Welcome to our blog. Hopworks Urban Brewery is Portland's first brew pub to offer all organic handcrafted beers, fresh local ingredients, eco-friendly and sustainable building, and a relaxed, casual atmosphere bringing communities together. Hopworks has been under construction for over a year, but is getting closer every day to opening its' doors. We are excited to announce that the brewery is now in production. You can currently find Hopworks beer at various restaurants and bars in the Portland area. (click on (pages)"find our beer in town") Hopworks family friendly restaurant and bar is scheduled to open this winter 2008. Thank you for your interest and please continue to visit our blog for updates.
Hopworks Urban Brewery
Hopworks wins GOLD and SILVER!
Congratulations to Christian and Ben who won a GOLD and SILVER medal at the World Beer Cup April 19th in San Diego!
Organic Hopworks IPA won a GOLD MEDAL in catagory # 80 American Style Pale Ale
Organic HUB Lager won a SILVER MEDAL in catagory # 23 Bohemian Stlyle Pilsner
More details will be posted soon!
Updates from Hopworks
ok, It's been awhile since we've given any updates, sorry about that...we've been a little busy lately! It's been almost a month since we opened our doors and things are going extemely well. Opening night was bigger than we ever anticipated...Thank you to everyone who has stopped by to check us out!
Check out our "Hopworks Organic Beers on TAP" page (scroll down to left) for Beers and descriptions!
Opening day March 25th, 2008
Sorry it has been awhile since we've updated you on the progress. We have been extremely busy during the final push of the project. HUB is excited to announe that we finally have a long awaited opening date of Tuesday, March 25th! We will be open for lunch at 11:00am. Come join us and invite your friends to celebrate Hopworks Urban Brewery first official day of business. Thank you for your support and checking in on our progress throughout the project. We look forward to seeing you at the HUB! Cheers! ps: we will continue to have updates and pictures, so keep blogging!
The finishing touches, getting ready for opening day
Finally the majority of all construction is complete. It is now crunch time to attend to the final details of the project: completing the content and design of the menus, the kettle fire pit in the bar, hiring all HUB staff and planting the flower "kegs".....We are excited to announce that we have just hired 40 HUB employees, all which come to us with great work and life experience! Pictures: Brandie and Karen planting the keg flowers with an assortment of beautiful geraniums, pansies, grass and ivy. Jules testing out his new watering can, what a good little helper!
HUB gathering
The HUB hosted a gathering for some family and friends. Christian gave tours and everyone enjoyed a variety of Andy's pizza selections, with the bbq pizza being the fave. It is very exciting, the kitchen is in full swing and beer taps are flowing. Just a few more details to go. Pictures: Jules on a brewery tour with his two favorite grandpas; grandpa Wayne and grandpa Roy; brewery tour 101, mezzanine view of the gang hanging out in the bar; where's waldo?
finishing up construction
After a year and a half of demolition and build out. The HUB is finally in its last phase of construction. The south parking lot has been paved and striped creating an additional 45 spaces for cars and motercycles. The metal famed stairs leading up to the south deck will be finished this week. Inside, the mezzanine is finally done with railings in place. The pinabll machines and old school Mrs. Packman are now in play. The kids' play area complete with two six foot chalkboards, train table and an activity bar to boot. The HUB team has been spending long days, nights and weekends continuing to work on the remaining details, preparing for our upcoming opening. We are excited to annouce that the majority of inspections/permits have been passed, getting us even closer to our goal of opening the doors in the next week. Thanks for your continued interest in following our journey and keep checking in with us.We're allmost there!
Brewing updates
Christian and Ben have been very busy in the brewery with over 900 barrels of beer brewed so far. Last month, William Schneller and Chris Olsonne, who won best in show from February's home brew competition, brewed their own recipe: Belgium Strong Golden. This complex, fruity Belgium ale has received great reviews from many beer connoisseurs stopping in for a pint while checking out the progress of the project. Most recently, Christian and Ben brewed Survival Seven Grain Stout. This beer is a complex Beer of the Ancients! Barley (Egypt), Wheat (Mesopotamian), Oats (Egypt), Amaranth (Aztec), Quinoa (Inca), Spelt (Mesopotamia), and Kamut (Egypt) sustain the soul with a nutrients cultivated through the millennia. Finished with 15 pounds of cold-pressed Stumptown Hairbender espresso. Lastly, eight beers were bottled and shipped down to San Diego to be judged for the World Beer Cup Competition in April....
Hopworks welcomes Andy
Andy Litka is the newest addition to the Hopworks team! Andy is a Philadelphia transplant via Oakland. He has been throwing pies for seven years and is a self described pizza geek. He mastered the art of pizza making at Lane Splitter Pizza in Oakland where he managed 600 pies a day between three different restaurants. Hopworks is very excited to have Andy as our Pizza master in the kitchen. The pies will be an 18" New York style, with fresh, local pizza toppings. pictures: Andy, getting ready to fire up the pizza ovens for the first time, Christian's attempt at throwing a pie...nice job flour boy!
We're not shaving
Yep, it's the boys of Hopworks. Assistant Brewer, Ben Love, Brewer and Owner, Christian Ettinger, Jules, General Manager, Lionne Decker, and Kitchen Manager and pizza extraordinare, Andy Litka. The Hopworks team has made a pact that they will remain fuzzy until opening day. No shaving boys! Hopworks is in the throws of the final push to get this pub open!!!!!! As you can see it's been at least two weeks since the boys have shaved and it is anticipated to be at least 3 more. Yep, you heard right, we finally have an opening date (which we will disclose soon)! BUT, for now go to our website www.hopworksbeer.com and register your email to receive the important details of opening day and more info. Although Jules is small,he has shown his dedication to the cause by growing a crown on his head!
final phase of construction
After patiently waiting for permits and a break in the weather, we finally poured the concrete on the south deck. The deck extends 30 feet in the air and is supported by steel. It took 14 yards of concrete and a 50 ft crane to hoist the concrete up to the steel joists. After the concrete was set, the temperatures dropped into the low 30's for days, forcing us to tarp and insulate it to prevent cracking. Next, we will be working on the railing and stairs leading down to the back parking lot. Once completed, we will be able to submit for final permits. The deck will seat an additional 36 people outside, with views of the west hills. Inside the building, the stairs leading up to the mezzanines (over looking the restaurant and bar) are almost complete. The stairs are constructed of metal stair steps and steel rods. The paint is up, the tables (recycled copper tops) are being detailed and finished, and the taps are flowing! pictures: Crane unloading the concrete up on the south deck, laying and smoothing the deck, mezzanine stairs and entry to mezzanine.
Brewery updates and dock sales
Hopworks Urban Brewery has been in production for over four months now. Christian and Ben have made six different styles of organic beer (IPA, RED, Lager, Abominable, DOA, Doppelbock). The 20 barrel brewery has produced 460 barrels of beer to date. HUB has over 50 different accounts around town where you can enjoy an IPA, Red or Lager. Please see our updated list under "HUB beer in Portland" (located at the left column of the blog). Dock sales are available Friday afternoons from noon -6 pm. (visit our website www.hopworksbeer.com for pricing and info) We now have some HUB wear featuring long-sleeve and short-sleeve T shirts, hoodies, and thermals. Pictures: Jules and "daddy" brewmaster checking out the wort gleaming through the sight glass. Ben brewing and cleaning tanks. HUB merchandise, ready for order!
Creating Hopworks
Hopworks is divided into three distinct areas: family dining, 21 and over bar, and banquet mezzanine for parties up to 49. A brew cam will give you a glimpse into the brewing world. You can watch Christian and Ben hard at work down in the brewery as you enjoy a organic beer at the bar. Rockin tunes and a HD TV will provide entertainment for those who need to get caught up on the game. Upstairs in the mezzanine, you can play pool, old school vidz and pin ball. If relaxing is more your speed, you can warm your toes next to our custom made grundy tank fire pit. The bank vault will provide a unique space to hang with your friends and raise a pint. A bike sculpture consisting of 44 bike frames hangs directly over the bar. This is just a little window into our HUB world. Cheers and we look forward to seeing you! pictures: bike frames and Christian and Wes hanging the sculpture, what a great feat! our little grundy fire pit, very "hot"!
We're on the home stretch
Hopworks is moving forward at full steam. The next couple of weeks will be "big" in bringing us closer to opening day. Yes, opening day....we anticipate we will be nearing the end of construction by mid February...and if all goes well with inspections, we hope to open soon after. The giant excavators are working hard to crunch asphalt in the back parking lot. If and when it stops raining, we will be pouring concrete and paving the back lot (creating an additional 40 parking spaces) and finishing off the upper beer garden deck (adjacent to the restaurant on the main level) Christian and the Hopworks team have been working long, long hours to attend to every detail and decision to keep this project moving forward. We now see the light at the end of the tunnel and it is very exciting! pictures: excavator and cutter at work, Construction crew member Jules driving the grader!
Updates and opening
Hopworks is still on schedule to open late January. Currently we are working hard to finish out the bar and restaurant. The booths are custom made using our recycled ceiling joists, and are scheduled to be installed next week. The copper bar is in the process of being completed, and the brewery kettle fireplace is now in the works! (it will hopefully be completed within the month). The stairs up to the mezzanines are next. Next week we will be pouring concrete for the upper (outdoor) beer garden deck, and the parking lot will be paved down below. Thanks for all of your inquiries and we will try to do our best to keep your posted on progess and opening day. Please visit our web site www.hopworksbeer.com to sign up for email updates. Cheers!
Come join us for a beer
Come meet the brewers, Christain and Ben, at the Green Dragon, Tuesday December 18th. The IPA, Red, Lager, Abominable Ale and Kentucky Christmas Ale will all be tapped from 5-9pm. We look forward to prosting our beer with you. See you there!
Building the bar
The bar is built using recycled wood, steel grates and copper. The use of the raw materials and copper top finish make an inviting place to hang out with friends and the community. A sculpture of bike frames hanging above make this bar truly unique. Pictures: Christian hard at work sawing through steel. Custom made tap, recycled bike frames
Holiday Ale festival
Christian and Ben brewed the kentucky Christmas Ale which was featured at the Holiday Ale Fest early this December. The Kentucky Christmas Ale was aged in freshly emptied Kentucky Bourbon barrels for 2 weeks. This full bodied beer is 7% alcohol, 50 IBU's: it has a floral citrus, spicy hop flavor with a hint of vinilla & oak from the barrels, and a malty finish. Kentucky Christmas will be one of the beers on tap at Hopworks Urban Brewery Pub upon opening night. We look forward to prosting a pint with you soon.
Oregon Brew Crew Fall Classic
Hopworks was proud to host the Oregon Brew Crew Fall Classic. On November 10th, over 65 home brewers and brew crew members attended the home brew competition. 219 beers were entered by 65 different brewers from Oregon, California, Idaho and as far away as North Carolina. 27 categories ranging from light to dark lagers, english to american style ales, and Belgium to German ales were judged. Congratulations to the top three brewers "Best of Show" : William L. Schneller, Robin McFarla, Chris Olsonne. William Schneller will colaborate with Christian and Ben to brew a Belgium beer at Hopworks Brewery! To find more information on the Oregon Brew Crew Fall Classic link to http://www.oregonbrewcrew.com/fallclassic/fallclassic2007.html
Find Hopworks Beer in town
Even though the pub is not yet open, you can enjoy our organic beers around town. Hopworks Organic IPA and Organic Red are served in many of Portland's finest restaurants and bars. To view the list of our accounts please scroll down the blog to the "pages" heading (located on the left side of the entries) and click "Find Hopworks Beer". Also, we now have info listed about our beers, check out "About Our Beers" . Prost!
Paving the west parking lot
The west parking lot was graded and vibration rolled layering rock and gravel as the foundation for the pavers. We chose to use eco-lock paving because it creates a permeable surface, allowing water to be soaked in the ground; preventing typical strain on the combined storm water system. It is an eco-friendly alternative to asphalt paving. The job took a total of four days to complete, a truck load of rock and gravel, steam roller compressor and thousands of paving stones.
Construction updates
Hopworks construction is still going strong. Currently, we are in the process of building the booths, constructing the bar, and finishing out the kitchen. The booths are designed to reflect Hopworks' urban style with its sustainability practices. We are milling the recycled wood from the building to build the booths in the restaurant and bar. The construction of the bar will be tarnished copper, which will help bring in natural elements and compliment the industrial feel of the concrete and steel. The kitchen is gearing up for the fresh tossed pizzas and is on its way to completion. The concrete floors have been sanded and sealed using eco-friendly products. The south deck is scheduled to pour concrete by the end of the month and we' are currently working on the west and south parking lots. Keep checking in with us, we'll do our best to keep the updates coming!
We welcome our new general manager Lionne
Hopworks is proud to welcome our new general manager Lionne Decker. Lionne has a wide range of restaurant experience including twelve years with Pacific Coast Restaurants, where he was most recently the beverage director. Christian and Lionne have known each other since high school. Picture: Christian and Lionne (in the middle) taking care of business
Team Hopworks
Team Hopworks competed in the first of seven cyclo-cross races at Alpenrose Dairy. Cyclo-cross consist of biking on a mixed on/ off road course, dismounting to jump over obstacles and technical riding. Pictures: Brandie climbing a hill, Christian and Jesse ready to ride, & Christian rounding the corner ready to pass
It's all about organic!
Hopworks brewery has been in production for almost three weeks. Christian and Ben have brewed 160 barrels of beer so far. The three organic styles brewed are the Red, India Pale Ale, and Lager (Czech Pilsner). The pub will have six standard beers with 3 rotating seasonals (all organic). You can enjoy these beers at the following restaurants and bars in the Portland area: Beulah Land, Brooklyn Park Pub, Concordia Ale House, Crow Bar, Goodfoot, Henrys, Holocene, Jax, Muddy Rudder, Paddys, Veritable Quandry, Victory, Claudias, Fire on the mountain, Kellys Olympian, Horse Brass. (subject to change) Pictures: Serving tanks & kegs, the mill room and mill
Hopworks inaugural brew- September 17, 2007
Today was a huge day. Hopworks Urban Brewery is finally in production. Christian and Ben started their day bright and early with the anticpation of their first brew. Despite having some minor mechanical problems, the brew was a success! Pictures: grain in the mash tun, adding hops (lots & lots) to the hopback, Christian and Ben are very Hoppy!, brewers Paul and Chad stopped by to check out the action, Jules and mama (Brandie) smelling the much hoppiness aroma, Jules about to eat a hop sandwich, view from the top of the building as steam from the brew releases in the air
Hopworks supports local cause
Hopworks was one of many local businesses to support the 2nd annual Muddy Boot Festival this September. We donated five kegs of Hopworks IPA to help promote GREEN sustainable living. Pictures: Brandie & Christian meet Jean- Michel Cousteau (renowned ocean explorer, environmentalist & educator),Our new Hopworks logo revealed on stage at the festival.
Getting closer to opening day!
The sheet rock is done and the paint is going up....the brewery is scheduled to begin production within the next two weeks. The south beer deck will be poured (concrete) and finished within the month. Construction of the bar and booths will be made from recycled lumber from the initial deconstruction of the building. It has been a long road but we're getting closer every day. Thank you for your continued interest in our project and keep checking the blog for updates. More updates to come and more often too. (above pictures): Ben at work, we promise...you'll be brewing beer soon!, kitchen and main restaurant, mezzanine, west parking lot, grain tower from silo to brew house, grandpa Roy teaching Jules the tricks of the trade.
Time for some R&R - Joseph Bronz, Blues, & Brews fest
The Wallowa mountains, surrounding the town of Joseph, are rustic, beautiful and have some of the most breathtaking scenery in Oregon. Christian, Brad (brother in-law),Byron, and long time friend Aaron, spent 3 days backpacking from Lostine to Joseph. Hopworks beer was one of the 30 brews at the Bronz, Blues, & Brews festival.
Oregon Beer Festival - July
Jules was sporting his "I love Hopworks" shirt with his main squeeze Morgan at the OBF, where Hopworks IPA was poured. Prost!
Constructing the south (steel framed) beer deck
The beer deck extends out from the restaurant 30 feet high over the lower beer garden (adjacent to the brewery.) It will seat an additional 35 people and overlook the west hills. The deck was constructed using steel beams that will support over 17 yards of concrete. It was no easy feat hoisting the steel beams and putting them in place, balancing between the crane and unstable supports. Christian drinks a well deserved brew at the end of his twelve hour day working out in the hot sun.
Here come the kegs
The first delivery of 320 kegs arrived bringing a smile to the brewers' faces...... yes, they are one step closer to brewing. Hopworks beer will be sold on-site, as well as in many bars and restaurants locally in Portland and surrounding areas.
Pacific City Brewers Games
Chrisitan and Darren (brewmaster, Pelican Pub) show off their manliness as they run a 90lb keg from the beach down to the ocean at the Brewers' summer games (Pacific City) Hopworks (Christian and Ben) were part of team "beer geeks". Jules spent the entire day digging his way to China.
Organic Beer Fest in June
The second annual orgainic beer festival was the debut of the Hopwprks India Pale Ale. Although the brewery was not in operation yet, Christian and Ben brewed the 7 barrel batch at Golden Valley in McMinville. Hopworks was the first brewery to blow through all of its kegs!
West parking lot
The parking lot on the west side of the building will hold 20 cars. The lot was constructed by excavating the earth and hauling away 80 dumptrucks of soil. The ultra blocks are concrete blocks which will serve as the border of the paver lot. The blocks are constrcted of waste concrete from previous jobs, making it an economical and sustainable option for building.
Christian Ettinger, founder & brew master; Ben Love, assistant brew master; Julian Ettinger, little brewer in training; & Roy Ettinger, architectThe silo is coming!
The 26 ton silo was unloaded from the semi and meticulously placed on the silo platform. Organic grain will 
be stored in the silo with an overhead conveyor belt loading grain to the brewery 50 feet away.
Building the foundation
Pouring concrete to build the foundation for the 30 foot silo. It was 87 degrees outside with many hours of hard labor to get the job done. Time for a cold beer! prost!
Excavating Silo Site
Our inspector demanded we reach native soil and 12' later we hit bottom. The hole was then backfilled and compacted in 2' lifts to create a stable bed for our silo. It will be 12' wide and 23' tall housing a full 54K pounds of certified organic barley malt when full. Some of the best days on this project have been working with the heavy equipment. Troy from Jack's Digger Excavating let me try my hand during the backfill. It is harder than it looks. I think I need one of these for the brewery!
Little construction worker
Julian Lake(seen here changing the bucket on the excavator) is almost two years old and loves construction. His favorite activities are climbing the stepladders and riding the scissor-lift. He asked me to ignore child labor laws and give him a brewing job. I told him that if he colored diligently and stopped trying to ride the dog that he could wash kegs next year. Cheers he said and raised his sippy cup.
installing brewery tanks
The brewery consists of a 1998 20 barrel JVNW single-infusion, direct-fire system with five fermenters(3x20bbl and 2x40bbl) and nine conditioning tanks(8x20bbl and 1x40bbl). We have added a small bottling system to accommodate 22 ounce bottle sales as well as 400 keg shells for the market. Our hope is to grow most of our sales within the Oregon market. Our opening production capacity is 6500 barrels per year or 13,000 15.5 gallon kegs. If all goes well our tanks will soon be filled with organic goodness. "If some hops are good the more must be better." Me. I look forward to giving you a tour sometime. Cheers!
mezzanine
Enjoy one of our organic brews up in the mezzanine while awaiting your table. The raw, wood timbers barrel over the mezzanine creating an inviting casual atmosphere. The mezzanine looks down over the bar and restaurant, creating a truely unique experience. the
construction of pub and brewery
Our building is roughly 16,800 square feet resembling an overturned wooden ship. It was cloaked in cubicles and drywall as the former Sunset Fuel headquarters. We stripped the entire building of all systems(HVAC, plumbing, and electrical) and framing, and knocked huge holes in the 12" thick concrete walls. The ceiling was then painstakingly cob-blasted to reveal the wonderful amber glow of old-growth lumber used in it's construction. What we are left with is a space that is remarkably comfortable and interesting as no two seats provide the same aesthetic experience.
Hopworks Urban Brewery
is Portland's first brewery and pub to offer all organic beer, premium fresh, local ingredients and eco-friendly, green building. We are located in the former Sunset Fuel building on SE 30th and Powell Boulevard across from Cleavland High School. The structure was built in 1948 to display and repair Caterpillar buldozers and is constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. Sunset Fuel purchased the property in 1963 for their headquarters and operated five divisions on site until 2004. The true beauty of this building was disguised by a drop ceiling and a sea of offices and cubilcles. Lovett Deconstruction spent an entire month systematically demolishing the interior and recovering and organizing an amazing array of lumber and fixtures.
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