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And now BridgePort Brewing.



The Northwest Portland brewery, a pioneer of Oregon's beer scene and the state's oldest craft brewery, announced Tuesday it's closing its doors, becoming the latest legacy brewery in Portland to shut down.



The brewery, founded in 1984, said on its Facebook page that the Pearl District production facility will stop operating immediately and the brewpub will close March 10.



And if you like IPAs, take a moment of silence for the BridgePort IPA, which was at the forefront of the IPA craze.

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Stephanie Yao Long/staff

BridgePort said declining sales prompted it in April 2017 to restructure operations, but distribution and revenue continued to decline. The company cited an "extremely competitive craft beer market" in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest for its decision to shut the operation down.



BridgePort founders Richard and Nancy Ponzi were among Oregon visionaries, including the brothers McMenamin, who, after a sustained effort in Salem, changed the state's laws in 1985 to allow brewing and sales of beer from the same location.



The Ponzis were also one of the founding families of pinot noir in the Willamette Valley. But there was no wine market there at the time and their vineyard didn't earn much money to start with. One bottle can take years to create, and is expensive to make. They needed to start another business to keep their wine passion funded.



So, along with Dick teaching mechanical engineering and Nancy's part-time jobs, they started what was first called Columbia River Brewing. Beer was cheaper and faster to produce than wine, and sold well.



In March 1986, the Ponzis opened the brewpub in an old, rundown rope factory.



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Stephanie Yao Long/staff

It wasn't quite the same as it looks today.



Back then, the address was deep in the warehouse district of Northwest Portland. The original brewpub was a big, informal hall that served brewmaster Karl Ockert's BridgePort beers alongside pizza. There were dart boards, a big room of picnic tables and no pretense.

The brewery's flagship was the Blue Heron Pale Ale, and it also went on to produce favorites such as Ebenezer winter ale, and Kingpin Double Red Ale.

But the IPA put BridgePort on the map. BridgePort was sold to The Gambrinus Co. of Texas in the mid-'90s. At that point, most people had never heard of an IPA, much less had one. But the now dominant style can trace its roots to BridgePort taking a chance on the hoppier style three decades ago.



Today, the neighborhood has changed, and so has the brewpub. It sits squarely amid the ritz of the Pearl District, and the brewery had continued to attempt to adjust to fit its surroundings.



In the mid-2000s, it ripped out its grittier guts and added sparkle and swank, and in January 2018 it went through yet another update.

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Stephanie Yao Long/staff

But it wasn't enough, as newer breweries with more buzz continued to open throughout Portland and distribution channels for grocery store shelves became more and more competitive.



BridgePort becomes the latest in a recent string of Portland closures, including:



The Lompoc Tavern closed in Northwest Portland in September.

Alameda Brewhouse closed in Northeast Portland in November.

Portland Brewing closed its brewpub in Northwest Portland in November. It continues brewing.

Widmer Brothers Brewing closed its tasting room in North Portland. It continues brewing.

Burnside Brewing last week closed in Northeast Portland.

BridgePort said it had told its employees early Tuesday about the closure, and all will receive "comprehensive severance packages," though it didn't offer details. BridgePort's public relations agency, Little Green Pickle, confirmed 87 people have lost their jobs.



The brewery closed its announcement with a shout-out to its customers over the years:



We would also like to thank you—our BridgePort drinkers, pub customers, and fans—for your loyal support over the past 35 years. We invite you to stop by the pub for one last pint before we close next month. We would love to host you and reminisce one last time."

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Randy L. Rasmussen/staff

The Tilikum Crossing Orange Line IPA was made to celebrate the newest bridge in Portland, Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People.

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Stephanie Yao Long

BridgePort Brewing Brew Pub

The patio outside BridgePort Brewing at 1313 NW Marshall Street. Stephanie Yao Long/Staff

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-- Molly Harbarger of The Oregonian/OregonLive contributed to this report.

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