Great Notion Brewing Grand Beer Release

Three North Portland neighbors’ appreciation for craft beer and home brewing has led them into business together. Last year, Andy Miller, James Dugan and Paul Reiter purchased the former Mash Tun Brew Pub from Christian Bavard when he needed to leave the industry to attend to pressing family matters. Now after a few months of rebranding the pub to its new moniker, Great Notion Brewing on January 1, 2016, the trio is set to host its Grand Beer Release on Saturday, March 5 from Noon to 11:00pm.

After taking over the 7 BBL brewery in Portland’s Alberta Arts District, Miller and Dugan have been in charge of the brewing operations as Reiter focuses his efforts on the business side of things. Both Miller and Dugan are former home brewers that have not taken the leap into brewing professionally. Combined the two have 26 years of brewing experience. Reiter on the other hand has 15 years of sales and marketing experience that includes time in both the music and software industries.

When it comes to its beers Great Notion will be producing a wide array of styles but the brewery is currently riding some popularity with its New England style IPAs and one in particular, Ripe IPA. The rest of the offerings will include sour ales, uniquely flavored stouts and more. “When summer rolls around we will have some fruit beers,” states Reiter. Dugan goes on to mention, “I’m a big fan of fruit beers”.

Once the brewery is up an running in the most efficient capacity the goal is to have up to 17 taps that will include a guest cider and possibly a couple of guest beers to round out the lineup. The bar also features five house cocktails. For its barrel aged beers, Great Notion has an off site facility in the St. Johns Neighborhood that accommodates this need. And for the time being the trio will continue to self distribute its beers in and around the Portland metro area. In house at Great Notion they do offer beer to go in growlers and in 32 oz. Crowlers.

Ryan O’Connor will head up the kitchen at Great Notion. O’Connor arrives at Great Notion from his latest stint at Portland’s Vita Café. His food menu is quite robust and features vegetarian and vegan options. “I want to do their beer justice,” stated O’Connor.

“We have been so overwhelmed with the positive reaction from the community, and we are excited to share even more of our beers with all of Portland,” said Reiter in a news release.

On Saturday, March 5, Great Notion Brewing will host its Grand Beer Release from Noon until 11:00pm that will feature a lineup of 12 Great Notion beers. Tickets will be sold for $10.00 at the door, which includes a Great Notion Libbey collector’s glass and 4 tasting tickets. Additional tickets can be purchased for $1.00 each.

Beyond sampling a lineup of Great Notion beers, attendees can expect a variety of family-friendly activities and events, entertainment, food pairings, and more. Brewery tours will be hosted at 12:30pm, 2:00pm, and 5:00pm. A special day-of menu will be available including beer floats in collaboration with its neighbor, Salt and Straw. For more information on the Grand Beer Release, and to RSVP, click here.

For the Grand Beer Release on Saturday the expected beer lineup is as follows.

Double Stack
Double Stack is a Breakfast Stout aged on a ridiculous amount of Vermont maple syrup and locally roasted coffee beans.
8.5% ABV

El Chapo
Dark and dangerous, this Mexican-inspired Stout is aged on pasilla & anjeo peppers, cinnamon, chocolate and vanilla beans.
7.7% ABV

Juice Jr.
The little brother of Juice Box Double IPA. Juice Jr. is brewed with 100% Mosaic hops, and a lot of them! This crushable Session IPA has a small ABV and a big hop flavor.
5% ABV

Juice Box
Juice Box developed quite a local following while we were home brewing. Bursting with pungent American hops, with aromas of peach, mango, and passion fruit. Juice Box is brewed with over 4 pounds of hops per barrel, but the creamy smooth mouth feel and mellow bitterness make this Double IPA dangerously drinkable.
8.2% ABV

Merry Dankster
The Merry Dankster is our tribute to Ken Kesey and his Merry band of Pranksters. At 8.2%, this Double IPA is saturated with hop flavor. It’s dry hopped with over 3 pounds per barrel & fermented with local wild flower honey. We get slammed with notes of pineapple, pine, and that stinky dank goodness! “Never trust a Prankster”
8.2% ABV

Ripe IPA
Bringing a bit of Vermont to Portland. Citra hops combined with a legendary NE yeast stain gives Ripe IPA its unique flavor and aroma. This juicy IPA has notes of mango, papaya and pineapple, with a smooth dry finish.
7% ABV

Root Beard
Root Beard is our dark cream ale aged on a unique blend of herbs including wintergreen, sarsaparilla, birch bark, licorice root, and Vanilla. We back sweeten Root Beard with local wild flower honey.
6.5% ABV

Saison Blanc
Saison married with Sauvignon Blanc grapes, pears and kiwis.
5.5% ABV

Stamper Stout
In our tribute to Henry Stamper, the old and half-crazed patriarch whose motto was “Never Give an Inch!,” Stamper Stout will warm your belly after a long Oregon Winter day. Settle into rich notes of coffee, chocolate and a gentle roast.
7.7% ABV

Zest
Great Notion Brewing’s take on a German style Berliner Weisse. The lemony tartness in this refreshing wheat beer comes from a two stage fermentation with Lactobacillus and brettanomyces. ZEST is the beer that will guide Portland into Spring!
5% ABV

Coffee & Cream
We aged this Cream Ale on specially roasted whole bean Columbian coffee in partnership with Clutch Coffee Roasters. It’s a one of a kind brew and a unique flavor experience.
6.5% ABV

Blueberry Muffin
A tart beer made with real blueberry muffins and locally sourced blueberries from Sauvie Island. Fermented with lacto bacillus and wild yeast, this beer will remind you of your mother’s freshly baked blueberry muffins.
5% ABV

Great Notion Brewing is located next door to Pine State Biscuits on NE Alberta Street with its entry to the south on NE 22nd Avenue. To learn more about Great Notion, visit www.greatnotionpdx.com, or follow the brewery on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Great Notion Brewing
2204 NE Alberta Street #101
Portland, OR 97211