Bauman’s Cider opens 1st ever tasting room, restaurant in SE Portland’s Buckman neighborhood

Bauman’s Cider of Gervais on Friday holds the grand opening of its first tasting room and restaurant, Bauman’s on Oak, moving into the space previously occupied by Base Camp Brewing then Ecliptic Brewing’s Moon Room in Southeast Portland’s Buckman neighborhood.

The grand opening festivities begin at 2 p.m. and run through Sunday.

For those unfamiliar with Bauman’s, the ciderhouse is highly acclaimed, having garnered over 160 medals for its ciders on the national and international stage, and it has won four consecutive titles of mid-sized cidery of the year at two of the most prestigious cider competitions in the U.S. It was founded in 2016 by Christine Walter, who began life as Christine Bauman and grew up working and playing in the fields of her family’s Bauman Farms.

Walter is among the fifth generation to farm the Marion County land, which her great-great-grandmother, Elizabeth Bauman, homesteaded in 1895. In 2015, Walter started the cider operation in a small corner of a barn on the farm, and it has grown so much it needed to move manufacturing to the Southeast Portland location to have room to grow — and open a tasting room.

“Our restaurant and tasting room,” Walter says, “is a love letter to the cider community. But the thing about the cider community is, everyone is welcome.

“So whether you’re cider-obsessed, cider-curious, or simply looking for a good meal with friends and family, we’d love to have you in to dine with us.”

Bauman’s on Oak has been “soft” opened for two weeks, serving its exquisite ciders to customers who flocked to the tasting room since hearing about it on social media and word of mouth.

The kitchen is operated by Chef Daniel Green, former founding partner at Portland’s Cafe Olli, and he has created a menu of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients that builds on his depth of experience as a sourdough baker and fermentation expert. The menu features items such as house-made sourdough with caramelized onion butter; roasted beets with ricotta, nettle salsa and dukkah; brown rice with mushroom confit and mustard greens; and gigante beans with cabbage and shredded pork.

Walter’s team has transformed the former Moon Room into an elegant space with lush greens and almond whites to complement the bare concrete walls and open wood-beam ceiling. Chris Leimena, who has worked with some of Portland’s best restaurants including Higgins, Langbaan, and most recently Le Pigeon/Canard, has been brought on to lead the front of house, which offers full table service along with a bar that seats about 10.

Offerings also include wine and beer served from the more than 30 taps. Nonalcoholic options are also plentiful.

The grand opening begins at 2 p.m. Friday and continues through Sunday, and it includes raffles for prizes all weekend, along with tours, pie specials, and more surprises. Bauman’s on Oak is at 930 S.E. Oak St., with regular hours from 2-8 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 2-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

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Editor’s note: This is a re-publication of the Oregon Brews and News weekly beer and cider newsletter, written by Oregonian/OregonLive beer writer Andre Meunier. To subscribe to have the newsletter delivered every Thursday at noon to your email inbox, go to oregonlive.com/newsletters and sign up.

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Labyrinth Forge Brewing exits the maze

Last summer Labyrinth Forge Brewing, with great energy and optimism, opened its modernized and comfy taproom in the former Hair of the Dog Brewing space in Southeast Portland. Not a year later, the forces weighing down the brewing industry have shut down the dream. Founder Dylan Vandetta announced two Fridays ago on Instagram that Sunday, April 7, would be its last day. Here’s what he had to say:

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the closure of Labyrinth Forge Brewing Company. After much consideration and reflection, we have made the difficult decision to close our doors due to the challenges faced by the craft brewing industry.

The last year proved to be exceptionally tough for us, as it did for many others in our craft beer community. Despite our best efforts and the unwavering dedication of our team, the combination of depressed draft beer sales and escalating operational costs has created challenges that we simply cannot overcome.”

He went on to thank his team and LFB’s supporters, saying, “Remember to continue embracing the spirit of exploration and camaraderie that has defined Labyrinth Forge Brewing Company and Get Lost With Your Beer!”

The loss is a double whammy. LFB’s brewhouse was also the brewery home of Green Dragon Brewing, a group of beer enthusiasts that provides opportunities and helps local homebrewers design and brew beer recipes that are then made available to the public. Green Dragon has brewed over 500 batches of beer in its long history, so stay tuned here to what might come next.

Get smoky and dank on 4/20

April 20 is in a couple of days, and it’s a day that is very exciting to a lot of people. And if the smoky and dank but in liquid form is your thing, you have reason to celebrate as well, because The BeerMongers and Mayfly Tap Room and Bottle Shop (with special guest Grand Fir Brewing) are partnering on the Smoked & Dank Fest this Saturday, offering — you guessed it — smoky and dank beers a-flowin. The BeerMongers has been holding the 4/20 event for years, and this year proprietor Sean Campbell is bringing pal Ryan Born and his Mayfly taproom aboard, with the two cross-town pubs each hosting separate locations for the festival. Here’s BeerMongers lineup:

• Aecht Schlenkerla Erle alderwood-smoked schwarzbier
• Upright Brewing’s Prague Rauch lager smoked dark lager
• Foreland Beer and Level Beer’s Mashes to Ashes smoked marzen
• Oregon City Brewing’s Pipe Dreams smoked Munich dunkel
• Pizza Port Brewing’s Sherpa beechwood-smoked porter (Ode to Alaskan smoked porter)
• Great Notion Brewing’s Roach Clip hazy IPA
• Great Notion and Finback Brewery’s Wake & Bake imperial stout
• Culmination Brewing’s 4&20 Black IPA
• Grand Fir Brewing’s Moss Giant DIPA

Being new to the festival, Born says Mayfly’s taplist is smaller but still “mighty tasty”:

Dank:

• VIA Beer’s Zach Smash
• Wild Ride Brewing’s Kiefer Magic
• Fortside Brewing’s Drop The MIC

Smoked:

• VIA’s Stash Box Rauch Marzen
• Upright Brewing’s Prague Lager

Doyaji and Champs Burgers will be the food vendors at Mayfly, and The BeerMongers will offer the cuisines of HarBQ barbecue and Doug Adams of Doug Fir Brewing. BeerMongers is at 2415 S.E. 11th Ave. (opens at 11 a.m.), and Mayfly is at 8350 N. Fenwick Ave. (opens at noon)

Belmont Station having a moment

Southeast Portland’s Belmont Station is always a great place to have a beer or search the coolers and shelves for bottles or cans, but right now it’s even a bit extra special. For starters, the bottle shop was just named best at the Oregon Beer Awards, and it placed third in USA Today’s survey of best beer bars in America. On top of those honors, tomorrow, Friday, April 19, Belmont Station celebrates its 27th anniversary. That’s a long time and a lot of beers served. To celebrate, owner Lisa Morrison and her crew brewed a collaboration beer with Pizza Port Brewing of San Diego called Greetings From Belmont that’s modeled after PPB’s famous Swami’s IPA, with a few modern twists. And for the anniversary celebration tomorrow, all patrons get $1 off their first beverage purchased. Opens at 10 a.m.; 4500 S.E. Stark St.

Beer (style) of the Week

Grodziskie: Two things (and probably more) are true about Threshold Brewing & Blending in Southeast Portland: 1) Brewer and co-founder Jarek Szymanski makes amazing beer; and 2) His wife and co-founder Sara Szymanski keeps the fun coming at the Montavilla neighborhood taproom. The latest is the brewery’s first ever Grodz Day, a celebration of the Polish beer style Grodziskie, “the Champagne of Poland,” the brewery says (Jarek is Polish-born). On Saturday, April 27, Threshold welcomes Polish guests from Browar Grodzisk, the Polish brewery credited in part for reviving the centuries-old style both nationally and abroad. In attendance also will be the crew from Polish Hops and Portland beer writer and international speaker Jeff Alworth. Here’s what Threshold says: “Expect a fascinating afternoon centered on this centuries-old Polish beer style, featuring a panel discussion, introduction to the brand new White Labs Grodziskie yeast strain, Polish hop sensory and guest taps featuring select Portland-brewed Grodziskie.” The style is pronounced “grow-JEES-kee-uh,” and it’s a light oak-smoked wheat ale style originating in the Polish town of Grodzisk in the mid-15th century. Threshold and Browar Grodzisk head brewer Marcin Ostajewski will be brewing a grodziskie while he’s here, so look for that soon.

Threshold is also busy releasing more beers, including Quantum Vision Hazy and Quantum Vision West Coast, two IPAs featuring Citra and Mosaic hops. Brewery notes: “Ultra bright and dank, Mosaic is giving fruity tropical in all the right ways, and showcasing them combined side by side as a crisp West Coast vs super smooth hazy feels like a hop selection prerequisite.” Both on tap now, with cans available next Tuesday. Find Threshold at 403 S.E. 79th Ave.

What to do, what to do?

Earth to Beer bash: I wrote last month about the Earth to Beer project, a national Earth Day beer campaign where breweries make beer with environmentally responsible ingredients and give back to local environmental nonprofits. The effort has 35 breweries across the country onboard, and tomorrow one of those — Hopworks Brewery — is tapping eight of those beers at its original location, 2944 S.E. Powell Blvd.

Music, beer and tacos: Montavilla Brew Works from 5-9 p.m. this Saturday, April 20, brings all three together for DJ Majik Man’s 420 Vinyl Bash. They’ll be spinning LPs from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, and Reina Del Mole will serve up mole tacos, burritos and tamales of authentic Oaxacan cuisine from 5 p.m. until they’re out. 7805 S.E. Stark St.

The Pineapple Express Pineapple Beer Fest, Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom: Beer enthusiasts and pineapple lovers on Saturday should head over to Southeast Portland’s Imperial Bottle Shop to indulge in a unique selection of pineapple-infused brews. With 10 pineapple beers and one pineapple cider on tap, attendees can sip their way through a tropical paradise of flavors. Festival-goers can also get complimentary Pineapple Donuts courtesy of Mikiko Mochi Donuts, and Detroit Style Pineapple Pizza from Matt Cortese will be served from 3-4 p.m, while supplies last. The brainchild of local beer adventurer John “John The Kiwi” Lovegrove is also a celebration of his 50th birthday, so go on out and meet him. Participants include Vice Beer, Living Haus Beer, Gigantic Brewing, Breakside Brewery, Great Notion Brewing, Little Beast Brewing, iLK Beer, Steeplejack Brewing, McMenamins, Old Town Brewing and Swift Cider. Noon until close, 3090 S.E. Division St. More details here.

Von Ebert Brewing’s 6th anniversary: The Portland brewery celebrates by releasing two collaboration beers with Firestone Walker Brewing of California: 6th Anniversary West Coast IPA and 6th Anniversary German-style Pilsner, which will be available at all four Von Ebert locations and Portland-area bottle shops. Said Sam Pecoraro, brewmaster of Von Ebert Brewing: “We wanted to celebrate this milestone with our friends at Firestone Walker Brewing Company, who are West Coast craft brewing pioneers and innovators, through collaborations that truly highlight our mutual drive to cultivate a brewery culture of continuous improvement to quench our beer drinkers.” On Thursday, April 18, Wildwood Taphouse, at 9345 N.E. Windsor St. in Hillsboro, will hold a release party from 4-10 p.m. with Von Ebert and Firestone Walker brewers in attendance.

Fracture Brewing’s 2nd anniversary: The Portland brewery turns two and throws a party to celebrate at its Fracture Stark Street taproom, 1015 S.E. Stark, starting at noon Saturday, April 20. The brewery will release three beers to celebrate:

• Green is Gold, a triple dry hopped hazy IPA. Brewery notes: “A juice bomb that pushes the limits of saturated hop oils.”
• More Than Enough Citra, Fracture’s classic West Coast IPA base loaded up with Citra hops. Brewery notes: “A punch of lychee, sweet orange and dank citrus.”
• Turtles All the Way Down, a West Coast IPA brewed with Day One Distribution and Cascade Brewing. Brewery notes: “A perfect dank, piney, tropical/citrus hop bomb.”

Get on the Bus campaign: Great Notion Brewing’s third annual tribute to Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters this year continues until the end of April, as fans get to “taste a ton of trippy beers, check out new cannabis-friendly merchandise, and have the chance to win a ton of far-out prizes,” the brewery says. Owners Paul Reiter, James Dugan and Andy Miller are big fans of Kesey and the Pranksters, thus the brewery name and beer references stem from the 1971 film “Sometimes a Great Notion.” The campaign is a “celebration of the fun annual Bicycle Day (the first recorded LSD ‘trip’ by Albert Hoffman on 4/19) and 4/20 cannabis celebration holidays honoring the Merry Pranksters and their Further Bus.” New beers that only appear annually around this time include these remaining releases:

April 18:

• Aura
• Bicycle Day
• Electric Headband
• Merry Dankster
• April 25:
• Micro Dankster
• Baked & Stuffed Berry Danish
• Triple Dank Shark

Customers can purchase GNB’s Get on the Bus beers on the GN mobile App, in-person at one of Great Notion’s seven locations; or at the website events page, where more detail is available.

Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest: Now in its ninth year, this annual event, held this year on April 27, invites seasoned and novice cider enthusiasts to sample ciders from Columbia River Gorge and Pacific Northwest hard cidermakers. It offers over 60 ciders on tap from more than 30 cideries. Held at the Port of Hood River Event Site, this year the event expands its footprint to provide beachfront access to the Columbia River and the option for attendees to bring their own glass, contributing to what organizers call an “immersive and sustainable Hood River experience.” Beyond cider sampling, the daylong event boasts artisan food, art vendors, music and a children’s play area. For more information or tickets, visit hoodriverciderfest.com. For more information on Hood River, or to book a stay at one of Hood River’s lodging options visit visithoodriver.com/stay.

New Releases of Note

2023 Harvest Ciders, Dwinell Country Ales: If you’ve never made the trek out to Dwinell’s tasting room in Goldendale, Washington, please do. The drive along Washington’s Highway 14 is magical, as are Dwinell’s various offerings. This weekend Dwinell’s cider arm releases these three, and you’ll also discover some of their newer beers and wines.

• Almira - French Cider: A Normandy-style cider made from a blend of Domaines, Marie Menard and Muscadet de Lense apples.
• Russet - Dry Cider: A wild-fermented heirloom cider made from a blend of Winesap, Jonathan and Roxbury Russet apples.
• Robin - Pear Cider: An aromatic pear cider made from a blend of Comice, Pakham, Bosc and Taylor’s Gold pears, together with Karmijn de Sonnaville apples.

Squeeze Play, Portland Cider Co.: The new cider release is a collaboration with the Hillsboro Hops that is crafted exclusively for the local minor league baseball team and is available during home games at Hillsboro Ballpark and at select retail locations. Cidery notes: “Juicy and refreshing and inspired by a classic margarita, the cider is bursting with fresh-squeezed lemon and lime juices accentuated by the floral and citrus aromas of Citra hops, and finished with a pinch of salt. Notes of ripe melon and lychee on the nose anchor the bright, fresh citrus flavors that are enhanced by light hoppiness, finishing tart and dry.”

Sunshine Keyholes, Recluse Brew Works: This very juicy IPA isn’t exactly a hazy, front of house manager Richard LaRue says, but it’s “very drinkable, certainly unfiltered, and the closest thing to a hazy we’ve made so far.” Brewery notes: “Juicy. Sunny. Funny,” much like those notes. Available Friday, April 19, at the brewery, 4035 Grant St. Suite 102, Washougal.

Black Dragon Imperial Cider, Avid Cider: The Bend ciderhouse releases this imperial cider of “mythical proportions” at 8.5% ABV. Cidery notes: “Black Dragon presents a bold blend of blackberry, raspberry and dragon fruit flavors.” On shelves now across Oregon and Washington in six-packs of 12-ounce cans and alongside Royal Apricot, Blueberry Pom and Golden Delish in Avid Cider’s first ever, newly released Variety Imperial 12-pack.

Beach Beer, Pelican Brewing: This release from the coastal brewery is the newest addition to its year-round lineup and joins the newly released Beak Breaker Tropical Hazy IPA and re-released Pelicano cerveza lager as its summer trio lineup. “We wanted to create a tasty and flavorful beer that is true to our roots and celebrates our home here on the Oregon Coast,” says Pelican Brewing’s brewmaster of 28 years, Darron Welch, who just entered the Oregon Beer Awards Hall of Fame. “And after years of stepping out onto the sand from the back patio of our original location in Pacific City, it was clear that Beach Beer is the right beer to carry that feeling to wherever you happen to be.” Pelican says it is a “lighter, approachable, every-day beer that anyone can enjoy,” and Welch calls it “just good beer.” Available in 16-ounce can six-packs at any of Pelican Brewing’s four coastal locations and on store shelves wherever Pelican is sold.

Juicy Drama, 10 Barrel Brewing: This fruit-forward imperial IPA becomes the fourth member of 10 Barrel’s HopBurst Family of IPAs. Brewery notes: “Brewed with a ridiculous amount of Bravo and Simcoe hops, giving it a dramatic burst of citrus and pine hop flavor, but keeping bitterness to a minimum. To round out the theatrics, the brewers added Yuzu zest to the fermenter for an explosive aroma that makes this 9.6% ABV surprisingly easy-drinking and low-maintenance.”

— Andre Meunier has been writing about Northwest beer and breweries since 2016; reach him at 503-221-8488 or ameunier@oregonian.com, and sign up for his weekly newsletter, Oregon Brews and News. Instagram: @oregonianbeerguy