USA, OR: Southeast Portland’s Brewery 26 is up to speed and ready to cruise

The road has been long and at times bumpy, but Southeast Portland’s Brewery 26 is up to speed and ready to cruise, The Oregonian reported on March 8.

The brewery this weekend holds a grand opening for its new brewhouse and taproom in the Buckman neighborhood. The event began Friday and continues through Sunday night with new beers, discounts, bands and food.

“We’re grateful to have made it to this opening after everything COVID threw at us over the last couple years,” said Brewery 26 founder Andy Shaw, who owns the brewery with business partner Keith Hattori.

Shaw was a homebrewer making beer in his Cully neighborhood garage in early 2017, but his Oregon Sun Hazy IPA won best beer at the 2018 Nano Beer Fest in Portland, and he decided to turn the hobby into a business.

Brewery 26 — which is named is a tribute to U.S. 26, the highway that connects many of the great aspects of Oregon, Shaw says — announced plans in 2020 to open a taproom on Southeast Powell Boulevard at 58th Avenue.

The taproom has operated there for the past two years, but Shaw was still brewing out of his garage, so he and Hattori simultaneously began building the new brewery and taproom in the closer-in eastside.

Doing most of the work themselves, the partners finished construction and began brewing on the new seven-barrel system as 2021 came to a close. They had a soft opening for the new taproom and closed the Powell Boulevard location.

The new place, at Ankeny Street and Ninth Avenue, is a block from East Burnside Street’s popular retail district and the Jupiter Hotel, plus a brewery district that includes Wayfinder Beer, Mt Tabor Brewing, Cascade Brewing, Ecliptic Brewing’s Moon Room, a Level Beer taproom, Culmination Brewing and Loyal Legion beer bar.

The family-friendly taproom seats about 50 inside, and Shaw plans to build a covered and heated outdoor space soon. Father Time’s BBQ is pursuing permits to have a truck on the premises four to five days a week, Shaw said.

Shaw and Hattori also plan for the taproom to have open mic and possibly trivia nights, plus regularly scheduled live music.

Brewery 26 has an array of offerings from its brewhouse, including clear and hazy IPAs, lagers, sours, pub styles and barrel-aged beers. Shaw said the brewery is self-distributing its kegs and cans but is working on a deal with a distributor.

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