Portland, Oregon has arguably the greatest craft beer scene of any American city. The number of breweries in the greater Portland area is beyond impressive and it’s about to climb higher still with the debut of Wayfinder Beer, a lager- focused brewery and restaurant, scheduled to open on October 1, 2016.
Wayfinder has been described as a cross between a German beer hall and a Northwest restaurant and it features an all- star lineup of personnel, including Charlie Devereux from Double Mountain Brewery and Taproom; Matthew Jacobson from Sizzle Pie, Quality Bar, and Relapse Records; and Rodney Muirhead from Portland’s Podnah’s Pit and La Taq restaurants. The experience in food, beer, restaurant management, and music will help set this establishment apart and should lead to a unique customer experience.
Wayfinder is located at 304 SE 2nd Avenue in one of Portland’ Central Eastside neighborhoods and was constructed from a century old former grain warehouse. The facility will feature indoor and outdoor seating with space for about one hundred guests on both the interior and exterior. Plans call for 16 beer taps in the beginning, tapping quality brew from local breweries like Baerlic, Breakside, Hopworks, and others. In a short time, Wayfinder will fire up the kettles with a new 10- barrel brewing system which will be commanded by award- winning lager guru Kevin Davey- a man who has experience at Chuckanut, Firestone Walker, and Gordon Biersch. And since no bar is complete without great cocktails, mixologist Jacob Grier will head up the cocktail program, stirring up delicious mixed drinks for the liquor crowd.
Moving to the kitchen, Rodney Muirhead, the man who helped secure the coveted 2011 Restaurant of the Year award from Willamette Week in 2011 when he was at Podnah’s Pit, is ready to serve delicious American- style cuisine specially designed to match with tasty suds. Some of the featured foods are thick smoked prime rib with beer cheese sandwiches, house- made sausage, pretzels, steaks, etc. With food, the emphasis will be on freshness and quality. “We make everything we can from scratch”, says Muirhead.
Wayfinder opens in a city that some say is already saturated with craft beer and great eateries, but Wayfinder offers something a little different and it should have no trouble winning over the local crowd. Founder Charlie Devereux feels this new establishment will add much to the local food and beverage climate.
“We’re three entrepreneurs who came together to see what we can add to the Portland scene. The space looks great and we can’t wait to open the doors and welcome our local audience”, says Devereux.
Wayfinder will serve lunch, dinner, and beer seven days per week. To learn more about Portland’s hottest brewery/restaurant, visit on the world wide web at www.wayfinder.beer. To follow via social media, connect via the following links:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/wayfinderbeer
Twitter https://twitter.com/WayfinderBeer
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wayfinderbeer/
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