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Calapooia Brewing Co
On the outside the building is unassuming, a bit run down and off the main road by a few blocks. However, it doesn't take long to realize that this place simply rocks. Calapooia Brewing Company is found in the city of Albany, Oregon (south of Portland by more than an hour, on the I-5) and is owned by Mark Martin and partner Laura Bryngelson. Mark and Laura purchased the brewery in early in the summer of 2006 (brewery was previously known as Oregon Trader Brewing Co) and have worked to expand the business, improve on inherited recipes and expand the overall services of the pub - Mark and Laura mentioned in our interview that Calapooia will begin serving food in early 2007. When I arrived at the pub, Mark greeted me with a wonderful pint of their newly released seasonal ale, Flood Stage Red, before taking me on an extensive tour of a brewery. What I saw blew me away: Calapooia is not only an established small brewpub, but, with recent purchases on the premises, this place has potential to become a prime location for beer festivals, city events and brewery expansion. Truly, walking through the brewery, you can't help but see potential in every corner. And talking to Mark you get the feeling he has the energy and focus needed to make his and Laura's dreams come true in this adventure. Our first stop on the tour was the undersized mash tun, where the magic begins. The vessel looked to be well worn and in desperate need of upgrade. Mark doubles up on the mash to fill the fermenters, making his brewing days longer and making it difficult to brew 'big' beers like double IPAs, Imperial Stouts and Barley Wines. Next to the brewery is two converted dairy vessels used for fermentation. These vessels aren't open fermenters, but they do lay on their side and have a sight glass allowing Mark the freedom to monitor visibly the fermentation. The ingenuity of brewers is great and I was happy to see some home-made equipment that can be used to make great beer - I guess it reminds me of homebrewing. Additional standing fermentation tanks stood next to the vats. The walk-in refrigerator was much larger than Calapooia currently requires and near the back of the fridge are entire bails of hops he stores for a local hop distributor. The refrigerator stored the bright tanks and kegs and obviously boasted a lot of room for future growth - really, this was a massive fridge. An incredible small brewery with enough room to grow to make most brewers extremely jealous, but what we saw next was enough to make restaurant owners blush. A massive open warehouse with 20 foot ceilings and a floor perfect for parties, beer festivals, live music, tables and more. I got excited seeing this with the seemingly limitless possibility. It may take a while, but I expect I'll stop in Calapooia in the future to see this open space filled with revelers enjoying samples of the better beers of the west coast. Simply amazing. To end the tour Mark pointed out the newly acquired full kitchen that will allow them to sell a variety of food in the bar, yet another way for them to grown into this massive location. Then, out front, was some open air veranda seating that will be perfect in the warmer months. Equipped with gas heaters, tables and canopies, this place will be prime seating for folks needing liquid refreshment after a day at the mill. In all this place was fabulous, truly a diamond in the rough. The bar area was clean, the beers were great and the staff helpful and knowledgeable. As this place grows into it's surroundings I expect Mark will also find ways to grow the regional distribution of his hand crafted beers. Look for them in a restaurant near you. If you live in Corvallis or the greater Portland area, ask your local restaurant when they're bringing in the Yankee Clipper IPA, or the Thor's Hammer Strong Ale (their winter seasonal). Additional Notes:
Rick Sellers |
