Milwaukie’s Historic City Hall Will Be Home to pFriem Family Brewers Second Taproom

After years of stating that the brewery had no intentions of opening a location outside of its homebase in Hood River, Oregon, on Friday evening, pFriem Family Brewers revealed its new expansion plans. pFriem will open its second taproom next year in Milwaukie, Oregon at the city’s historic Milwaukie City Hall building.

After the city of Milwaukie moved its offices a few blocks away last year, Henry Point Development has begun its renovation of the building that will be home to both pFriem and Keeper Coffee. pFriem will take over about 2/3 of the first floor of the building and Keeper Coffee the other 1/3. A portion of the upstairs area will be home to a few non-profit businesses. Its goal is to open in April 2025, but as you know with most redevelopment projects, this date could easily be pushed back.

Founded in 2012 by Josh Pfriem, Rudy Kellner and Ken Whiteman, pFriem Family Brewers made a name for itself right out of the gate. Brewing along with Columbia River Waterfront in Hood River, the brewery has garnered many awards through the years, including Mid-Size Brewing Company of the year in 2018 at the Great American Beer Festival.

Eight years later the brewery expanded to open a barrel warehouse and blending facility in nearby Cascade Locks. This opened in early 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. But with no public space at this location, it did not offer an experience for its fans except for one-off events held there.

Through the years, pFriem has experienced positive growth. This past year it produced a hefty 41K barrels of beer. This year, the brewer expects to grow by nearly 10% to reach 45K barrels. To meet these goals, the brewer will bring back more customer engagement to the brand.

This year, pFriem will host Grasslands Barbecue for a Summer Kick Off Party at its Cascade Locks facility on May 18, 2024. Then along the Hood River Waterfront, pFriem will host its 12th Anniversary Party on August 3rd and an Oktoberfest celebration with Grassland Barbecue on September 21st.

pFriem will also be a craft beer sponsor of some other events, including three music festivals and at T-Mobile Park where the Seattle Mariners play. We are excited to see pFriem at the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho from March 20- 24 and at the Jackalope Jamboree in Pendleton, Oregon from June 27 – 29, 2024.

“We want to have fun and create memorable occasions with our beer,” stated Jeff Gaither, Sales and Marketing Director at pFriem. “We are a Treefort Music Fest sponsor and we‘ll be pouring at Alefort and other venues during the week.”

Now twelve years after its opening, pFriem is set to open its first satellite location, in a market that is ripe for craft beer options. pFriem was seeking a location that would be able to provide a setting that its fans would come to enjoy and expect, but in an urban area.

The brewery found this location with the historic Milwaukie City Hall building that dates back to the 1930s. Built as a project form the Works Progress Administration, the city began utilizing this building during the summer of 1938. During its years the building was home to nearly all of the city government of Milwaukie, including a fire station.

“We’re extremely excited to be growing our future here in Milwaukie,” stated Josh Priem, in a press release. “The City has been incredibly welcoming, and we hope we can play an important part in growing the local business community downtown as well as providing the community a really cool space to come together in.”

As previously mentioned, the forthcoming pFriem Milwaukie Taproom will take up about 2/3 of the building. It will take over the section where the fire station once called home. The space will feature a spacious pergola covered outdoor patio, a private dining and event space upstairs for various brewery and community events, and a lounge area reminiscent of the popular Bear’s Den in Hood River. The taproom will offer more than 20 taps, including a variety of pFriem beers and craft cocktails, with seating for over 100 guests.

Just like its Hood River location, the Milwaukie Taproom will also be open to the entire family. “We will be really family oriented,” stated Rudy Kellner on Friday at a media event. “It is the type of guest we really know how to take care of well.”

So why did pFriem settle on Milwaukie? The brewer knew they wanted to find a location in Oregon’s largest city but just felt the neighboring city worked out a bit better.

“Over the past couple of years, many of our friends have been moving to Milwaukie and surrounding areas, and we’ve been intrigued by that region for some time now,” said Josh in a press release. “When we first saw the old City Hall building, we knew immediately this would become our second home. It is a beautiful, unique space with a lot of history in the local community. It’s sited on a magnificent property with stunning green space, large trees, and a sculpture garden, with plenty of parking on site and in the surrounding downtown area, abundant public transportation options, all within a stone’s throw from the banks of the Willamette River. We’re excited to help energize the downtown area with our 7 day a week presence, the events that we will run in our tasting room, and in general with the creation of a warm and inviting community space.”

Joining pFriem in the old City Hall building will be Keeper Coffee, which is known for its commitment to quality, community and excellent coffee. Keeper has become a favorite in their Southeast neighborhood spot since their opening in 2020, and is celebrated for their house-made pastries and espresso drinks served in antique ceramics. It too hopes to open in early Spring 2025.

“We’re stoked to be neighbors with a great coffeehouse and bakery, folks who truly share our passion for quality beverages, and hospitality”, said Josh in the press release.

pFriem Family Brewers Milwaukie Taproom – 10722 SE Main St – Milwaukie, OR