Leikam Brewing Taproom is now Open on E. Burnside
Portland, Oregon's own kosher certified Leikam Brewing has opened their own taproom and future brewery and food cart pod at 5812 East Burnside in Portland. Leikam is a tight knit Jewish family operation owned and operated by Sonia-Marie and Theo Leikam, who have been brewing beer behind their southeast Portland, Hawthorne neighborhood home since 2013. Before now they were relegated to growler fill clubs and occasional beer bar appearances before they lobbied to get a license to sell at farmers markets and eventually raised the funds to purchase the building where their new taproom has opened.
Previously the home of Thai Me Up, a Thai food cart parked in front of this converted home which operated as both a patio and brick-and-mortar bar. The Leikam taproom is a converted house constructed in 1910 and it will be the first public outpost of Leikam Brewing's classic American and Jewish heritage-inspired beers but also a food cart pod and eventually the entirety of the breweries production.
Before it became the home to Thai Me Up restaurant and pop-up bar, the E. Burnside house had an addition built onto the back of the building to serve as a recording studio. The old front end of the building and the new back end are separated by a walk-in cooler with an outdoor walkway connecting the space. The recording studio area has enough room to host the Leikam Brewery which will relocate from behind the Leikam family home to be on-site at the new taproom and expand the 5bbl brewhouse with 10bbl tanks. Guests will be able to walk through the brewery to a back room events space with projectors for sports and an area to host screenings and community events. There is enough room outside and behind the building to host up to six food trucks eventually, but first Leikam must upgrade the power to the lot and raise the funds to relocate the brewery.
Leikam Brewing is open now Wednesday - Sunday 3 - 9pm-ish with six taps of their own beers flowing plus canned wine, non-alcoholic options and crowlers of Leikam to-go. The small, family friendly taproom (minors at all hours) has seating for 40 inside and out with a substantial elevated deck as a front porch. Inside the fenced in yard there are outdoor games like cornhole and food truck Penguin Poutine. Leikam will expand their hours and food trucks starting August 1st when JamRock, a jamaican food cart will join the food truck pod in development. Penguin Poutine serves six different kinds of poutine and shaved ice and the taproom itself serves snacks like bar nuts and giant dill pickles for $1.
