A new Laurelwood Brewing location is now open in Southeast Portland in the heart of the popular family neighborhood of Sellwood. The new brewpub is not big on square footage, but big roll-up doors, high ceilings, and a bright and warm interior give it a welcoming feel that invites crowds. At last week's grand opening, all the players, including owner Mike DeKalb, Brewmaster Vasilios Gletsos, marketing manager James Buxman, and returning prodigal sun Micah Bell were in attendance for the ribbon cutting. Meanwhile, new stuff is brewing and on tap, and the brewery just added some bronze and silver medals at the recent Great American Beer Festival.
The new brewpub has all the hallmarks of a Laurelwood pub, with throwbacks to the much-loved past of the original old location at NE 40th and Sandy. The stained glass Laurelwood sign that hung behind the bar at the original is back, this time behind a lightboard in the Sellwood pub, and fans who mourned the loss of the short-lived Laurelwood Pizza Co. iteration will be happy to learn that pies are back on the menu here.
One of the newer touches is walls covered with past Laurelwood artwork, including labels, signs ,and other promotional items. Apparently every previous label is represented as a nod to the brewery's history. One notably absent feature of the new brewpub is a kids play area, though don't think that will mean fewer children in the notoriously popular family destination.
Vasilios Gletsos has not been at Laurelwood long, but we are starting to see some of his touches to the beers. The Farm Hand Saison currently on tap in limited quantities may be the first beer brewed at Laurelwood to use Brettanamyoces. The cloudy wheat beer also has subtle lavender and a citrusy flavors. The new Brewers Cut Double IPA is a beer designed to please the hopheads, and at 9.6% ABV and 110 IBUs it packs a wallop. Growing production of house favorite Workhorse IPA will please many, and an upcoming bottling will replace Gearhead IPA as the primary packaged IPA. Of course, the opening of another pub to supply beer to does put the brewery, already operating at near capacity, under further strain. Rumors of a Laurelwood production brewery are well-founded.
The latest Laurelwood location brings the total to 5, if you count the 2 at Portland International Airport. That's a lot of beer being moved by just one brewhouse, and it makes Laurelwood a prime example for success for the bevvy of new breweries opening in the near future.
Laurelwood - SE Portland - Sellwood
6716 SE Milwaukie Ave
Portland, OR 97202
503-894-8267
I'm an Eastmoreland resident and beer fan, so I really want this to succeed. We were there several weeks ago, when they actually opened. Beer fine, service VERY slow. Hopefully, the lag between actually opening and declaring a Grand Opening has improved the process. What with PUB, Laurelwood, Oaks Bottom, and, I guess, Philadelphias, this could be a new beer destination???
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