😂 He will be missed in a big way. I’ll definitely be raising a glass of Barleywine to Alan tonight, I hope you will too.”

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Michael Kora, owner/brewer of Montavilla Brew Works:

“We lost Alan today and he was a legend. RIP to him and all the best to his family and close friends. HOTD changed the world for me and many others and we will miss Alan dearly!”

Jerry Fechter, proprietor of the Horse Brass Pub and former owner of Lompoc Brewing:

“A true pioneer !! He did things his own way with his vision on what beer should be. We lost a maverick.
I was psyched he was able to be apart of the Horse Brass 50th anniversary pouring the last keg of Fred that we had . He also completed a stained glass piece for our banquet room before he passed. Alan will be missed.”

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Tomme Arthur, founder/owner of The Lost Abbey:

“His beers shaped the future generations of brewers which is something I think we can all agree is impactful. His consumers were devout and their collections deep. I’m sure the cellars will open in the coming days and more great stories will pour forth.”

Devin Benware, co-owner of Ruse Brewing:

“I was honestly kinda starstruck when I first met him, such an awesome & humble guy. We did have a barleywine in the works with him but hadn’t gotten it brewed yet. We are working on our 10 year anniversary barelywine collab with John Harris later this week that we think we should make as a tribute to Alan and Hair of the Dog. Haven’t asked John on that yet but I’m sure he’s 100% down”

Shaun Kalis, co-owner of Ruse Brewing:

“I have been such a huge fan and just started to get to know him and his sons through Hood to Fuji.”
“He came by Ruse in August to work on the collab in works and brought some of his favorite cellar beers. It was mind blowing drinking beers older than some of our brew team! And still drinking great. Honestly he is the original line culture brewery. So damn good. I have had some shower Adams and Doggie Claws. Best shower beer ever.”

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Ben Edmunds, brewmaster of Breakside Brewery:

“Thank you, Alan Sprints
Hair Of The Dog embodied the best of the Keep Portland Weird ethos, when it was still a proud rallying cry about our city’s eclecticism. The idea that the most world-renowned brewery in the city was producing barrel-aged strong ales and smoky re-creations of beers long-forgotten was exactly what made Portland so special in the early 2000s. Beer was more than bubbles, and Alan was the pied piper for all of this.
The fact that HOTD (and Cascade and Upright and so many others) were leading lights for the city’s beer scene, selling personal, creative beer rather than a standard ‘wheat-pale-amber-stout’ lineup inspired me to think that I could carve out a distinctive path for myself as a brewer here too.
Alan helped me get the first Bourbon barrels that Breakside ever used, invited us to FredFest early on, offered unvarnished takes on our beers (“not everything has to be experimental”), and encouraged me to use the brewery as a springboard for traveling, exploring the world, and making friends around the globe.
I have a copy of Michael Jackson's 1998 book Ultimate Beer in my living room, and on page 173, in the section on "Beers for After Dinner," there is Adam. An amazing inclusion for a brewery that was only a few years old when the book was published. "A beer of astonishing complexity" it says. It's more than apt for both the beer and its creator.
Alan marched to his own beat in the beer world, and he wanted others to march to theirs. Thank you for the inspiration.
Rest in peace, my friend. Til we taste again”

Charles Porter, brewmaster and co-owner of Little Beast Brewing:

“Alan has always been an inspiration. The first time I met Alan we were both standing in line for the brewer‘s bathroom at the 1996 Great American Beer Festival. We told each other where we were from, me at the time I was Brewing at Bloomington Brewing Co in Indiana, my first year running a brewery on my own. Alan immediately launched into telling me about this extinct beer style that he was making in Portland Oregon called Adam. He was very excited for me to come try his beer on the GABF floor. Then also told me about a batch of Adam that he had made, which he accidentally froze in the fermenter - Eve, and ice beer.
So, I took a break from serving beer at my booth and walked over to his booth at Hair of the Dog. While talking about his beers and his his passion for making beer, he quietly slipped me a bottle of Eve and told me to quickly pocket it so that the alcohol monitors wouldn’t confiscate it from me. I was so excited and ended up taking that bottle back to Indiana to share with my mentor in Brewing Russell Levitt.
Alan was always a gem, sharing knowledge and beer as freely as you can. A true craftsman and a gentleman.”

Alan Shapiro, owner of Cider Summit Seattle:

“I had the very great pleasure of inviting and hosting Alan Sprints & Eliana Temkin in Belgium for a collaboration brew in 2012. A hugely enjoyable time with both.

It later become an annual tradition to first stop at Hair of the Dog when coming to Portland to produce our annual festival. Alan was always a gracious host and we cherished those visits. Cheers to you my friend. The beer world and so many more will miss you.”

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In Memoriam: Alan Sprints, Hair of the Dog Brewing founder (1959-2026)

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 11:13:51 +0000

A great light in the craft beer world has gone out, but like a distant star, Alan Sprints legacy will shine on for generations long after he is gone.

On Sunday I awoke from a post beer fest slumber to murmurs that the legendary Hair of the Dog Brewing founder Alan Sprints had passed away. Alas the news was confirmed shortly thereafter after checking in with some of his oldest and dearest friends in the tight knit global beer community (many of which have shared tributes and memories of Alan.)

Two decades before the craft beer renaissance Hair of the Dog Brewing practically invented the hype beer and high abv extreme brewing movement that took over the industry for the following two decades. Before beer nerds were forming lines outside of cult breweries for cans they were lining up by the hundreds next to the train tracks in a sketchy part of southeast Portland to get a wood-aged beer from Hair of the Dog.

But, that is reductive to what Alan Sprints actually did in reorienting the entire way people thought about beer.

Alan Sprints re-introduced barrel-aging to Americans as well as the concept of vintage beers that could be cellared and improved with age. He also presented history, historical and international styles, dusted them off and reinterpreted them for a western palate. Alan helped show the world that beer has a worthy place on the table next to a fancy meal, sniffed and swirled in a glass like a vintage whiskey, or aged to perfection like a Château Beaucastel.

“Alan's beers were so unorthodox, so different from anything else happening in the US that they recalibrated expectations--particularly among other brewers" - wrote The Beer Bible author Jeff Alworth in 2013.“Hair of the Dog was the first modern brewery, a 2013 brewery back in 1993 and an emanation of the future to come.”

In the beginning

Alan Sprints was born on September 7th, 1959 in Culver, California, and grew up in the Los Angeles area. After spending time in the music industry and in aerospace he thought he had found his calling in food. In 1988, he moved to Portland, Oregon to attend the Western Culinary Institute and the timing was kismet.

“I had no intention of staying in town after school but I fell in love with the city,” said Alan.

That summer was the first ever Oregon Brewers Festival, an influential event that became the leading beer fest in the country and inspired generations of brewers like Alan Sprints to get into the industry.

“The event was pivotal for me, starting my interest in brewing and connecting me with the Oregon Brew Crew, one of the oldest homebrew clubs in the country. Homebrewing was a great way for me to explore the world of beer and offered freedom to create beers the way I imagined them,” said Alan.

Alan had grown up drinking import beer, which had piqued his interest in high school, but it wasn’t until experiencing the local small batch start-ups and budding craft beer community at the Oregon Brewers Festival and in the Oregon Brew Crew that he truly found his calling.

“The idea that I could actually make a living brewing beer started then, but I never really took it seriously. I was a home brewer, brewed at home, it was a fun hobby, but I was a professional chef. But it’s a very hard way to make a living, cooking for a living, so I thought brewing might be an easier way to make a living and have a family,” Alan told Food GPS in 2013.

After serving on the board of the Oregon Brew Crew as president, Alan got his first professional brewing job at Widmer Brothers Brewing in 1991. After working just 3 years as a chef, and and another 2 as a professional brewer, Alan was ready to become his own boss.

“Working as a brewer for someone else, I missed the creativity I enjoyed as a homebrewer, leading me to start Hair of the Dog in 1993,” said Alan.

Famously, Alan was sued by Widmer when he quit for breaking a non-compete clause in his employment agreement.

Adam

Right from the jump Hair of the Dog Brewing was different than everyone else. Their first beer release in 1994 was “Adam” a dark and rich 10% abv old world strong ale with a burly 60 IBUs balancing out the sweet flavors of sugar plums, molasses and raisins with a whisper of smoke. There was nothing else like it.

“Adam was inspired by a mention in Michael Jackson’s Beer Companion about an Adambier from Dortmund, Germany. Mr. Jackson came across the beer in John Bickerdyke’s 19th century book The Curiosities of Ale and Beer. As a young brewer, I really wanted to recreate historic beer styles,” Sprints told Beer Advocate magazine in 2015.

“Adam” was modeled after a now-defunct beer style of Dortmund that visionary Portland beer historian and writer Fred Eckhardt had discussed in lectures. Eckhardt, traveled the world and helped rediscover and highlight forgotten beer styles and new and exciting brewers and beers, and his work inspired perhaps Hair of the Dog’s most famous beer “Fred.”

Fred Eckhardt and Alan Sprints at Hair of the Dog’s 20th Anniversary in 2013, photo by Michael Rasmussen

Fred

“Fred’s work in all-grain brewing and beer styles helped me become a better brewer,” wrote Alan on the beer info page for “Fred” the ale. Although “Adam” had put Hair of the Dog on the map and was named beer of the year by Whisky Advocate in 1995, it was Fred’s first release in 1997 that truly announced a major new voice in the burgeoning microbrew movement. Deep golden in color, “Fred” was brewed with aromatic and rye malts, 10 different hops, had bold woody bitterness and a high 10% abv. It was inspired by Belgian Strong Golden Ales but in typical Hair of the Dog fashion it was even bigger and more intense and a prototypical example of the first golden/blonde barleywines.

“There was a store that had a great selection called Burlingame Grocery and as I worked my way through what was available, I found I really enjoyed the flavor of the barleywines, they were complex and full-bodied, something that would improve with age,” Alan told the New School for our column The Beers That Made Us in 2021.

On the news of Alan’s passing, Matt Simpson, beer writer and founder of The Beer Sommelier magazine and president of the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame wrote on Facebook of Alan; “He didn't create the barleywine style - he perfected it. He didn't invent barrel-aged beers - he curated and melded them like nobody at the time could, or would.”

“Most of our beers have four letter names, and have been named after people I have known or ideas I am passionate about. Giving beers their own name helps convey the idea that my beers are Individuals, unique, just like you and me.”

— Alan Sprints

Charlie Papazian, Alan Sprints, and Isaac Sprints at the 2018 HomebrewCon

Dave

One of Hair of the Dog’s most legendary beers was also among the most difficult in the world to try. “Dave” named after San Francisco’s legendary publican Dave Keene (founder of Toronado) was a black market release, shared between close friends and the occasional generous pour from Alan to a loyal fan. ““Dave became the stuff of legend, an ice distilled barleywine that pushed against the boundaries of what a beer could be. With the same technique used to make German Eisbock bier, Alan partially froze his classic beer “Adam” three separate times to separate the water that freezes at a much warmer temperature than the alcohol. At the end of that process the concentrated “Dave” was aged in barrels for 15 years before a single yield of just 100 gallons were packaged uncarbonated “still” in 12oz screwtop bottles. At 29% abv, “Dave” was likely the strongest beer in the world at the time of release.

The first bottles of “Dave” ever sold were at $80 a pop for charity. Every year or so Alan would release a few bottles for a special event or fundraiser and the price it commanded just kept going up as the supply continued to dwindle and rarity and word-of-mouth increased. In 2014 Hair of the Dog and “Dave” made headlines worldwide as a bottle sold at auction for $2,000.

Alan told Hopstories that “Dave” was never meant to be sold, it was created to educate people; “It was meant to be a beer that we could serve to people after they’ve tasted the other things we’ve made that were also in that same vein,” said Alan. “It made people say ‘what the hell is that?!’ The flavor I think backs up they hype.”

Blue Dot IPA

Blue Dot IPA eschewed the common Hair of the Dog conventions in two ways; subverting their usual practice of naming beers after individuals, and as a lighter more contemporary beer designed for the discerning drinker who wanted to enjoy a few pints. Blue Dot was a reference to planet earth and brewed in honor of Earth Day, and the beer had lower bitterness and was lighter in body and color than the copper colored IPAs of the time.

“I wanted to make a beer that was full of hop flavor without being overly bitter—something enjoyable. Most of my beers, you really couldn’t have more than a pint. I wanted something you could have two or three pints of,” said Alan.

Blue Dot was a huge hit, ranking a nearly perfect 99 score on review site RateBeer.com. And although it was billed as a Double IPA, Blue Dot was a relatively light 7% abv and would likely identify as a standard strength West Coast IPA today.

Stronger with age

In a 2009 profile Alan said that he always “gravitated toward beers higher in alcohol. A lot of times, they’re hot and difficult to drink when they’re young. They’re much more enjoyable after they’ve aged. It was fascinating to see the changes the beer went through. I still have some homebrews that I brewed way back when. Most of the people I try the beer with are surprised a beer that’s 20 years old can still taste as good as it does. The flavor matures. It’s worth the wait.”

“I tried making lighter beers and while they do well in the tasting room, they don’t do well in the market,” Alan told The New School in 2021. “When people are looking for Hair of the Dog they are looking for something stronger. No matter how many times I tried making lighter beers for less money, it never worked. And I still don’t learn, years ago I tried Ruth and I thought it would be the biggest beer. Then it was Polka Dot IPA and Lila.”

left to right: Art Larrance, Alan Sprints, & Teri Fahrendorf

A house a home

In 2010 Alan moved Hair of the Dog Brewing from the difficult to find production space near the Brooklyn railroad yards where he had founded it in ‘93, and into a building he purchased near the east side of the Morrison bridge. The new location was still in an industrial area but easier to find and with a much larger floor plan with roll-up doors, natural light, and their first true taproom with a kitchen and real bar to saddle up to. There was even space in the back for hundreds of barrel, decades of vintage bottles, and a workshop area where Alan could nurture his woodworking and stained glass hobbies.

The pandemic was a major turning point for Alan and Hair of the Dog Brewing. The taproom and brewery stayed completely closed for a year and when they reopened something had changed.

“We are selling all, or a lot of, the vintage beers that I had always planned on keeping forever,” Alan told the New School at the time. “But the reality is I am not going to be around forever. So that’s changed, I decided everything can go. I am not really saving stuff.”

The consumer had also changed, suddenly gravitating back towards lighter and more affordable standbys that didn’t require their attention. Less then a year after reopening the pub, Alan decided it was time to retire. Unlike other brewery owners, Alan had no interest in selling Hair of the Dog but wanted to close it on his own terms and retire in his 60s.

Hair of the Dog Brewing’s final day open was 6/26/2022.

After announcing the closure Alan told the New School; “My kids have been a big help keeping the brewery going but they all have their own interests. Brewing was my passion and it takes that drive to keep going in the tough times.”

“I’m both excited about the prospects of the future and sad that it’s coming to an end,” Alan told The Oregonian on the brewpubs final day in business.“But I can be real proud about what I’ve done, and the response from people has been overwhelming. So it just reiterates how special the beers were to so many people.”

Reflecting on his memorable 30+ career as a brewer and nearly 29 years of Hair of the Dog Brewing, Alan told The New School: “Working with other Brewers are some of the most memorable, sharing the same passion give you that much more in common. It has taken me around the world, to work with people in places that inspired me. The look in someone’s eyes as they taste Adam and chocolate for the first time. The idea that people would line up for hours before opening for bottle releases, and that we would sell out as fast.”

Alan remained active in the beer community post retirement, still traveling the world to visit new and old friends and cultures just as his mentors Fred Eckhardt and Michael Jackson had. As recently as 2025 Hair of the Dog Brewing released a collaboration with Redmond, Washington’s Black Raven Brewing - a smoked and barrel-aged barleywine called “Hunter.“

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The Hair of the Dog that bit you

On April 24, 2026 Alan announced he had been diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 bladder cancer that had spread to his bones. As he entered treatment the goal was to prolong what time he had left to spend with friends and family.

I was lucky to see Alan one last time at the Horse Brass Pub this past June. Ahead of the Horse Brass’ 50th anniversary Alan had been working on a handmade stained glass piece to be installed over the bar in the pub’s new expansion space The Pony Club. Alan and his friends and family gathered there for what was likely one of his final public appearances and I was grateful to have lunch together after the intimate ceremony.

Left to right: Horse Brass proprietor Jerry Fechter, a cardboard cutout of Horse Brass founder Don Younger, and Alan Sprints

Alan Sprints passed away at 4:44 am on Sunday, July 19th. Alan is survived by his wife of 36 years, Eliana Temkin, and their three sons, Elijah, Isaac, and Gabriel Sprints. He also leaves behind his sister, Wendy Sprints (Dan Kaempff); sister-in-law, Dina Temkin (Dominic Green); in-laws Dvora Temkin and Howard Temkin, aunt and uncle, Judie and Michael Rickus; step-mother, Madeline Sprints as well as a close-knit circle of nieces, cousins, extended family, and lifelong friends.

“Please be true to yourself in your approach to brewing, don’t follow trends, lead the way.”

— Alan Sprints

The Sprints family will hold a private burial service, with a public celebration of life to be planned in the near future. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Alan’s memory to New Avenues for Youth, an organization close to his heart.

Public Coast Brewing Farm opens for 2026 season

Ezra Johnson-Greenough — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:05:00 +0000

Cannon Beach, Oregon’s Public Coast Brewing has opened the Public Coast Farmstand in Banks, OR for the 2026 summer season. The Culinary farm offers 10 acres of blueberry bushes, fruit orchards, beehives, hops , and more from their solar-powered greenhouse that helps supply sister properties - the Stephanie Inn and Public Coast Brewing Co. - each of which incorporate PublicCoast Farm’s fresh ingredients into seasonal beer and dishes.

Kicking off on July 6, the farm will be open on weekdays and weekends through August 30, featuring u-pick blueberries, jam and honey on weekdays, a limited farmstand on Thursdays and Fridays, a full farmstand on the weekends, a live music series, and a marquee event on July 25: Blueberry Jams at Public Coast Farm, presented by Public Coast Brewing Co. The all-day, family-friendly farm celebration will honor the brewery’s 10th anniversary.

Public Coast Farm by Public Coast Brewing

Public Coast Farm is a 40-acre culinary farm nestled at the base of the Coastal Range along the iconic Sunset Highway, Oregon Hwy. 26 and 30 minutes from downtown Portland. 15 of the 40 acres of property are full of blueberry bushes, fruit orchards, beehives and hops, the farm is a culinary playground that celebrates alchemy: the transformation of simple, beautiful, locally produced ingredients into culinary magic.

The farm will be open on the weekends from July 11-12 through August 29-30 from 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. with live music from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. On weekends, the farm will feature u-pick blueberries, pre-picked blueberry flats, honey, blueberry jam, cold Public Coast Brewing Co. beer and sodas on tap, and fresh local vegetables, including produce from other local farms. Also on weekends, the farmstand will feature snacks and small bites.

Public Coast Farm will offer live music on select Saturdays this summer: July 11, July 18 and August 1 from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Then, the season’s centerpiece, Blueberry Jams at Public Coast Farm, presented by Public Coast Brewing Co., will take place on Saturday, July 25, 12 p.m. - 7 p.m. (doors open 11 a.m.). The all-day farm celebration will feature live acoustic reggae performances by Dan Kelly of Fortunate Youth, Jubba White, Aaron Nigel Smith, and King Thayo, as well as u-pick blueberries, the full farmstand, food items available for purchase, Public Coast Brewing Co. beers and sodas on tap, picnic tables and lawn games.

Blueberries have been a signature ingredient for Public Coast Brewing ever since they established the farm, the fresh berries are featured in everything from their recent Blueberry Stout, and housemade Jam preserves, to a Blueberry Seltzer. This summer, 100% of proceeds from u-pick blueberry sales will be donated to North Coast Land Conservancy, a nonprofit land trust dedicated to safeguarding Oregon’s northern coastal lands and seascapes.

But that’s not all they feature at the farm. Currently for the season you can purchase multiple varieties of Heirloom tomatoes, basil, microgreens, peppers, honey, jam, and of course their own cold beer by the can which you can enjoy while perusing the grounds and picking fresh berries.

Some of the other Public Coast Farm specialties include Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, and Early Fuji apples. Sun crest, Canadian harmony, and Redhaven peaches. They also produce small-batch, single-origin honey by the jar, from 40 custom hives on the north side of the farm.

Find other locally made and seasonal products at the farm from Ranger Chocolate Co., Sugarpine Blueberry Lavender Sauce, Smith Tea, cherries from Foglight Farms, flowers from Pumpkin Ridge Gardens, Smith Tea, Jacobsen Sea Salt, Durant Olive Oil, and more!

“Summer at the farm has always been about bringing people together around the best of what this land has to offer, and this year we’re turning it up a notch to celebrate Public Coast Brewing Co.’s 10th anniversary,” said Ryan Snyder, owner of Public Coast Farm. “From our u-pick blueberries and weekly farmstands to live music weekends and our biggest farm celebration yet, there’s never been a better summer to drive out to Banks and spend time at our beautiful farm. And knowing every dollar from the u-pick blueberries goes directly to protecting Oregon’s coastal lands makes our summer season all the more meaningful.”

Public Coast Farm is located along Dairy Creek at 22330 NW Fisher Road in Banks, Oregon, adjacent to the Banks-Vernonia State Trail and part of the North Coast Food Trail, making it the perfect stop whether headed to the coast or simply looking for local summer produce.

SUMMER SCHEDULE INFO:

Self-serve and QR code shopping (weekdays)

U-pick blueberries, honey, jam

Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., July 6 through August 28

Berries & Beer (Thursdays and Fridays starting July 16)

In addition to the QR code self-serve u-pick, the farm will offer pre-picked berries, farm goods, including tomatoes, and Public Coast Brewing Co. beverages.

Thursday and Fridays, 12 p.m. - 4 p.m., July 16 through August 28

Season Opener for Full Farmstand

Full produce offerings, u-pick berries, cold beer and beverages from Public Coast Brewing Co.

Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12

Full farmstand will continue every weekend through Sunday, August 30

Farmstand Saturdays with live music

July 11, 18, and August 1

Blueberry Jams

July 25 at Public Coast Farm, presented by Public Coast Brewing Co. Ticket information and other info: https://www.tickettomato.com/event/10243

The main Public Coast Brewing location is in downtown Cannon Beach, Ore., Public Coast Brewing is named after one of the only true public coastlines in America - the 363-mile Oregon coast. The brewery features a 10bbl brewhouse with two 20-barrel fermenters and four 10-barrel fermenters. The brewery has won numerous awards, including a gold for its '67 Blonde Ale at the World Beer Cup and Oregon Beer Awards.