Timeline

Timeline of Craft Beer and Brewing
In the Umpqua Valley & Roseburg, OR

March 27, 1991 Umpqua Brewing Company Opens
The modern era of craft brewing in the Umpqua Valley begins in 1991 at the Umpqua Brewing Company Pub in an historic red brick building in downtown Roseburg. Finally, 75 years after the Roseburg Beer & Ice Company shuts down in 1916, beer is once again made and sold commercially in Roseburg.

History of Beer and Brewing

Beer History
Brewing History @ The Smithsonian National Museum of American History
History of Beer @ Craft Beer
History of Craft Brewing @ Brewers Association
McMenamins History | Roseburg Station
History of Oregon Beer @ 1859 Magazine

Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives

Only three months after Eugene's first microbrewery, the High Street McMenamins opens, co-owners Charlie Hawks and Michael Murphy open Roseburg's first craft brewery and pub at 328 SE Jackson.
Beers are brewed on a custom 5.5 barrel system in the basement of the pub, which frequently hosts live music and a summer series of brew festivals.

1992 Homebrew Supply Business Opens
After operating out of his garage in Green for a year, Steve Johnson moves what will become the organic foods Harvest Store to Winston, where he sells beer making ingredients and supplies, homebrewing equipment, and fills a wall long cooler with Douglas County's largest craft beer selection.

April 1995 Umpqua Brewery Featured in
"Microbreweries of Oregon" Directory
About 250,000 copies are published and available in breweries and visitors bureaus across the state. The Umpqua Brewery co-owners are hopeful the directory will attract locals.
"If they see their region is known for microbrewed beers, it might give them more incentive to try it and maybe learn more about the industry and craft beers," says Hawks.

Back of Hawks Brewing "Super Natural Ales" bottles: Hawks Brewing Company ales are brewed in small, three barrel batches. Each bottle is filled and capped by hand-one at a time.
We believe Hawks "Super Natural Ales" are "Super Natural" because we use only natural ingredients.
This ale will release optimum aroma and flavor at 55 degrees. Therefore, remove from refrigerator 30-40 minutes before opening.
Enjoy!

April 1996 Roseburg’s Second Craft Brewery, Hawks Brewing, Opens
A co-founder of Roseburg's first microbrewery moves on to open the area's second. Charlie Hawks starts Hawks Brewing Co., a wholesale craft brewery in the Green District of Roseburg.
The option of another locally brewed beer thrills Ken Ronk, owner of Ronk's Mountain Cafe in Tiller. "It's pretty cool to have two breweries in Roseburg when Medford doesn't have any."

Sept. 7-8, 1996 Small Brewers Big Beer Festival
Only breweries that make less than 6,000 barrels a year are invited to the inaugural festival because organizer Michael Murphy wants to make sure guests taste beers that are truly hand-crafted.
"I wanted a quaint festival that has more of the charm that small brewers have brought to the industry," explains Murphy. "I wanted to have small guys like us who are still having a lot of fun and have a lot of creativity.”

March 1998 First Roseburg St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl

McMenamins Roseburg Station

April 1999 McMenanins Roseburg Station Opens
Housed in what was once the city's Southern Pacific train depot, McMenamins Roseburg Station Pub & Brewery preserves the rich rail history of the city, and is the third craft beer brewery in the Umpqua Valley.

After serving an apprenticeship at the Umpqua Brewing Company, 22-year-old Cody Bottorff is hired to be the Roseburg Station's first brewmaster and the youngest in the McMenamins' chain of 18 brewpubs at that time.

2001 Tom Johnson becomes head brewer at McMenamins Roseburg Station
When Tom Johnson starting brewing beer on the kitchen stove at his Eugene home in the '80s, the University of Oregon finance major never thought he would end up working for one of the largest craft breweries chains in the United States.
"I was never really big on wearing a suit and tie to work," Johnson says. "My first attempt at beer was good enough, so I decided to stick with it and try some different recipes."

2001 Umpqua Brewing Company Closes

The lineup of beers the past ten years include Douglas Draft, Downtown Brown, Nebo Bock, No Doubt Stout, Perry's Old Ale, Rose Garden White, Roseburg Red, Summer Wheat, Umpqua Gold, and Double Red Barley Wine.

Brewburgers still wear UBC T''s from yesteryear

Jan. 1, 2008 Splitz Family Bar and Grill Opens

Feb. 15, 2008 First Umpqua Valley Homebrewers
Club Meeting
All interested people are welcome to attend the meeting, which will consist of general homebrewing talk and sharing of brewing ideas. The organizer and first president of the group is Keith Karoglanian.

Original UVBG logo

2010 Draper Brewing Company Opens in Tenmile
After stints at the B.J.'s brewpub chain and Lost Coast in northern California, Sam Eslinger opens his own one barrel nanobrewery in Tenmile, west of Winston. Every bottle is sanitized, filled, capped, and packaged by hand by the one man work force.
The original Draper brews include Cream Ale, India Pale Ale, Chocolate Porter, and a Stout.

Sam Draper Eslinger

Sept. 18, 2010 1st Annual Umpqua Brew Fest
The Umpqua Brew Fest, originally hosted in the 1990s by Roseburg's first microbrewery, the Umpqua Brewing Company, is rebooted as a fundraiser for a local conservation group, Umpqua Watersheds. The event is a fundraiser promoted as "A community celebration of craft beer, clean water, and sustainable living in the hundred valleys of the Umpqua." with the tagline "It's All About the Water!"

Oct. 2011 AHA/BJCP Homebrew Competition
The Umpqua Valley Brewers Guild sponsors the region's first American Homebrewers Association Beer Judge Certification Program competition.

Oct. 20-21, 2011 2nd Annual
Umpqua Brew Fest

With dozens of craft beers from breweries in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, the two day festival also features live music, beer-friendly food, and a home brew competition, demonstration, and tastings, sponsored by the Umpqua Valley Brewer’s Guild.
Also featured are a beer and food pairing, and a home brewing demonstration and tastes of home brew provided by the Umpqua Brewers Guild.

June 2012 Hops Grown Commercially
For the first time in the craft beer era, hops are grown commercially in the Umpqua Valley. Cody Parker, Melrose Vineyards winemaker, plants three acres of Centennial hops on a patch of land between one of his vineyards and the Umpqua River.
“I threw all the plants down on a credit card to try to make something from nothing, says Parker.”
Just as grapes from different regions give wines unique flavor profiles, Parker wants to develop a distinct Umpqua Valley hops character for craft brewing. "I want to grow our own community, to have a terroir of beers."

Cody Parker, winemaker and hops grower

Sam Eslinger serving Draper on draft

July 2, 2012 Draper's Draft House Opens
Needing a more populated location to sell his beer, Tenmile brewer Sam Eslinger opens Draper's Draft House on Jackson St. in Roseburg Town Center.

Oct. 20, 2012 3rd Annual Umpqua Brew Fest

Jan. 15, 2013 Dogbarrel Home Brew Supplies Opens
Brothers and first time business owners Russ and Tom Anderson sell ingredients for making beer and equipment.
“Roseburg didn’t really have a home brew supply shop,” Tom Anderson says. “We wanted to open up a brewery, and it just seemed logical to have the supplies that go along with it.”

Russ & Tom Anderson

While homebrewing several batches came up a couple bottles short of a full case, so when one of them said, “Two shy again,” the name stuck.

Feb., 2013 Two Shy Brewing Opens

Three years of homebrewing together lead to Two Shy Brewing, a small business venture for friends Erik Nielsen, Lyle Hruda, and Paul Singleton.
The brewery is located on Park St., just off the main drag of Garden Valley and just up the railroad tracks from McMenamins Roseburg Station.

The initial lineup includes Ignition IPA, Influence Pale Ale, Reformation Irish Red, POS Oatmeal Stout, and Everlasting ESB.

Feb. 14, 2013 O'Toole's Pub Opens

Ten years after the Umpqua Brewing Company closes, Casey and Jennifer open O'Toole's in the historic building at 328 SE Jackson in downtown Roseburg.

Aug. 1, 2013 Loggers Tap House Opens

Aug. 2, 2013 Old 99 Brewing Opens
Moving out of a home garage and into an industrial garage on Hooker Road, paralleling Highway 99 , partners Matt Hill, Brian Ireland, and AJ Tuter bring the number of craft breweries currently operating in Roseburg to four.
$4 pints and $1 test drives are served for the inaugural taplist: Yard Sale Pale Ale, Infrared Red Ale, Billy Bad Ass Double IPA, and Infidel Black IPA.

Original logo

Suited to brew: AJ, Matt & Brian

Oct. 19, 2013 4th Annual Umpqua Brew Fest
An estimated 1,500 beer lovers could choose among 43 beers from 24 different breweries. All four of Roseburg's professional breweries--Draper, McMenamins, Old 99, and Two Shy, as well as beers made by members of the Umpqua Valley Brewers Guild, are served. A record 37 kegs, or 573 gallons of beer, are on tap.
Besides live music and an Iron Chef competition, the festival has eight vendors and more than a dozen sponsors, including one for the tasting glass.

Nov. 2, 2013 Brewburg.com Launches
The Web’s first and only website dedicated to beer and brewing in the Umpqua Valley launches, making the Burg beer’s home town. Cheers to the beer here!

Original logo

Planet Beer Citizen &
Brewbarian Steve Bahr

Alewyfe

Dec. 24, 2013 First "Brews Review" Column Published
In a series of monthly columns in the local News Review, Umpqua Brewers Guild members plan to share their passion about beer. Club chair, Diane Griffin, aka Alewyfe, writes that future articles will be about brewing techniques, equipment, and experiences, both good and disasterous, as well as beer recipes and UVBG events and activities.

Jan. 11, 2014 Backside Brewing Opens
Local small business owner KC McKillip with partner Ben Looney become Roseburg's fifth current professional brewers. Located at 1640 NE Odell in the long vacated Gerretsen Building Supply retail store and warehouse just north of downtown, the 18,000 square foot space is by far the largest of any of the Roseburg breweries.

KC & Ben

A unique mix of vapes, craft beer, and food, the Umpqua Valley's first e-cigarette emporium opens, but the most important cravings in the mix for Brewburgers are the taps and growler fills.

May 17, 2014 1st Annual Roseburg Brew Ha Ha
Sponsored by Umpqua Valley Habitat for Humanity as a fundraiser to build their next house, the Brew Ha Ha becomes Roseburg's second 21st century brew fest.
Sixty-seven Pacific Northwest beers were on tap. All five of the local breweries participated and three—Old 99, Backside, and Two Shy--took top honors in the people's choice voting.
Other activities included a beer making demo by the Umpqua Valley Brewers Guild; a beer appreciation session with brewing icon Denny Conn; three bands; and a pre-event bike ride past prior Habitat home projects, led by the Umpua Velo Club.

May 31, 2014 Salud Restaurant & Brewery Opens
Salute to Salud, a Latin inspired restaurant, which will brew their own beer. Located in the space occupied for decades by the original Los Dos Amigos on Jackson St., Salud's owners are Manny and Olivia Anaya, and chef and brewer is Sean Vincent, formerly of Mark V restaurant.

Oct. 18, 2014 Umpqua Brew Fest V
Featuring local, Oregon, and out-of-state beer and cider, the Umpqua Brew Fest reaches its five year milestone, and is the longest running 21st century Roseburg brew festival.
Three local breweries, Old 99, Draper, and Two Shy, competed for the best pairing of beer and food. Proceeds from the event, hosted by Umpqua Watersheds and the Umpqua Community College Culinary Program, will benefit the Richard Sommer Scholarship Fund to assist Natural Resources students.
Local new kid on the block, Salud Restaurant & Brewery, won the coveted People's Choice award for their Dusk Till Dawn Mexican Chocolate Stout.

May 9-16, 2015 Roseburg Beer Week+
Roseburg's first ever Beer Week not only exceeds the number of days in a week, but also exceeds expectations with the participation of all six local breweries and the pubs that serve their beer.
A seven day week just isn’t long enough for all of 22 events, so the Week+ of Fermenting Fun lasts from one Saturday to the next.
Events include:
• Beer Festivals and Celebrations
• Homebrew Competition
• Brewery and Pub Visits
• Beer-Inspired Dining and Food Pairing
• Beer-Friendly Entertainment
• Beer Culture, Education, and History

Hosted by Umpqua Valley Habitat for Humanity, the 2nd annual brew fest taps over 65 craft beers and 10 homebrews from the Umpqua Valley Brewers Guild. All six Roseburg breweries participate Also, featured is live music, local food, games, raffles, and drawings.

July 1, 2015 Lookingglass Brewery Licensed

Lookingglass becomes Roseburg’s newest brewery, bringing the total in the area to seven. Owner Mark Nunnelee plans to slowly grow from nano capacity to a larger system than his half barrel Blickman, hoping, at least, to have to grow beyond the walls of his house shop.
Lookingglass Brewery will have a five beer lineup—a Blonde, a Pale, a Red infused with raspberries, and since Mark is a hop head, two IPAs, a double and a triple.
Because Mark and his wife Lydia are brewing from their home in Lookingglass, which is a bit off the Roseburg Ale Trail, they will not be able to open a tasting room, but plan to market their beer through local pubs, restaurants, and growler fill stations. Eventually, they would like to open a tasting room, and perhaps a pub.

Mark and Lydia Nunnelee,
Lookingglass Brewery

Growler fill station

Oct. 10, 2015 Umpqua Brew Fest VI

It was year six for Roseburg’s longest running current craft brew festival, featuring beer, cider, and mead from local and Pacific Northwest and beyond breweries.
Portland’s Goldfoot, Eugene’s Kudana, and Roseburg’s Neil Gregory Johnson provide music to drink beer by.
Tomaselli’s Pastry Mill and Café of Elkton offer brick-oven pizza, pulled pork sandwiches, and salads.
The festival also features an Iron Chef Food Pairing, in which three local breweries and restaurants square off to create the best brew/food combinations.
Members of the Oregon National Guard, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Charlie Company showcase a humvee for pictures ops with the public.

Dec. 9, 2015
Umpqua Strong Ale Benefits UCC

Local breweries Backside, Draper, Old 99, Salud, and Two Shy team up with Hop Valley in Springfield to produce a strong pale ale, which is first tapped at Splitz Family Grill, and available at participating Douglas County breweries and pubs.
All proceeds of beer sales benefit the UCC Strong Foundation, which was created to help those affected by the Oct. 1 tragedy at Umpqua Community College.
The brewers made two 15 barrel batches, which is equivalent to about 60 kegs. Hops for the beer were grown by Cody Parker, owner of Umpqua Hops.

Jan. 2016 Old 99 Brewing Signs Distribution Deal with Bigfoot

A brewery’s growth is most obviously noted by the number and size of fermentation tanks, but Old 99 took a different big step this month by becoming the first of the seven Roseburg breweries to ink a distribution deal. Bigfoot Beverages now distributes Old 99, which, with the stroke of a pen, grows the brewery from a local to a regional size.
“We have been chatting with them for some time about the possibility of joining forces in trying to get more Old 99 beer to market.” said AJ Tuter, one of the three Old 99 owners and brewers. “It has been quite the process to get to this point to be able to make a decision like this, but I think we have done a good job growing our business healthy and not too fast.”
The advantage of using a distributor, added Arter, is that “they provide sales, marketing and storage.”
The Old 99 brewers anticipate that they will now have more time to do what they do best—making great beer. “Our hands are a little tied at the moment not having enough time in a day to deliver beer to market and do a good job at it. Having a distributor enables us to focus more on brewing beer and providing the best product possible, instead of trying to manage accounts at the same time.” said Arter.

Feb. 11, 2016 Dogbarrel Home Brew Supply Closes

What would have been Roseburg's eighth brewery closes. The business had been a home brew supply shop the past two years, but owners Russ and Tom Anderson were in the process of transitioning to a brewery only. No reason for the closing was given in the Facebook post.

April 16, 2016 Brew HaHa Brew Festival

It's the same name and same location but different beneficiary for what is now Roseburg's fourth brew festival. Hosted by the Douglas County Fairgrounds, the Brew HaHA benefits the Treven Anspach Memorial Fund and the Douglas County Responders First Foundation.

May 7-14, 2016 2nd Annual Roseburg Beer Week+

Kicking off the Week+ of Fermenting Fun is the Hammer N'Ales Brewfest at Seven Feathers Casino Resort in Canyonville. Hosted for the third year by the Umpqua Valley Habitat for Humanity, the festival fundraiser has both a new name and location.
All seven Roseburg breweries, as well as O'Toole's Pub and Loggers Tap House, host a total of 13 events during the second annual Week+ of Fermenting Fun.
Lookingglass, the Roseburg area’s newest brewery, celebrates the grand opening of its Winston tasting room.

Thirteen events are on the 2nd annual Roseburg Beer Week+ schedule, including beer and food pairing; special beer releases; live music; contests; and Backside Brewing’s second annual Lumberjack Competition.

June 18, 2016
2nd Annual Roseburg Homebrew Rendezvous

Dec. 16, 2016 Old Soul Pizza Opens

The training wheels come off the Old Soul Pizza trailer with the opening of a permanent location in downtown Roseburg. Local entrepreneur Ray Batram lights his new wood-fired oven in a renovated building at 525 SE Main St.
Besides his popular pizzas, Old Soul has 15 taps of beer and cider, as well as a selection of local wine.

May 20, 2017 3rd Annual Roseburg Homebrew Rendezvous & 2nd Annual Brew HaHa

July 22-29, 2017 3rd Annual Roseburg Beer Week+

Sept. 2017
Salud Restaurant Closes, Food Truck Opens

Salud goes mobile when owner Manny Anaya closes his Jackson St. restaurant in August and rolls out a can't-miss-it red food truck. Featuring Latin-inspired food, Salud customers can find the truck's location on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Home base for the truck is 723 SE Lane, which will also be a brewery tasting room.

Oct. 14, 2017 Umpqua Brew Fest 8

April 2018 North Forty Beer Company Opens

Roseburg's 8th currently operating brewery

Homage to the heritage: The Umpqua Valley Timeline of Craft Beer and Brewing would be nothing more than beer foam hearsay, heresy, and memory without these sources: Beer Advocate, Brooke Communications, Douglas County Museum, The Eugene Register Guard, Google News Archives, KPIC, Pintley, and most appreciatively, The Roseburg News Review.
Comments or corrections? Memories or pictures to share? Contact brewburg@gmail.com