There is a new brewery in the under-served suburb of Beaverton, Oregon, called Brannon’s Pub & Brewery and it’s the city’s only brewery at that. Founded by Kevin Brannon, a longtime lawyer and previous CEO of Fredrick Brewing Co. in Fredrick, Maryland, Brannon’s Brewery is a full-service restaurant and large brewpub with a family friendly bent and private banquet room space.
Brannon’s takes over a restaurant space on 3800 SW Cedar Hills conveniently located right by the Beaverton MAX station that has previously been the home of a Latin nightclub and an Angus Steakhouse. Now there will be a 10bbl brewery, 20+ High-Def TVs, a family-friendly game room, and a private room that’s perfect for company meetings or other private parties.
Head Brewer Devin Benware holds down the brewery operations, opening with a six beer taplist packed with American and German-style brewpub staples. Benware is yet another Vermont native in the Portland beer scene (there are a ton of them in the industry) and he previously held down a brewing gig at Old Market Pub with Tomas Sluiter, who is not coincidentally the consultant behind Brannon’s Brewery’s operations (and will also soon open his own Culmination Brewing). Along with homebrewer/assistant Luc Goovaerts, Devin is focusing on the initial nine house beers; six are on tap now, with the Porter and ESB out in about one week and the Saison in about a month. The beers are only available at Brannon’s for now (along with a full liquor license), and likely only will be, as the brewery doesn’t plan to distribute except for an odd festival or two.
Brannon’s features a substantial restaurant operation with a large menu. The mostly open kitchen in the back showcases a rotisserie and pizza oven, along with the usual pub kitchen wares. Though primary owner and namesake Kevin Brannon is of retirement age, he has hired a staff that skews quite young in the key positions; for instance, the Head Chef, Sean Beanblossom (whose tall and wiry frame lives up to his name) is only 22, and Head Brewer Devin Benware is likely the youngest Head Brewer in the state at just 26. Beanblossom got the job from his experience with Rose’s Restaurant Supply and running a restaurant in North Bellingham, Washington. The Brannon’s Brewery food is pretty much all American pub grub, but distances itself a bit from fried food and leans a little bit more towards wholesome hearty items. I sampled everything from cheese and charcuterie to chicken wings, ribs, sliders, or the two dishes they seem to already becoming known for–Macaroni and Cheese Balls and Neapolitan-style wood-fired pizza.
Though Mr. Brannon may describe the brewpub as a “Steampunk-style” and family friendly restaurant and bar, the 20+ widescreen TVs occupying seemingly every available space may make you think otherwise. While the Brannon’s logo and some fun metalworking design elements of floating cogs and gears (handcrafted by an investor and local metalworker) do add a touch of character and steampunk vibe, the overall open and brightly painted decor dominates, along with the multiple screens.
The television and mini multimedia stations might be the best and worst part about the pub, depending on what you’re looking for. All of the half dozen or so flat screens that circle around the bar area have their own digital tablets connected by a cable that allow you to control your television. On the tablet is a selection of all the digital and cable channels from local providers that you can possibly get, so you can watch whatever you wish at your own table and even control the volume. Even more geeky, each station has an HDMI input for you to plug in your laptop or other device to stream hi-def video so you have your own little multimedia station or office. I can see the bar being a great destination for business meetings or just catching games with your friends.
With tons of seating options, even a 21+ game room in the back with pop-a-shot hoops, foosball, and league-certified dart boards, and all the TVs, private rooms, and extensive menu of food and beers, I think Brannon’s Brewery & Pub will have no trouble becoming a destination spot in Beaverton.
Brannon’s Pub & Brewery
3800 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR
http://www.brannonsbrewery.com/
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