Sunnier days ahead as Heathen Brewing in full service at new Salmon Creek location

The year 2023 hasn’t been exactly what Sunny Parsons expected. The founder of Heathen Brewing was looking forward to the brewery’s new location north of Vancouver and momentum continuing to build post-pandemic.

Instead, he found himself literally picking up the pieces of vandalism at Heathen’s Feral House restaurant in downtown Vancouver. Three windows and the glass front doors were shattered in March, likely a result of the pub providing space for a group to host drag brunches — before the event, he and the staff had received phone threats about it.

So while he’s still waiting for replacement glass, things are looking significantly, well, more sunny, as spring seems to be finally arriving. And that’s the perfect time to make an acquaintance with Heathen’s new spot in the Salmon Creek area of Clark County, just off Interstate 5 near the Interstate 205 merge. That’s exactly what I did this week, and it was just what I needed on our first gloriously warm day. Heathen Brewing & Kitchen, at 2225 N.E. 119th St., Suite #109, opened in February, and the 55 seat brewpub with a seasonal patio is now delivering Heathen’s beers and a varied menu of delicious pub fare (see photo below for my choice). Heathen’s beers run the gamut from lagers to wild ales, and the brewers have a particular fondness for fruited kettle sours, and they also pour their tasty smoothie sours (I had the Pagani Italian Pilsner and flagship Transcend IPA, both on point). But Heathen isn’t just a beer stop. The 30 taps also pour Heathen’s seltzer, wine and cider — the Peachy Keen had a delicate touch of peach sweetness up front and finished dry and clean.

Parsons showed me around the place, including the new brewhouse Heathen opened there in 2020, moving from its previous spot a few miles east, where it had been brewing since its founding in 2012. The tour included a look at the spot outside where he soon plans to expand the current open-air patio into a big, family-friendly beer garden, to accompany the variety of games already available out there.

Heathen’s not big — most of its 1,400 annual barrels are sold on premise, with a bit of distribution at places like Whole Foods and some Albertsons. But that size is a good fit, Parsons says, creating a community connection and a local feel. That latter part is important to Parsons and Heathen, he said, and he offers space in both locations to community groups and nonprofits — for free. And he’s going to keep doing that even if it means suffering the consequences of intolerant people.

“I’m not going to let people bully me into not letting people express themselves,” said Parsons, who described himself as a centrist frustrated by the polarization of the nation’s political discourse. “You can have your opinion and I can have my opinion, and that shouldn’t mean we can’t sit down and have a beer just because we disagree.”

Cheers to that. And cheers to more brilliant, sunny days at Heathen Brewing.

Open 4-8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday; brunch menu 9 a.m.-2 p.m. weekends. heathenbrewing.com

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Portland Cider reopens Clackamas pub

Portland Cider Co. closed its main location in Clackamas a few months ago for renovations, and they said this week that it’s back open.

The pub is now a full-service restaurant, with a kitchen run by Executive Chef Vinnie Manna. They’ve added three pizza ovens and a commercial fryer, plus a more intimate dining area and an updated outdoor space.

The new menu — which also includes table service — features local produce and Northwest ingredients, with everything made in-house. Offerings include fresh bread and buns to smoked and ground meats, plus rotating specials alongside longtime items like cider fondue, an upgraded barbecue plate, and bangers and fries. A new addition to the menu is hand-tossed artisan pizza, one of Manna’s specialties. They’ll also serve a selection of cider cocktails blended with locally distilled spirits.

“We can’t wait to welcome our guests in for a completely new experience in Clackamas,” said Portland Cider owner Jeff Parrish. “We’ve been waiting for this day for months, and we know that our guests will appreciate the new level of hospitality and the absolutely incredible food coming out of our brand-new kitchen.”

Portland Cider in Clackamas is open 3-9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday until May 3, when it will return to its normal hours of operation, Wednesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner. Visit the restaurant’s website to stay updated on hours, food specials and its two other locations.

Oregon Brewers Fest combines with Rose Fest

The Oregon Brewers Festival is back from the dead. At least, kind of, my colleague Lizzy Acker wrote this week.

The festival earlier this year canceled this summer’s event, and I suspected it might be the last we hear from the venerable gathering as I lamented the fate of big beer festivals. But in perhaps a wise and resurrecting move, it’s re-inventing itself as a tap takeover at the Portland Rose Festival’s CityFair this June.

Rose Festival organizers said they “invited the 35-year-old craft beer celebration to be the featured attraction in CityFair’s second weekend at Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park.”

And OBF founder Art Larrance said he could finally have a beer at his own festival. “Tell everyone to come and have a beer with me,” he said. “Now that I’m not the licensee, I’m finally allowed to enjoy the beer during the fest!”

Said Rose Festival CEO Marilyn Clint: “The Rose Festival is very focused on helping bring fun back to downtown Portland. Portland is known as ‘Beervana’ for a reason, and combining these two waterfront traditions at CityFair was an easy decision.”

CityFair admission will allow visitors to access the Oregon Brewers Festival activities. Attendees can purchase the 2023 Rose Festival edition Oregon Brewers Festival mug and 12-ounce pours from a selection of the specially curated beers on tap. Cash and cards, not Brewers Fest tokens, will be accepted.

Oregon Brewers Festival at CityFair runs from Friday, June 2, to Sunday, June 4.

Holman’s coming back from the dead

Were you a fan of Holman’s Bar & Grill? Good news for you. The Portland Mercury first reported last week, then followed up by my colleague Michael Russell, that the once-popular dive bar, which closed during the pandemic, is coming back later this year. According to the Mercury report, Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeault — a duo who have refurbished other essential old Portland dive bars including Sandy Hut The Alibi, The Vern — have taken over the space and plan to scrub the floors, polish the bar and restock the whiskey selection over the next few months. You’ll find it at 15 S.E. 28th Ave.

Beer of the Week

Spacedog IPA, Montavilla Brew Works and Lucky Labrador Brewing (6.5% ABV). This collaboration evolved out of long friendships between the two breweries. Montavilla founder Michael Kora said the relationship started with Ben Flerchinger, a Lucky Lab brewer who worked at the Southeast Portland brewery for 13 years and was heavily involved in its Barleywine Festival, a gathering that has been held for more than two decades. Flerchinger passed away in March of 2017, on the same day Kora said he transferred his first-ever batch of barleywine into bourbon barrels. That led to the name of Montavilla staple Ben’s Barleywine Ale, the brewery’s first packaged product.

“He used to come in here all the time and was always encouraging me to brew lagers, that’s how you prove your mettle, and he would say we were the most underrated brewery in the city,” Kora said. Friendships continue today with current Lucky Lab head brewer Casey Lyons and brewer Martin Maywalt, along with Lab owner Gary Geist and former Lab brewer Dave Fleming. “We’re just kindred spirits, and they’re just good friends of ours. That was the impetus behind this,” Kora said. “I have a lot of respect for what Gary has done over the years. He’s an OG brewery. It’s an homage to what they’ve done to help out other breweries through all the years. They’re old school and they’ve been doing it for so long, but people forget about ‘em and don’t appreciate what they do.”

Geist said Lucky Lab doesn’t do a lot of collabs, but when they do, it’s “with people we know and love in the community. And Michael’s a great dude, so it was a really good fit.”

Kora said their mutual fondness for their pets was another connection. “We started talking about the ups and downs of our pets, and hospitalizations and things you have to do to take care of your pets, and they got kind of emotional about it,” Kora said. “I was like, you guys are right on! In touch with their feelings, and they do a lot for their pets. They brought them in on our brew day and they just hung out on the floor.”

The beer itself, Kora said, is a West Coast IPA that’s fairly light in color and not as aggressively hopped as other Montavilla IPAs. “We went heavy on the aroma with Galaxy and Citra hops, and we used Simcoe in the whirlpool to get that piney hit, then the bitterness hits you after,” Kora said. Brewery notes: “Fruit salad aroma, with tropical notes of passion fruit, citrus and grapefruit.” Available starting today at Montavilla Brew Works and Lucky Lab locations on draft and in cans.

What to do, what to do?

Great Notion Brewing and Bottle Logic Brewing: Bottle Logic of Anaheim, California, is renowned for quality beers, especially barrel-aged stouts such as Fundamental Observation, or as Great Notion co-founder Paul Reiter says, their “super amazing, science and nerd-focused beers.” The breweries have collaborated for the second year on End of All Things, an Imperial stout aged in Blanton’s and Willet Bourbon barrels for 28 months. EOAT, as it’s called, is conditioned on Vanuatu Vanilla beans, toasted coconut, and marshmallows. Early access for EOAT began on the Great Notion on Thursday for Great Notion’s Whistlepunks and Timberbeasts club members, then general release was Friday morning. Get more details on the release here. The breweries are also rebrewing the hazy IPA Power Struggle, which will be released in May. But wait there’s more: Great Notion’s Northwest location on Saturday will host a Bottle Logic tap takeover with:

• Equivalent Dose – Bourbon & Mead BA Chocolate Banana Stout
• Quantum Matter – Bourbon BA Coconut, Condensed Milk, Cinnamon, Chicory, Vietnamese Coffee Stout
• Glacial Drift – Blue Raspberry ICEE Hard Seltzer
• Fuzzy Logic – Peach Hazy IPA
• Teacursion – West Coast IPA with Tropical Black Tea
• Great Notion / Bottle Logic – BA End of All Things

That’s happening at 3 p.m. at Great Notion’s Northwest Portland location, 2444 N.W. 28th Ave.

Fracture Brewing one-year anniversary: The brewery is throwing a party at its Southeast Portland taproom, 1015 S.E. Stark St., from noon-11 p.m. Saturday, April 29, with beer, food and fun. Fracture will also release two special IPAs to mark the occasion, plus you’ll get to pick from the food trucks lined outside at Lil’ America food cart pod.

Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest: Returning for the eighth year on Saturday, April 29, Cider Fest offers a chance to sample cider from Columbia River Gorge hard cidermakers plus other noteworthy Northwest cideries. With nearly 30 cideries and more than 50 ciders on tap, Cider Fest will be held at the Port of Hood River Event Site, along the Columbia River waterfront with views of the Columbia River Gorge. The daylong event also features music and a play area for kids, guaranteeing a great time for the whole family. Find tickets and package details here. Those younger than 21 are free.

May The Fourth parties: Downtown Beaverton’s Loyal Legion and BinaryBrewing.co will host a May The Fourth dual party on Thursday, May 4, at both locations. Each bar will offer specials and activities in honor of the unofficial “Star Wars” holiday. Loyal Legion and BinaryBrewing.co will also be releasing their collaboration IPA, R2DBrew, at both pubs for the event. Each pub will offer food and drink specials, commemorative T-shirts, discounted beer to patrons dressed in “Star Wars” costumes or clothing, and a specialty sticker for guests who visit both parties.

Gigantic Brewing 11th anniversary: The Southeast Portland brewery celebrates its 11th anniversary from noon-6 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at the brewery, 5224 S.E. 26th Ave. “When we began brewing back in May 2012, we made a vow to start small and stay (stubbornly) small, and we are beyond amazed at how we’ve grown over the past 11 years,” said Ben Love, Gigantic brewmaster. “We would be nothing if it weren’t for the people who have supported us, and we would like to invite everyone to a huge party to celebrate.” The day will include live music and food offerings, plus rare beers being tapped from the cellar all day, including 2013 Massive! Bourbon Barrel Aged and a collaboration with De Molen Brouwerij, a barrel-aged quadruple called Robots & Windmills. 21+ only.

New Releases of Note

Symphonic Chronic Double Dank IPA, Deschutes Brewery (9.0% ABV). This Imperial IPA combines West Coast kettle hopping with East Coast dry hopping with loads of Citra, Chinook, CTZ, Mosaic, Simcoe and Idaho 7 hops. Brewery notes: “Resinous pine and bright tropical flavors from, amazingly smooth and well-balanced.” (And be sure to check out Deschutes’ fun marketing video for Symphonic Chronic). Available in 19.2-ounce single-serve cans only at retailers across Deschutes’ distribution footprint.

Great Bones Double Dry-Hopped IPA, Boneyard Beer and Great Divide Brewing(7.0% ABV). Boneyard of Bend collaborated on this West Coast IPA with Great Divide of Denver, and they released it Wednesday at their pubs. Brewery notes: “This pleasantly dry-hopped West Coast IPA features Pacific Sunrise, Riwaka, Galaxy, Citra & Idaho 7 hops.”

Aged Maibock, Chuckanut Brewery (7.0% ABV). Aged Maibock is a strong spring lager traditionally tapped in May (Mai in German), and Chuckanut’s won gold at the 2020 Great American Beer Festival. Brewery notes: “A light-colored Bock Lager with a moderate bitterness balancing out a slightly sweet, full-bodied palate packed with rich ripe fruit aromas due to a lengthy lagering period.” Available this year only on tap at Chuckanut’s South Nut Tap Room in Skagit Valley, Washington, and the P Nut Beer Hall in Portland, 920 S.E. Caruthers St., Suite A.

— Andre Meunier; sign up for my weekly newsletter Oregon Brews and News, and follow me on Instagram, where I’m @oregonianbeerguy.