When it comes to McMenamins, Portlanders are generally of two minds.

One, they love the whimsical aesthetics and charming comfort of a McMenamins, taking out-of-town guests to their favorite and basking in the oohs and ahs of impressed family and friends.

Or two, they look down their noses at the place, sneering about the beer, the food and the service.

But whatever camp you fall into (if you’re honest, you probably have a foot in each), one thing is indisputable: McMenamins, the original Oregon brewpub, is the sleeping giant of the Northwest beer scene. It may be an afterthought among the craft-beer crowd, but the sprawling, Portland-based kingdom of quirky restaurants, bars, theaters and hotels -- stretching from north of Seattle to southern Oregon, and Lincoln City to Bend – is a machine seemingly immune to the woes plaguing Portland’s other legacy breweries.

The McMenamin brothers, Mike and Brian, were among the founding fathers of Oregon’s craft-beer industry who persuaded the Legislature in 1985 to allow breweries to sell beer where they made it. The McMenamins became the first to do so, opening the Hillsdale Brewery & Public House in Southwest Portland that year.

The Southwest Portland brewpub would be the first of 27 eventual breweries operating under the McMenamins umbrella, fueling what now stands at 55 properties. The locations have become perpetual draws for tourists and locals alike, with McMenamins’ distinctive custom artwork transforming once-derelict hotels, poorhouses, schools, lodges and churches – and retail storefronts, as well.

People go to McMenamins’ for its unique charms – dancing on the floating floor of the Crystal Ballroom, lazing in the soaking pool the Kennedy School, or taking in a movie with a pizza slice and a pint in the classic Bagdad Theater. But they also go for the familiar: that fallback place close to home when you crave Cajun tots with a Communication Breakdown burger. You know what you’re going to get – even if that includes looking around wondering where your server is.

That combination has propelled McMenamins for almost four decades, and it continues to grow, last month opening the Elks Temple in Tacoma. McMenamins distributes its beer exclusively among its locations, whose popularity has allowed McMenamins to avoid the struggles other large, early Portland breweries have faced when their sales decline as competition grows and more flashy breweries emerge.

Speaking of the beer, that brings us back to those two categories: First is the crowd fond of the familiarity of McMenamins longtime flagship ales -- Hammerhead pale ale, Ruby ale and Terminator stout. Then there’s the “McMenamins’ beer sucks” crowd.

Rob Vallance, the general manager of brewery operations across all properties, has heard the latter for years. And, he said, he understands it.

“There’s basis to that,” said Vallance, who started with McMenamins in 1991 as a server and moved into brewing three years later. “For a long time, we just decided what we’re doing works, so we’re going to keep doing it. And you can’t do that in this industry. You have to continue to evolve.”

That evolution began a decade ago, when McMenamins eased cost controls and the breweries went through a massive infrastructure upgrade, with improvements such as restocking with better kegs, adding cold-jacketed fermenters to improve temperature controls, and significantly increasing training for brewers. Vallance said the brewers now are also more in touch with what people want, illustrated for example by strong sour and hazy programs.

“More than ever we’re trying to keep up with what’s going on out there and be relevant,” he said. “I think we’ve made huge strides in that.”

Added Nathan Whitney, Edgefield’s head brewer: “We also hear those whispers too, and we’ve been brewing with a chip on our shoulder because of it and just trying to make the best beer we can and change peoples’ minds.”

When the McMenamins brothers started brewing decades ago, they were committed to pushing boundaries and bringing new flavor profiles to the beer-drinking public. They introduced fruit beers to Oregon, and since then the breweries have kegged thousands of recipes, including seasonals and rotating series. A skim through McMenamins website’s “On Tap” page reveals almost 200 beers available across the properties.

With 25 brewhouses operating, maintaining consistency and quality historically was a challenge. That’s where the improved systems and training come in – as well as Vallance’s oversight.

“It’s difficult to try to keep things consistent when we’re talking about water profiles from northern Washington to southern Oregon, but we do the best we can. We treat our water, we try to stay as true to the recipes as we can for all the company’s standards,” Vallance said. “We also understand they’re not going to be exactly the same. It’s just the nature of it.”

Individual McMenamins breweries have latitude for what they decide to brew, but they work closely with district managers, who are all veteran brewers responsible for maintaining quality and consistency. That’s a significant change from earlier years, when oversight was significantly more lax, Vallance said.

The message is simple: If you haven’t tried McMenamins beers in a while, don’t be so quick to judge. The changes haven’t gone unnoticed, as reviews in recent years have begun giving McMenamins props.

McMenamins started bottling beers in 2000, opened a bottle shop on Northwest 23rd Avenue in 2015, then started canning in 2016, with the to-go option allowing wider access to its beers. That doesn’t mean you’ll soon see groceries selling its 33rd State IPA, which last year became the first IPA available across all properties.

“Obviously with what we do with our historic buildings and all the artwork and all the amazing stuff we do with our places, we want people to come to us,” Vallance said. “We want them to have the experience. I think they understand better who we are by coming to us.”

Portland Breweries Series: McMenamins Posted by The Oregonian on Tuesday, June 4, 2019

McMenamins sampler

Why go: Many of McMenamins’ properties are restored historic buildings, creatively and whimsically appointed. Touring them is educational and delightful. Also, if an easy dinner is what you’re looking for, McMenamins’ classic pub fare is consistent and comforting, and its beers have improved in recent years.

What to drink: Many enjoy McMenamins’ classics, the Hammerhead ale, the Terminator stout, and the Ruby, a fruit-forward but light raspberry ale. The solid 33rd State IPA is the first IPA to be brewed and made available across all properties. And for something different but delicious, try the Tropic Heat Guava Habanero Sour, a well-balanced assertive combination of heat, sweet and sour.

What to eat: The tots, especially the Cajun tots, are a must-have whenever sidling up to a McMenamins table. And they pair very well with any of the classic burgers, the Communication Breakdown, the Dungeon, the Captain Neon or the Wilbur’s Jumbo Deluxe.

Details: Portland locations below; all locations, along with hours and taplists, listed at the website, mcmenamins.com.

Check out Andre Meunier’s reviews of McMenamins’ beers on Untappd and more content on Instagram, where he is @oregonianbeerguy.

McMenamins in Portland

The 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop opened in 2015 with Mike (second from right) and Brian (second from left) McMenamin in attendance. Mike's children Sean (from left to right), Shannon and Dan also cheered the opening. Photo by Stephanie Yao Long/StaffLC- The Oregonian

23rd Avenue Bottle Shop, 2290 N.W. Thurman St.

Back Stage Bar, 3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

Bagdad Theater & Pub, 3702 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

Barley Mill Pub, 1629 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.

Blue Moon Tavern & Grill, 432 N.W. 21st Ave.

Broadway Pub, 1504 N.E. Broadway

Chapel Pub, 430 N. Killingsworth St.

Courtyard Restaurant, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave.

Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W. Burnside St.

Crystal Hotel, 303 S.W. 12th Ave.

Fulton Pub & Brewery, 0618 S.W. Nebraska St.

Greater Trumps, 1520 S.E. 37th Ave.

Hillsdale Brewery & Public House, 1505 S.W. Sunset Blvd.

Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave.

Mall 205, 9710 S.E. Washington St.

Market Street Pub, 1526 S.W. 10th Ave.

Mission Theater, 1624 N.W. Glisan St.

Raleigh Hills Pub, 4495 S.W. Scholls Ferry Road

Rams Head, 2282 N.W. Hoyt St.

Ringlers Pub, 1332 W. Burnside St.

St. Johns Theater & Pub, 8203 N. Ivanhoe St.

Tavern & Pool, 1716 N.W. 23rd Ave.

White Eagle Saloon & Hotel, 836 N. Russell St.

Zeus Café, 303 S.W. 12th Ave.

McMenamins facts

First McMenamins property: The Barley Mill Pub

Oregon’s first brewery/brewpub after prohibition: Hillsdale Brewery & Public House

Oregon’s first theater pub: Mission Theater & Pub

Largest property: Edgefield

Combined properties beer output: From 1985 through 2018, brewed over 1 million kegs.

McMenamins isn’t just about beer. Over the years, they’ve added full lines of wines, ciders and distilled spirits. They’ve got you covered no matter what’s your pleasure.

Trail blazers: The brothers McMenamin were among the group of pioneers -- including the Widmer brothers, Dick and Nancy Ponzi, founders of BridgePort Brewing; and Art Larrance, Fred Bowman, and Jim Goodwin, founders of Portland Brewing -- who lobbied the Oregon Legislature in 1985 to pass the brewpub bill, which allowed brewery owners to sell their own beer on-premise.

-- Andre Meunier

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