Don’t get me wrong, I think those big draft horses are impressive, but big breweries don’t necessarily mean the best beer, or the only beer.McMenamins

Opening their first Portland, Oregon pub in 1983, the McMenamin brothers have expanded substantially over the last 26 years. Their branding calls them “A place for family & friends.” But the last time I checked, brewpubs were not exactly the place to bring your family. But McMenamins is more than just brewpubs.

Seven historic hotels, brewpub/restaurants throughout Oregon, Washington and the Portland metro area, music venues and even movie theaters are now apart of the McMenamins portfolio.

OLD SCHOOL

I don’t ever recall that I or anyone I have ever heard of actually say, “I wish I could stay here (at school) all night!”

From 1915 to 1975, Kennedy Elementary School graduated classes onto the next level of education until the school board finally said, this place is falling apart and we need to close.

Along came the McMenamin brothers with a plan.A massive renovation produced 35 guestrooms crafted from the former classrooms. You will get all of the amenities that you never saw when you went to school: private bath, telephone, and a modem. What you will remember is the chalkboard and cloakroom that is still there to haunt you!

Throughout the halls are historical photographs and artwork. There is a movie theatre, multiple bars, a soaking pool and of course the brewery which works just fine with the Brewmaster substituting for the Principal.

Kennedy School is a little disconcerting to find in the dark as it is located in an older neighborhood just East of downtown Portland. The streets in the vicinity are the narrower variety that you find in older neighborhoods and not overly lit.

I was there for the food and the Courtyard restaurant was packed, as it was Saturday night. If you’re just looking for a bar, you have your choice of the Boiler Room, Detention, or if you’re if you were one of those “straight A” students, the Honors Bar.

The Courtyard restaurant was the former cafeteria now open for all three meals a day. In nice weather a courtyard is available for dining and it must have been nice, because it too was packed with diners/drinkers.

And yes, it is the usual suspects for a brewpub menu: salads, burgers, pizza and specialty items (steak, salmon, pasta …)

There’s even a little treat from the appetizer/starters section for those of you that are still re-living your elementary school days …Tater Tots! $5.25

Remembering my challenging days in elementary school I opted for the

The Principal’s Special Pizza

I’m not sure whether I was hoping to take revenge on old memories, or I just liked the combination of toppings (Canadian bacon, pepperoni, fennel sausage, onions, & black olives (8-inch $8.25 / 16-inch $25.25), but I opted out of the black olives and still had a good time, something I couldn’t always say about Elementary School …

There is one thing that sets this former school location apart from 99.9% of others brewpubs. If you get Hammered by the Hammerhead (Ale), or Terminated by the Terminator (Ale), you can always get a classroom near the principal’s office and sleep it off!

HOTEL

Rooms: $109 – $130 per night
Packages Available

RESTAURANT

Hours: Daily 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.

No Reservations
Non-smoking establishment

Kennedy School
5736 NE 33rd Avenue
Portland, Oregon

McMenamins
Various locations throughout Oregon and Washington
www.mcmenamins.com

Come back Monday for another Portland brewpub: We’re going Rogue!

On a recent trip to Oregon, I decided to try out some of the bigger names in the micro-brewery and brewpub business, as well as one of the smaller and newest entries into the business.

Let’s start by saying “bigger” in this type of business does not always mean large. With a plethora of one-off location brewers, only a few have transitioned into regional or, even more rare, international status. The entrepreneurs involved in craft brewing might have just two stainless steel tanks visible through a glass window in their “down on the corner” establishment. The rarer instance is to actually have a full blown, off the premises brewery, that distributes throughout a specified region of the U.S., or possibly internationally.

So just what is a Brewpub, a Microbrewery, or a Regional Craft Brewery?

First, you fall into a category of “limited” production. You certainly don’t have hundreds of semis rolling down the road with your logo splashed all over the trailer, and you probably don’t have any big horses pulling wagons …

“Limited production” is an iffy number depending upon who you talk to, but according to the Brewers Association located in Boulder, Colorado the number of barrels is roughly 15,000 per year for a Microbrewery. But, it also stipulates that over 75% of sales have to be sold off the premises.

A Brewpub sells at least 25% of its production on the premises. You eat at their restaurant and drink their beer dispensed from their custom-made tap handles. They may have one location or many throughout several states.

A regional craft brewery produces between 15,000 to 2,000,000 barrels per year.

By comparison, a large brewery will have a production of over 2,000,000 barrels.

BEND

My first stop was downtown Bend, the home of Deschutes Brewery & Public House. As with most brewpubs, its history is relatively short (in comparison to say a 300-year-old English Pub). Established in 1988, they have since opened their second unit in the Pearl District of Portland, Oregon.

Deschutes Brewery, Bend, OR

What sets Deschutes apart from just a two-pub operation is their off-premise brewery that distributes product in thirteen western states making them a regional brewery.

Award winning Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale are featured along with such brews as Obsidian Stout, Cascade Ale, and Bachelor Bitter (obviously named for Mt. Bachelor not far from the city.)

The food side of pubs has many of the “usual suspects” categories for the drinking crowd. There are appetizers, burgers, specialty sandwiches and Spent Grain Pizzas (pizza dough flavored with Spent Barley Malt from the brewery).

There is also what seems to be on every menu in Oregon in some form or another … Mac & Cheese. And, of course, you can’t go wrong with Brewery Fish & Chips.

So that’s why I went with the elk burger …

The sandwich featured a natural elk patty from a local purveyor, Pine Mountain Ranch. It was topped with Tillamook Smoked Cheddar and a sauce of Yamhill County Mushrooms and roasted shallots ($10.50).

For those of you who have never had Elk, and I hadn’t for many years, I was surprised that it surpassed one of my favorites, Buffalo/Bison, with more Protein, less fat and less calories.

And NO, it doesn’t taste like chicken!

1044 NW Bond Street
Bend, Oregon

Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, Oregon

If you’re looking for an interesting observation into the manufacturing of craft beer, a stop at the Deschutes Brewery will get you a free, guided tour and a stop at the Tasting Room.

Tours:

Monday – Sunday
1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm
(Tours start on the hour)
Note: Tours are limited to 15 guests

www.deschutesbrewery.com

www.brewersassociation.org

On Monday: We visit Bend and a very unusual restaurant.

NEXT WEEK: A stop in Corvallis, Oregon at the newest brewpub near the campus of Oregon State University. Later on,  we’ll stop in Portland, Oregon and go Rogue along with a look at McMennamin’s, a multi-state, brewpub, entertainment and hospitality company.