Craft beer oasis: Astoria’s walkable brewing scene

Published 12:15 am Friday, March 24, 2023

When Dave Coyne and Nathan Lampson opened the doors of Astoria’s sixth craft brewery last year, beer makers from throughout the region stopped by to pay their respects and tip a pint or two.

Nobody doubted whether Obelisk Beer Co. would thrive, despite a handful of destination breweries already within walking distance.

Simply put, there is a vast amount of beer being made in Astoria, a sea of suds representing just about every variety imaginable, from crisp lagers and hoppy IPAs to warming stouts, tangy sours and potent barley wines.

In recent years, the city’s surge of beer tourism has gained permanence and power, helping to revitalize its downtown core by giving new life to vacant, aging buildings — and boosting the local economy.

In many ways, craft beer has also become entwined with Astoria’s vibrant art scene, saplings rising by the mother tree. Small-batch brewers like Coyne are artisans, not unlike the poets, painters, weavers, musicians and chefs who’ve put their creative stamp on the city.

“There’s a beacon of creativity here, and beer is part of that,” said Brian Bovenizer, marketing and sales director at Fort George Brewery, the city’s largest. “I think it’s fantastic.”

One of the city’s latest additions, Obelisk’s slogan is “Slow Beer, Good Times,” a nod to Coyne’s penchant for aging special beers in barrels, a skill he honed during nine years at Fort George.

“I want to continue to grow what I started with at Fort George. The barrel-aging. Honing my lagers to make them really finely crafted: crystal-clear and beautiful,” he says, sounding very much like an artist.

But back to the sudsy sea — six breweries, and growing, in a city of 10,000 people is eyebrow-raising. The sheer volume of beer being produced is even more impressive.

Fort George had a stellar 2022, filling more than 31,000 barrels (about a million gallons) with a delivery area that reaches far beyond the coast. The growth isn’t just about the brewery’s top sellers, either. Last year, a record 56 new beers came off the canning and bottling lines, said Bovenizer.

Buoy Beer Co., another Astoria giant, and Astoria Brewing Co., the city’s oldest, also set production records last year. Both are seeking wider distribution. Without doubt, the beer business in Astoria is booming.

One of the clearest signs was the shift of Fort George’s main production into a sprawling waterfront facility in 2021, a move echoed the same year by Buoy’s major expansion south of the river off Eighth Street.

The establishment of a downtown “beer zone,” though, is what locals and tourists alike notice most. Within a five-block radius lies Fort George’s Duane Street campus, including its small-batch brewery, taproom, brewpub and pizzeria. Then, there’s Reach Break Brewing, with a taproom, brewery and canopied picnic tables, Astoria Brewing’s brewery, taproom and brewpub, Buoy’s brewpub and taproom and Bridge & Tunnel Bottleshop & Taproom.

Portland’s Breakside Brewery plans to add to the mix with a brewpub on Exchange Street, just across the street from Reach Break. A small brewery specializing in gluten-free beer aims to move into the Sunflower Dairy building, on the other side of Reach Break. — That would be Astoria’s No. 7.

Brad Kenoyer, Astoria Brewing Co. general manager, believes the keys to the emerging beer district are walkability, a family-friendly vibe and offerings on tap that appeal to all tastes. Check, check and check. “How can you go wrong?” he said.

Every brewery and taproom in town has taken existing structures and refurbished them rather than build new. That serves a double purpose: preserving pieces of Astoria’s past while creating a new vibrancy.

Obelisk, for instance, spent more than a year refurbishing a 72-year-old warehouse on Bond Street that had served as a beer distribution depot in the 1950s before a longer stint hosting Columbia Fruit & Produce.

Other breweries have taken over vacant waterfront buildings with bones hewn from old growth timber that nearly a century ago housed a different kind of canning line – for locally harvested tuna and salmon.

The anchor of all this change – some would say “incubator” – is Fort George, which opened downtown 15 years ago and quickly became a Northwest sensation. Fort George’s reputation for innovative brewing is rooted in special-release beers only available here, a drawing card that continues to lure throngs of beer-minded visitors from across the country.

The Norblad Hotel, across from Fort George, has seen a “significant increase” in beer-related tourism in recent years, according to marketing director Shalan Hess.

“We’re going to reap the benefits of that, definitely,” she says of the rapid growth of taprooms and brewpubs. “We want people who want to be downtown, next to the breweries.”

The Norblad and other hotels are booked months in advance for Fort George’s annual stout fest in February, the Festival of Dark Arts, and the peak summer period is always busy. But Hess says Astoria’s beer zone is now attracting visitors year-round. “It’s definitely a marked difference that I can see,” she says.

If the number of hotel rooms can keep pace, most observers believe Astoria will continue its evolution as a beer destination. A critical mass of breweries and satellite pubs has apparently been reached, despite the fact that the craft beer scene here is in its infancy, historically speaking. Astoria Brewing’s roots extend only 25 years – one generation. Buoy came along in 2013; Reach Break in 2017.

Fort George Brewery

Founded in 2007 on the site of the original Astoria settlement for which it’s named, Fort George — now Astoria’s largest craft brewery — quickly outgrew its initial eight-barrel brewing system, triggering a series of expansions.

The old brewhouse is now used mainly for small-batch and barrel-aged beers. The Lovell Taproom, named for a family-owned car dealership that filled the building for decades, offers seating mere feet from the brewing tanks, plus live music on Sunday nights. In another historic building across a courtyard, the brewery boasts a restaurant specializing in wood-fired pizzas.

The main brewing and canning operation is located in a sprawling former warehouse about a mile west, between Marine Drive and the Columbia River. In 2022, Fort George opened its Beer Pier behind the brewing facility. It’s a long pier, refurbished with decorative lights, seating and space for bands to play. Its Fourth of July debut drew hundreds, enjoying river views and evening fireworks.

Fort George produces an impressive range of beers, from classic pilsners like The Meadow to its renowned Vortex IPA and Cavatica stout. Brewers collaborate frequently with their counterparts at other breweries, often for charitable causes, creating taste bud-tingling beers with bold new ingredients.

The brewery hosts two annual public festivals: IPA-loving Lupulin Ecstasy in June and the Festival of Dark Arts in February. Both sell out quickly — often within hours.

Buoy Beer Co.

Growing steadily since its founding a decade ago, Buoy Beer Co. now produces more than 20,000 barrels a year — and has continued an upward journey through adversity. Last June, a portion of the brewery’s waterfront facility collapsed into the Columbia River.

Moving swiftly, Buoy leased space in the downtown Astoria Food Hub building for a pop-up taproom and kitchen. Buoy holds two public festivals every year: the lager-focused Frülingsfest in May; and Oktoberfest in September, honoring German-style brews. There is free live music at the taproom on Friday nights.

While Buoy brews many beers, its biggest sellers have traditionally been its IPAs, lagers and Czech-style pilsner. Brewers, however, take special pride in their bottled, barrel-aged offerings: The Decapitator doppelbock and Love Lost at Sea barley wine.

Astoria Brewing Co.

In summer, the viewing deck of Astoria Brewing Co.’s riverfront taproom is packed with visitors, drinking fresh brews and eating fish and chips. In addition to that 11th Street location, there’s a mellow taproom off 12th Street that wraps around the brewhouse one floor below.

For many years, Astoria Brewing was focused on making enough beer to support its brewpub, taproom and bars — until Kenoyer took over a couple of years ago. His rebranding has resulted in expanded distribution and an added canning line. It also enticed Andrew Brown, a Buoy brewer who immediately began reimagining the lineup. Brown has since partnered with other breweries and introduced a number of limited-release beers.

Reach Break Brewing

In the heart of Astoria’s downtown beer district lies Reach Break. Even some locals admit to not being aware of the existence of the microbrewery founded in 2017. It’s sometimes mistaken for a food court, since its outdoor tables are ringed by food trucks.

But look a little further and you’ll find a hidden gem, tucked inside a former used-car showroom that still boasts the original roll-up doors. A recently refurbished taproom with oak barrel tables and a bar awaits “guests,” as the beertenders call customers, and there are always at least a half-dozen beers and a hand-crafted seltzer on tap.

Reach Break founder Josh Allison has no dreams of going big, but he does love to experiment – a vision that last year drew brewer Kyle Fosbinder, previously of Buoy. Sours are their specialty, but the brewery also produces a first-rate IPA and pilsner.

Obelisk Beer Co.

Obelisk, named in tribute to the famed Astoria Column, is the city’s newest brewery. Coyne and co-owner Nathan Lampson are content with taking it slow, focusing on high-quality beer that takes a little longer to brew. A lot longer, if you include barrel-aged varieties that are Coyne’s specialty. At Fort George, the brewer frequently collaborated with other Oregon breweries. Expect that to continue as well.

The roomy Bond Street taproom is a few blocks west of the downtown beer zone, but it’s worth a visit with its cheery atmosphere, 16 taps and 23-foot bar fashioned by hand out of reclaimed Douglas fir.

Hondo’s Brew & Cork

Nobody in Astoria has been brewing commercially longer than RJ Kiepke, the silver-haired owner of Hondo’s, a nanobrewery named after his beloved dog. While the brewing tanks are small, the Marine Drive taproom list is long – often featuring a dozen beers.

Hondo’s is located just east of the Astoria Co-op. There’s a retro feel inside, with a small bar, tables and pool table. Pub food at affordable prices is available. It’s also the best place in town to buy home-brewing supplies, if you’re itching to give it a try.