MIGHTY
SMOOTH
NEW
LOCAL BREWERY TINY, FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY
by
Nicole Fancher
There's a new kid in town among local microbrews.
That's right, my fellow Oregonians: more beer! Because if there's
one thing Oregon is known for — besides excessive rain, outdoor
recreation, ravaging clear-cuts and a whole lotta ganja — it's
our eclectic brew selection. The Portland metro area alone
boasts more than 40 breweries, and the Willamette Valley has several
fine breweries as well, including Steelhead, Ninkasi, High Street
and Eugene City Brewery in Eugene. But what's so special about the
newbie?
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| Jeff
Althouse. Photo by Zach Parrot. |
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| Chris
Althouse. Photo by Zach Parrot. |
Maybe it's the modest operations. In northwest Eugene,
adjacent to the railroad tracks off Bethel Road and nestled between
two warehouse complexes, sits a small, pale yellow facility that resembles
a long-term storage unit. This is Willamette Brewery, the tiniest
brewery in Eugene — and perhaps in Oregon. It began operations
in October 2006. But co-founders and brothers Jeff and Chris Althouse
are proving that size doesn't matter; for them, making great beer
means staying true to their values of quality and sustainability.
Born in Eugene, raised in Cottage Grove, and resident
of everywhere else in the Valley, Jeff Althouse says he and his brother
knew they wanted the brewery to represent their home. "The Willamette
Valley is a beautiful place. We love it here," Althouse says. "The
company is intended to celebrate that."
On a Sunday afternoon, my photographer buddy Zach
and I wander into the brewhouse to meet up with the Althouse boys
and check out the day's brewing: Today it's the medium-bodied amber
ale. Inside, hoses twist along the damp, concrete floor and
the roar of a motor fills the small space. Jeff, Chris and their friend
Sam Terrall mill around a cauldron-like "mash tun," where one
of the first steps in the brew process takes place. Grains are "mashed"
at hot temperatures, which triggers enzymatic breakdowns of the carbohydrates
into sugars. Right now, Sam peers over the mash tun, directing a "lautering
arm" that swirls over and rinses the mash, leaving behind a sugary
liquid "wort." The three men plan on brewing four and a half barrels
today — about 140 gallons of beer.
The description on the Willamette Brewery website
reads "brewers of sustainable ales in very small batches," but Jeff
Althouse says, "Sustainability can mean a lot of different things."
For Jeff, it means buying ingredients like organic malted barleys
from family-owned distributors but also using products made by local
artisans. For example, Willamette's tap handles — made from
Oregon black oak — were designed and handcrafted by Pacific
Engraving, a husband and wife woodworking company in Eugene. The handles'
unique design has a hollowed out top section for the small informational
cards Jeff created to describe each beer's characteristics and provide
a company bio. The Althouses demonstrate their dedication to sustainability
in other ways: They use 100 percent windpower from EWEB and produce
unfiltered beer that requires less processing and produces less waste.
Jeff, the main force behind Willamette Brewery, is
optimistic about his new role as professional brewer. A former Springfield
math teacher, he found that while he loved public education, he wanted
a new challenge. "By teaching I realized how much I really love learning."
He felt drawn towards the organizational creativity of running a business,
and he wanted to pursue his passion for brewing beer — a craft
he's been perfecting for the past eight years
Jeff and his buddies began homebrewing as UO students.
Eventually, he set up a home brewery in his kitchen, but
it soon spilled into the garage. When it took over his garage, he
thought, "Wouldn't it be neat to open a brewery?" So when his younger
brother Chris began leasing a commercial space for his mobile DJ company,
NRG Entertainment, it was a sign. They decided to split the
lease between the DJ company and the brewery and go for it.
But starting up a brewery is no small endeavor. The
Althouse bros moved facilities several times, upgrading gradually
to their current 2,000 sq. ft. facility, which required some serious
construction. They had to get the necessary equipment: a mash tun
and boil kettle (which encompass the "brew house"), fermenting tanks,
a grain mill, a brightening tank, hoses, gauges and a bunch of kegs.
The brewing process — essentially, turning carbohydrates into
sugars into alcohol — is like a strictly choreographed dance
starring temperature and yeast; the brewers play a directional role.
"It's a bit egotistical to say that we make beer. Yeast makes beer,"
Jeff says. Still, perfecting a recipe is an art and a test of patience,
but he doesn't mind. He believes the brew process should not be rushed.
"You have to let nature take its course," he says.
Jeff operates his company with this same humility
and steady patience. He drives frequently to Vancouver, Wash., to
pick up 50-pound sacks of malted barley, which he piles into his wife's
biodiesel-powered Volkswagon Golf. When scouting out potential accounts,
he likes to get to know the owners personally — over a pint.
If they're interested in his beer, he brings along gallon-jug samples
of his freshly brewed amber ale. And let's not forget the actual time
spent brewing: A couple of Mondays ago, the Althouses and a couple
extra hands brewed from 9 am to 11 pm.
It's been hard work, and a long time in coming —
Willamette Brewery registered as a business in April of 2004 and sold
its first kegs in December of 2006. But Althouse already has 11 accounts,
including Fisherman's Market, Bier Stein, Track Town Pizza and Café
Zenon. He hopes to have 20 by the end of March and to expand to Springfield,
Albany and Corvallis. So far the response has been overwhelmingly
positive.
Megan Knode, owner of The Vintage, says Willamette's
amber is "excellent" and that her customers love its smooth, balanced
flavor. "They're really impressed that this is a new brewery and that
this is their first beer," Knode said.
Knode loves working with the Althouse bros. "They're
really attentive," she says, for they always check up on the restaurant's
stock. The Vintage and Willamette partnered somewhat coincidentally:
One day, Jeff Althouse's wife, Eriel, was dining at the restaurant
when one of the kegs went dry. Eriel phoned her husband immediately.
"Jeff was there in about 20 minutes," Knode says, with a keg of amber
ale to the rescue. It's been a hit ever since.
For now, Willamette Brewery seems to be gaining momentum.
They've got the medium-bodied amber ale and a dry Irish stout, a recipe
made at the Collaboration Brew for KLCC's Brewfest and derived by
Steelhead's Ted Fagan, whom Jeff praises as an "incredible brewer."
On brewing, Jeff Althouse and his brother say they are constantly
challenged, but learning all the time. They've had some rough batches.
"We ruined the dry Irish stout twice," he says and adds that while
brewers don't like to admit their missteps, at Willamette Brewery,
"Every beer that we send out is gonna be great. If it's not up to
our standards, we won't send it out." As I take a sip of the silky
smooth stout, I have to agree. This is one tasty beer.
