Written Piece

Brewgene

The Beer. The People. The Culture.

Haley Kretz

Danny Salzman

Brandon Levesque

            Oregon is known for its growing brewery industry. More and more breweries are popping up in areas like Portland and Eugene, transforming them into cities nationally known for their beer culture. In Eugene, the brewing industry has been on an upward slope since the early 2000’s, even achieving the nickname of “Brewgene”. The number of breweries in Eugene has gone from two to more than eleven in the past eight years creating a culture and community centered on beer. The question is, why is Eugene such a beer hub in the Northwest?

It all began with the people in this area and their consideration to their quality of life, which in turn reflected in the beer they created. Craig Keller, cellar operator at Oakshire Brewing Company says, “I think it started more with the quality. People really cared about taking the resources they had and making the best of them without manipulating them to much.” Keller didn’t come to work in Eugene coincidentally. Originally, Keller worked in finance and realized it wasn’t for him. His family was involved in the wine industry so he made the switch to creating wine. Keller then moved into beer because he enjoyed the culture that surrounded it. He worked for a brewery in Central California where the beer culture was lacking and he was looking for a change. Keller traveled all over the Pacific Northwest to different beer oriented towns to figure where he belonged. He came to Eugene and discovered it was the right for him.

The beer culture in Eugene began with people and their passionate love of fresh ingredients and strides to create quality craft beer. Years ago, breweries weren’t finding success in Eugene. Partial owner of Falling Sky Brewery and point man for Eugene Beer Week, Jason Carriere says,  “I think with the amazing success of Ninkasi made people really get excited about it again.” Shortly after, Oakshire gained success and then Hop Valley and Falling Sky followed not far behind after opening in 2012. Much like Craig Keller, Carriere didn’t originally work in the beer industry. Carriere went to Stanford for environmental studies and worked on the Human Genome Project. He uses his scientific knowledge for brewing to create quality craft beer. Carriere and other beer aficionados in Eugene are excited to see Eugene’s beer culture continue to grow before their eyes.

With new breweries opening up every year one would think that the breweries and pubs would be very competitive with one another but that’s not necessarily the case. The beer community in Eugene is a tight knit one. There is a mutual understanding that everyone is trying to create high quality craft beer for customers to enjoy. It’s healthy competition when the breweries push each other to be the best that they can be. Kyle Everett, manager over at Tap and Growler Taphouse says, “Opening with beer and wine, I was worried there was going to have some friction but I haven’t seen any of that here.” Tap and Growler Taphouse features seventy-one different taps. Differing from other taphouses, Tap and Growler Tap House also has taps featuring mead, kombucha, and wine. Everett’s interest in beer began because of his love of history. He enjoyed learning and reading about beer and wine in history. He eventually began to work with beer and wine at Marche Provisions and continued to expand his knowledge before working at Tap and Growler Taphouse. “What’s so great about Eugene beer and Oregon beer is the culture. There is this huge excitement and enthusiasm for trying new things and reinventing old things.” Says Everret.

One can really see the community and comradery every spring when Eugene Beer Week assembles. Eugene Beer Week was founded four years ago and has continuously grown ever since. Ariel Hoffmeyer, manager of 16 Tons Taphouse, works next to owner Mike Coplan who is the founder of Eugene Beer Week. “Eugene Beer Week was made to celebrate all of the beer-centric businesses that are here in town and make drinking craft beer so terrific.” Says Ariel.  Eugene Beer Week has grown from only three participants in its first year to ten breweries involved this year. Numerous sponsors have become involved as well. The week features events hosted by numerous restaurants, pubs, and breweries. The participants highlight their craft beer and food through different events at their locations. Some even create beers special for the event only. Eugene Beer Week also highlights supporters of the craft beer industry with events such as a banquet put on by Oakshire Brewery to raise money for Congressman Peter Defazio, a large advocate for craft beer. The organizers of Eugene Beer Week have had to turn away some breweries that are interested in participating. Hoffmeyer says, “We want introduce people to beers that they haven’t had before so we can help them grown their awareness and so were looking for really unique interesting things.”

The craft beer industry differs from other alcohol industries because it praises those who make the beer. Brewers love to creating something from scratch and having the ability to share it with people that appreciate the work that they have done. Craig Keller says, “Everybody really appreciates the people that make the beer. They know we are working hard, the people who drink the beer are working hard.” The difference between the people of Eugene from other cities is their knowledge and appreciation of good beer. They have the opportunity to take advantage of their environment and are constantly exposed to quality beer. The people of Eugene create a weaving network of great quality food, music, and socializing that can all be connected back to their appreciation of beer. A growing concern of some breweries is that larger companies are attempting to buy them out and imitate the craft beer brand. (Oregon Quarterly) As long as the brewers and people of Eugene strive to create and enjoy quality craft beer the “Brewgene” culture isn’t going anywhere.

 

Sources

Craig Keller – Cellar Operator at Oakshire Brewery

Jason Carriere – Owner of Falling Sky Brewery

Kyle Everett – Manager of Tap and Growler Taphouse

Ariel Hoffmeyer – Manager of 16 Tons Taphouse

http://oregonquarterly.com/winter2013/old_oregon.php