Widmer has had a pub or tasting room in its recognizable brick building at North Russell Street and Interstate Avenue since 1996.

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Widmer Brothers Brewing announced it was closing the doors to its North Portland tasting room Tuesday, saying intense competition made it difficult for the space to be "financially sustainable."



The pub, which originally opened in 1996, had undergone a transformation in November 2017, when Widmer changed the space from a full-service Gasthaus brewpub into a more streamlined taproom. It offered snacks, but in the past few months had begun more food offerings, including from its kitchen and from food trucks outside, said Widmer spokesman Kyle Mallory.



And in summer 2016, a small-batch Innovation Brewery was created inside the pub, a 10-barrel experimental-focused system designed to spur innovation. It and the tasting room were part of an effort to bring beer drinkers and their feedback into a more interactive, personal process with the brewers.



But the changes couldn't bring the necessary profits.



Widmer posted a statement to its Facebook page and its website: "This was a very hard decision to make, especially as we reflect on the pub's past and plan an exciting future for the brewery, where our team will continue to brew your favorite Widmer Brothers beers."

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Andrew Theen/Staff

The Widmer pub, with its view of the Fremont Bridge, has been a mainstay at North Russell Street and Interstate Avenue since 1996.

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Seven pub employees are being laid off, and two are getting jobs elsewhere with the company. Those leaving will receive "comprehensive severance packages," the statement said.



Mallory said no changes in Widmer's production, distribution or ownership are occurring.



"Packaged beer will continue," he said. "Several new beers are coming to market in spring, and all the current beers will continue as is."



Widmer will begin to can beers in the spring, the statement said, and it will offer revamped brewery tours in mid-February.



In off hours, employees had been using the pub, which is just across Russell from the Widmer brewery, for meetings and get-togethers, and Mallory said the space would continue to be available to them. Widmer also will use it for employee events, charity events, beer launches and other special occasions.

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Oregonian/OregonLive file photo

Bartender Mick Shebley tends to guests in August 2015 at the Gasthaus pub.

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Widmer Brothers Brewing is part of the Craft Brew Alliance, a network of eight beer and cider brands from Hawaii to the East Coast.



Widmer thanked its pub customers for their support the past two-plus decades.



"This note wouldn't be complete without thanking our pub customers for 22+ years of support," the statement said. "We wouldn't have made it this long without you."

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Stephanie Yao Long

Brewmaster Tom Bleigh helped usher in Widmer's Innovation Brewery in summer 2016. The Innovation Brewhouse was created inside the pub to spur innovation.

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Tasters of beers that had their beginnings in Widmer's Innovation Brewhouse, which has an annual 1,500 barrel capacity, included (from left to right) PDX Pils (northern German pilsner), Brother Nature (wheat pale ale), Russell Street IPA (west coast IPA), LiÃl Brother (junior altbier), Rod & Todd Flanders (pinot barrel-aged Flanders Sour Red), A Beer Has No Name (Cascadian session dark ale).

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Oregonian/OregonLive file photo

The Gasthaus Pub, a full-service brewpub, is shown before it was transformed into a more pared-down taproom in November 2017.

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More beer coverage:

Hopworks Urban Brewery opens pub at Portland International Airport

Last hurrah: The Portland area said goodbye to some landmark breweries and pubs in 2018

Portland named best U.S. city for beer drinkers

Cascade Brewing at 20: How Portland's sour-beer house became the gold standard

11 winter ales from Oregon breweries now on your grocer's shelves

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