Optimism in Old Town

Posted on March 19, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post. #1 – #2)

Adam Milne is an optimist. He had a vision as a youngster. And now he has another vision.

As I’ve related in two previous posts about Old Town Brewing and Old Town Pizza, Adam first became enamored with Old Town Pizza when he visited at the age of nine in 1979 when it was owned by the Accaurdi family. They originally opened it in 1974. He then purchased it when he was thirty-three in 2003.

I’ve mentioned how Adam’s unceasing optimism kept his business going after some significant challenges in the early years, during his trademark fight with the City of Portland and as the global pandemic raged in the last few years shuttering many business – especially those in the hospitality sector permanently.

And when I say optimist, it’s not a frivolous compliment. From my previous encounters with Adam, given his buoyant spirit, I would not be surprised to see him start a new diet the week before Thanksgiving.

He’s so positive about the future, he’s probably committed to stay in Portland during the NBA Western Division Playoffs to see the Trailblazers – 14th out of 15th in the West with a current record of 19 – 49.

Okay, you get the idea, but possibly the following quote from one of Oscar Wilde’s plays is most appropriate to explain his new vision:

“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” (#4)

292645873_443199184482919_6816994385099299300_n

Looking to the Stars….

Take a look at some of the articles about Portland’s downward spiral in the last few years – not only Oregon publications, but in major papers throughout the country. They single Portland out among major cities for lingering pandemic related issues.

“Downtown in distress: Portland’s core is unsafe and uninviting, residents say in new poll, threatening city’s recovery.” Oregon Live 5/24/21

“What’s the matter with Portland? Shootings, theft and other crime test city’s progressive strain.” Los Angeles Times 2/10/23

“Fighting for Anthony – The Struggle to Save Portland Oregon.” New York Times 7/29/23 (#5)

But That’s Not Adam’s Mentality

The pandemic decimated many breweries who either closed permanently or shuttered to comply with State mandates or just because there were few, if any, patrons. Old Town Pizza was no exception:

“At one point in late 2021, his receipts in the original location for the day were $17 and he made the difficult decision to temporarily close that location. After eighteen months, it reopened five days per week in 2022. The NE Pub continued to operate during that hiatus.”

Thebeerchaser https://thebeerchaser.com/2024/01/13/head-downtown-to-old-town-pizza-and-brewing/ (#6 – #8)

Old Town Pizza located in the historic Merchant Hotel Building in Old Town

Carson Bowler, a Sigma Nu fraternity brother of Adam’s at the University of Oregon and a Portland lawyer and I joined Adam for a beer in Old Town in July 2023 to hear about Adam’s new vision.

Carson was almost giddy – not just at seeing his old friend – but at the opportunity to down a Shanghai’d IPA – one of their most popular seasonals and consistent with the historical ambiance in which we raised mugs:

“A Toast to Portland – Portland’s Shanghai Tunnels, an eerie section of which lie beneath our Old Town Taproom. (about 14,000 square feet of it – see photos below)

Lore of unsuspecting laborers being kidnapped via these secret tunnels and sold to ship captains for a crew in the late 1800’s lives on today.”

I quaffed an Old Town Red Ale – one of their flagship brews:

An impeccably balanced malt-driven ale with notes of sweetbread and caramel partnered with a medium hop bite and finish. (#9 – #10)

Adam told us at that one point during COVID he thought that his dream and his enterprise might not come back. “Can I recreate a career at 50?” But he restarted incrementally and continued to rely both on his marketing talent and his positive outlook.

The Old Town location had been down 60% from pre-pandemic sales numbers; however, the pub and brewery in NE Portland had done better.

But as pointed out in several articles, Adam was not going to join the chorus of those essentially viewing Portland as a lost cause. One of the articles by The Oregonian’s Beer Columnist and Editor, Andre Meunier, entitled “A New Look for Old Town Brewing Shines a Positive Light on Portland and its Icons,” provides an apt description:

“But Milne is a self-described and unapologetic optimist, and where some see a reason to turn out the lights, he sees motivation to add wattage.

I wanted to come out of the pandemic and really be a part of the solution to making Portland better,’ Milne said. ‘So we started with that. How can we be a positive voice for Portland?’” The Oregonian 2/22/23

Unlike many of the elected officials and non-profit managers who seem to offer more bombast than action, however, the article sets forth concrete steps he’s taken to help not only his own business, but fellow merchants and the entire City.

He extended his lease in Old Town by at least seven and up to twelve years.
He reopened the underground tunnel tours in the basement space below his building which gives an amazing historic portrayal of Portland’s rich past – especially in Old Town.

He gave us a tour of the chambers below which required some careful navigation of old staircases, (the ancient elevator is not in working order at the present) but was fascinating including an old bar and drinking area.

For those who have any interest in authentic historical settings, the Haunted Shanghai Tunnel Tour is a must. And for $38 you get a ninety-minute tour plus some extras – what a deal:

“Learn about Portland’s dark history and hear stories about our resident ghost, Nina. Finish up with a special tasting and 1 pint of our internationally award-winning beer.”

Adams recovery actions continue:

He initiated a re-branding campaign for Old Town Brewing

“…that focuses on Portland and the images and symbols that have won the city and region affection for decades.

A new line of beer cans will prominently display the leaping stag of the widely recognizable ‘Portland Oregon’ sign along the Willamette River and each of Old Town’s five core beers will highlight recognizable images and symbols and present a unique toast to each.”

beer cans

Milne stated, “We believe in our city, and want to be a part of the solution in making Portland even better. That’s why our new cans celebrate the city we love, capturing some of our favorite aspects of the city.”

Pilsner and the Fremont Bridge

IPA and the “zoo-bombers” down the West Hills roadways

NW IPA and the Columbia River Gorge

Hazy IPA – Pillowfist and Mount Hood

Red Ale and the Lone Fir Cemetery

The Stag is still on the front of the cans as Adam views that as a symbol of unity and pride in the City. (#11)

The Brewery is now working with area non-profits, most notably Word is Bond, an organization helping young Black men with citizenship and leadership training.

Adam will host fundraisers and provide food for their programs and is working with visionary Founder and Executive Director Lakayana Drury..

Drury came up with the slogan “Believe in Portland,” which graces the shirts available on the Old Town website and in stores. $10 of every shirt sale will go to a local nonprofit, with a different one getting the money every month.

Next up was Central City Concern, a neighbor of the restaurant in Old Town. (#12 – #13)

And last but not least, Willamette Week in its story captioned: “Nine Portland Breweries Are Reviving Their Own Version of Portland Dining Month,” relates how Old Town and eight fellow breweries are figuratively “joining kegs” to create the second consecutive Portland Brewery Dining Month.

Patrons can partake of customized three-course meals throughout March, the traditional period when Portland Dining Month took place:

“Better yet: The breweries are sweetening the deal by throwing in one beer, house wine or non-alcoholic beverage and a $10 voucher for use between April 1 and June 30—a perk you didn’t find at Portland Dining Week.” (#14)

431355795_18419163580053264_1423553663896411479_n

And after wandering through the Old Town’s downtown space and marveling at the alcoves, historic pictures, I checked their website and also discovered that Old Town:

“…. has a beautiful, open lofted level with several semi-private spaces for groups of between 10 and 60 people. Book an event with us and enjoy a full service, buffet-style dinner in the historic Merchant Hotel, plus even more space available at our NE brewery.”

Their Facebook page shows some great pictures of weddings and receptions held recently.

So I decided to take advantage of that for a Beerchasing Event. I invited former and current members of the Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt Environmental and Natural Resources Group to meet in the late afternoon last January for beer and pizza.

There was no room charge, the space was well-suited for our group and the pizza and beer were a hit with all nine of us there.

schwabe

So what can those of us who love Portland do to support Adam and his compatriots’ vision for restoring Portland to its beauty, vitality and reputation as a prime vacation spot?

Well, you can pay a visit to either the Downtown or NE Portland location, order some beer on-line, buy a t-shirt from the Old Town website, take a Shanghai Tunnel Tour, book an event or just send this Portland leader an e-mail reinforcing what he is trying to accomplish. https://www.otbrewing.com/contact-1

And to End this Tome on a Note of Positivity

Speaking of major career decisions, here’s an ending toast to Carson Bowler. My former colleague and friend for many years is not only a superb lawyer, but a wonderful human being.

A leading Portland mediator, several years ago who moderated an all-day session in which CBo (as we affectionately called him) represented one of the parties told me the next day:

“Don, that Carson Bowler is the real deal!

Congratulations to him for leaving the large-firm environment at the beginning of 2024 and starting his own firm – Law Office of Carson Bowler. (#15 – #16)

https://bowler-law.com/

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:Portland, Oregon sign + Old Town tower, 2012.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Another_Believer – 8 January 2012.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thanksgiving_Turkey_2021_(cropped).jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Freshman 404 – 23 November 2021.

#3 – #4. Old Town Brewing Website (Old Town Brewing (otbrewing.com)).

#5. Wikimedia Commons (File:Northeast Portland homeless camp tents.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Graywalls 1 March 2020.

#6. Wikimedia Commons (File:Merchant Hotel building – Portland, Oregon (2016).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Steve Morgan 23 October 2016.

#7 – #8. Old Town Brewing Website (Old Town Brewing (otbrewing.com).

#9 – #11 Old Town Brewing Website (BEERS — Old Town Brewing (otbrewing.com)).

#12 – #13. Word is Bond Website (WordIsBond (mywordisbond.org)).

#14. Old Town Brewing Facebook Page ((2) old town brewing – Search Results | Facebook)

#15 – #16. Law Office of Carson Bowler Website (https://bowler-law.com/).

BOTQ – Who are Those “Guys”?

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter (BOTQ) Update

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title above to see all of the photos and the video at the end of the post and so the narrative isn’t clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post #)

Followers of Thebeerchaser blog know that I periodically do a post about an individual or group that may or may not have anything to do with bars or beers but has an interesting story and made contributions to society.

Admittedly, I have not related these stories with the frequency I’d have liked in the last two years but hope to remedy that in 2024. I’ve known the majority of the individual “honorees” personally.

The lineup includes war heroes, athletes, media personalities, authors, academicians, civic activists and of course, lawyers. Some are pictured below, and their stories are related in the link over their name – and they are impressive.

Clockwise: The 1967 Oregon State Giant Killer Football Team; former NFL defensive tackle, mountaineer and executive, Craig Hanneman; Portland attorney and television personality, Jack Faust; writer and media personality, Amy Faust; the late author Brian Doyle;

Professional oboist (and my oboe instructor) Kelly Gronli; the late Princeton Professor Emeritus and author, Harry Frankfurt; Jan and Jack McGowan – founders of SOLV; developer and civic activist, Mark Edlen; the late Terry “Spike McKinsey, USMC-retired; Jud Blakely USMC. (#1 – #5)

To see a list of the thirty-five “honorees” from 2011 to 2020, check out the following link:https://thebeerchaser.com/2020/12/13/beerchasers-of-the-quarter-who-what-why/

And Then There’s Jay Waldron

One BOTQ – a colleague of mine for twenty-five years when I worked as the COO at the Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt law firm – is Jay Waldron. As stated in the original 2016 blog post featuring him as Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, he graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law – one of the Nations’s top five at twenty-nine.

The older than average age was partly because he first completed a master’s degree at the school – but also because of his extracurricular activities which included boxing, playing rugby, teaching 7th-grade English in Appalachia and coaching basketball. (#6 – #8)

Counselor Waldron has contributed his time and served in leadership capacities in many civic and charitable activities, in addition to having a thriving Environmental and Natural Resources law practice.

At age thirty-seven he argued a case at the US Supreme Court and he’s also appeared at the Oregon Supreme Court and the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

His legal work has earned him recognition multiple times in the “Best Lawyers in America” and as an Oregon Super Lawyer and by the Oregon State Bar for pro bono service.

And he just received another accolade from his peers with the Oregon State Bar’s Environmental and Natural Resources Section 2024 Award. It recognizes an Oregon lawyer for leadership, service and outstanding contributions to environmental and natural resources law.

Carson Bowler, who was Jay’s partner for many years eloquently summed up why Jay was selected:

“For more than 40 years, Jay has been in the middle of some of the most important and consequential environmental matters and cases in Oregon and the Northwest. His superpower has always been to identify the core of a complicated case, and then to communicate that core to whatever audience was listening, be they legislators, judges or clients.

His career resume is astonishing; he’s been (aptly) called a grandfather of environmental law in Oregon, a title that finally befits his life season. But I think his lasting legacy will be the quiet influence he’s had on so many young lawyers who over the years have had the privilege of learning their craft from him.”

In his acceptance speech, Jay spent most of his time thanking his partners, his wife, Karen (see below) and others. Emphasizing the importance of being a well-rounded person, he stated:

“I’m probably the only environmental lawyer in Oregon who wrote a master’s thesis on “The Poetry of Emily Dickinson.”

(His favorite poem is “Because I Could Not Stop For Death.” – a poem that explores the themes of death, time and eternity.) (#9)

Black-white_photograph_of_Emily_Dickinson2

One of Jay’s attributes emphasized at the reception was his dedication to mentoring. And to further elaborate on Jay’s contribution to his own firm, take a look at this summary from his partner, Brien Flanagan, Chair of Schwabe’s Environmental and Natural Resources Practice Group:

“Jay was a guide and an advocate for young lawyers. A genius on developing the theme to win a case or the politics that wins approval from bureaucratic regulators. And Jay was always happy to tell a tale while sharing a brew.” (#10)

Thebeerchaser joins Bowler and Flanagan on his birthday for a brewski

Brien’s reference to Jay’s story telling fits into this narrative quite well, because Jay has a vast storehouse of tales – and a preponderance of them, upon further research, appear to be true.

He is a frequent commenter on the bars and breweries I feature in my blog posts including the Ship Tavern, Jake’s Place, Jake’s Famous Crawfish bar, the Horse Brass Pub and most recently Malachy’s Irish Pub in downtown New York City.

I wrote about Malachy’s in my most recent post “Don’t Jump When You Can Dive – Part III”. Jay’s comment was:

“Was Malachy’s named after Malachy McCourt? He was a full-of-shit Irishman who played rugby and drank with me in NYC in the late 60’s and I also had a pint with his more famous author/brother Frank in McSorleys ,my then favorite NYC bar. Jay”

After researching, my response was:

“You never disappoint me, Counselor. Malachy’s in New York City, was in fact, opened by Malachy McCourt, who was indeed, a rugby player. See this video interview on the 50th anniversary of Fairfield Rugby Club. (#11 – #12)

Since the Topic of Rugby Arose….

I’ll start winding down this post by further exploring Jay’s athletic and related “activities” – chief among these being rugby. In 2017, he was admitted to the US Rugby Hall of Fame.

A 2017 article in the Providence College News (his undergrad alma mater) stated:

“(His contributions span) nearly five decades as a player, coach, TV broadcaster, and ambassador of the sport. He began his rugby career in 1968 as a University of Virginia graduate student, where he received his master’s degree, worked on his Ph.D., and then received his juris doctorate while serving as a player, president, and captain. Waldron played on numerous rugby representative teams and won the university boxing championship.”

Fortunately, when Jay was in the office, he chewed gum instead of glass, but his rugby gigs also included coaching the Portland Pig’s Rugby Club for five years. He announced rugby matches aired on Fox and ESPN in a four-year stint. (13 – #14)

You will have to check out the original blog post for the details, but Jay’s other pursuits give credence to Emily Dickinson’s theme of death:

River Rafting – three trips down the Colorado River and in 1996, he became the first Caucasian to row a “cataraft” through all the rapids of the Great Bend of the Yangtze River in China. Other trips included South America and Canada.

Motorcycle Trips and Racing – Twenty-one different road trips throughout the US have been supplemented by a journey around both South Africa and New Zealand and a trek from Chile to the southern tip of South America. He was also once clocked at 155 mph on his Ducati.

Wild Horse Riding – After a long and serious discussion at a bar with two rugby buddies, they decided to compete in the wild-horse ride competition at the Pendleton Roundup. (#15 – #17)

Death Wish?

Could Jay’s instincts and perhaps latent death wish be tamed? The answer to that question is in the affirmative. In 1966, Jay met his now wife of fifty-five years, Karen, while he was serving as a bouncer at a bar at Horseback Beach in Westport, Mass on the Atlantic Ocean.

“It was a Sunday night and she was not 21, but with that blonde hair and tan, there was no way, I wasn’t going to let her in.” (#18 – #19)

The Next Generation

Karen is also an athlete – both she and Jay have won Multnomah Athletic Club Decathlons in their age groups. And their son, Shane inherited their athletic talent and interest. He played college football at Tufts University as a tight end and long snapper from 1999 through 2002.

Starting as an operations intern in 2002 for the New England Patriots under Coach Bill Belichick, he then began what has become a very impressive coaching resume in college football – Notre Dame and UMass – eventually followed by the NFL including the Patriots, Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Rams and as Offensive Coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2021 to 2023.

Early in 2024, he was named Offensive Coordinator for the Chicago Bears and as stated in an article on ESPN.com: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39368486/what-hiring-oc-shane-waldron-mean-bears

“The Chicago Bears know who will be calling offensive plays in 2024, and now they have to figure out which quarterback will be executing them.”

Chicago, with the first draft pick in 2024, is expected to draft former USC quarterback, Caleb Williams and Waldron will be a key figure in deciding whether he or current starter, Justin Fields will be calling signals when the season starts.

Based on the comments of sports commentators and media, don’t be surprised to see the younger Waldron as an NFL head coach in his next job.

Regardless, Karen and Jay Waldron will be making a lot of trips back to Chicago with good tickets at Soldier Field in addition to seeing their two grandchildren.

Odds are that Jay also knows some good Windy City bars which ruggers frequent and they can share stories – many of which will be in accordance with reality. (#20 – #22)

Karen told me that Jay doesn’t like small talk with strangers so I would tell him “Ask if they have a connection with rugby, rafting or motorcycles and the conversation always explodes.”

Well, that will not be necessary on his Chicago visits because one of his best long-term rugby buddies happens to be one Donald H. Haider – another member of the US Rugby Hall of Fame. (And looking at both of these guys made me wonder if the term Renaissance Man and Rugger is really a contradiction in terms.)

Haider, was on the rugby team during undergraduate school at Stanford. He played and coached rugby throughout his adulthood and earned his MA and PhD at Columbia University. He is now a business professor at Northwestern University‘s Kellogg School of Management. The professor has had an amazing career in government, business and academia. (#23)

And does he have ties to the Windy City! According to Wikipedia:

“Haider had worked as an advisor to Richard J. Daley during his mayoralty. Haider also worked as the Chicago city budget director (chief financial officer for the City of Chicago) under Jane Byrne from 1979 until 1980.[1][4][6][10]

In 1987, Haider won the Republican mayoral primary…During the campaign, in a desperate bid for press, Haider rode an elephant (an animal often used to symbolize the Republican Party) down State Street.”

The Weather Mark Tavern is a great rugby sports bar within walking distance of Soldier Field. I can see Waldron and Haider pre-function and post-function at this watering hole and telling tales of past scrums. (Fans cannot leave the Stadium during halftime…..)

Go Bears!

External Photo Attribution

#1 – #2. Oregon State University Athletic Department (https://osubeavers.com/news/2017/11/27/football-giant-killers-the-legend-50-years-later)

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jack_faust.jpg) I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. Author: Timlyman.

#4. University of Portland Magazine (https://sites.up.edu/portlandmagazine/brian-doyle/).

#5. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harry_Frankfurt_at_2017_ACLS_Annual_Meeting.jpg ) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Author: American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) 29 October 2018.

#6 – #8. Courtesy Jay Waldron

#9. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (Black-white photograph of Emily Dickinson2 – Emily Dickinson – Wikipedia) By Unknown author – https://s3.amazonaws.com/amherst-wsg/ED-dag-case-720dpi_big.jpg, This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. (1846-47).

#10. Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt (https://www.schwabe.com/professional/brien-flanagan/).

#11 – #12. Malachy Irish Pub Website Photo Gallery (https://www.malachysirishpub.com/gallery).

#13. Portland Rugby Club (https://www.portlandrugby.org/about).

#14 – #18. Jay Waldron

#19 – #22. Karen Waldron Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/karen.waldron.12).

#23. Kellog School of Management (Donald Haider – Faculty – Kellogg School of Management (northwestern.edu).

#24. Weather Mark Tavern Facebook Page ()https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=510230207773421&set=a.510230187773423).

#25. Wikimedia Commons (Soldier_Field_S.jpg (4000×2250) (wikimedia.org) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Sea Cow – 2 July 2022.

Head Downtown to Old Town (Pizza and Brewing)

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

Adam Milne is a creative and savvy entrepreneur.

Adam Milne is a visionary.

And more importantly:

Adam Milne is a great human being!

I first told the story of Adam and his founding of Old Town Pizza and Brewing in two Beerchaser posts from February 2019 entitled New Energy and Ideas at Old Town Brewing | Thebeerchaser:

On his ninth birthday, Adam first visited Old Town Pizza which was owned by the Accaurdi family who opened it in 1974.

“It was in the historic Merchant Hotel in Old Town and a hub for like-minded people with a radical agenda. It stood as a beacon for the local community; a place to break bread and enjoy your neighbor.” (Old Town Brewery website)

(#1 – External photo attribution at the end of the post)

As stated in my first blog post:

“That visit had an impact and demonstrates this young entrepreneur’s vision since he bought Old Town Pizza in 2003 when he was only in his early thirties – 33 to be exact.

…..He subsequently expanded to NE Portland on NE Martin Luther King Blvd in 2008, where he built the brewery and pub. Assistance came in the form of a low-interest loan from the Portland Development Commission in its effort to promote enterprise close-in NE Portland.” (#2)

In those posts, I didn’t cover the initial location in Portland’ Old Town, and in light of some recent developments at the original site along with Adam’s own goals, I’ll tell you about them in two new posts.

But first a little background from my prior visits with Adam at the NE Portland location in 2019. Two Oregonian articles in early and mid-2023 and an interview I had with Adam at the spot last July expand on the story.

I was joined on that visit by his fraternity brother from the Sigma Nu house at the University of Oregon for four years – Carson Bowler. (You will hear more about this outstanding environmental and natural resources lawyer later.)

Carson was a colleague for many years when we both worked at the Schwabe law firm.

Thebeerchaser, Carson and Adam in July

Have things been easy for this guy who is now in his early fifties? Adam’s example is similar to many craft brewing owners – ups and downs and long hours to both become and stay successful. Many have not made it. Adam has!

From the prior blog post:

“In 2003, to raise the capital to purchase Old Town Pizza, Adam mortgaged the equity in his home and sold a rental house to make the down payment. Only one month into the new venture, their primary refrigerator went out – they had no cash to replace it.

He had to buy all new refrigeration and new pizza ovens. When I asked how they resolved it, Adam chuckled and said, ‘I suppose that’s what credit cards are for!’” (#3)

A deal – on credit!

Then there was the fire upstairs at the NE brewpub in 2012, which resulted in closure of the pub for about three weeks. (He continued to pay his staff during the closure.)

And, as evidence that the City of Portland’s questionable decisions did not just start with the pandemic, in Old Town Brewing – Part II | Thebeerchaser, I chronicled, in part, Adam’s unbelievable battle over the trademark issue:

“….an example of bad judgment on the part of the City – an ill-advised bureaucratic foray which drew the ire of the micro-craft community, business groups and those who value common sense….. (#4 – #5)

Many citizens wondered why Portland was taking on this small business when Old Town Brewing had applied and been granted the image for its logo by the US Patent Office. Moreover, Milne had come to the City offering to compromise before the fight escalated.”

Adam said that he views the stag logo as a symbol of unity and pride. Intellectual Property law can be very technical but for an interesting and detailed account of the legal issues involved, check out Jeff Alworth’s blog Beervana:

“Have you heard the one about the big brewery that sends the little brewery a cease-and-desist letter for trademark infringement? Of course you have….A little brewery owned a valid, long-standing trademark, but a deep-pocketed large city refused to acknowledge it and told the little guys they planned to license the disputed image to AB InBev.”

“https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2017/11/13/the-city-of-portland-versus-old-town-brewing

Adam and the City settled in 2018 and Old Town can continue to use the logo for five years and the agreement will have to be renewed to avoid future litigation.

https://www.wweek.com/news/city/2018/01/22/local-brewery-wins-battle-with-city-hall-over-leaping-stag-trademark/

Photos from the NE Pub and Brewery

Things were going well in 2018 and 2019, as Adam stated on their website:

We started our videos series, collaborated with some of the most amazing and talented people, drank amazing beer and celebrated…“

Beer Awards

OTB had received numerous awards for its beers in previous years. The honors continued in 2019 with three medals at the Best of Craft Beer Awards in Bend where brewers from 33 states competed.

The list of awards for OTB beer is extensive and the styles of beer garnering awards very diverse as can be seen from this link:

https://www.otbrewing.com/dock-sales

And not only did they have excellent traditional beers, but their experimental beers gained a lot of attention – OTB’s Mushroom Ale. Take this review from Ratebeer.com.

“Not only does this beer give you an experience that I can guarantee you’ve never had, it also tastes amazing. Like drinking carbonated maple syrup with a touch of umami character. Amazing.” (#6)

https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2015/8/5/old-town-brewing-mushrooming

Adam has a tradition of thinking outside the keg. For example, OTB started delivering beer by bicycle in 2012:

“We were the first brewery in America to do that based on our research. I had the idea and called the Oregon Liquor Control Commission who expressed doubt it was legal. They called back and said they all met and couldn’t find a reason it was illegal.”

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portland-brewery-delivering-beer-on-bikes-149010975.html (#7)

The Pandemic

But Adam joined the ranks of countless small business owners – most notably those in the hospitality industry in 2020. That’s when the global pandemic hit small businesses, but especially those in the hospitality sector, like a contagious sledge hammer.

At one point in late 2021, his receipts in the original location for the day were $17 and he made the difficult decision to temporarily close that location. After eighteen months, it reopened five days per week in 2022. The NE Pub continued to operate during that hiatus.

So how did Adam react to that setback and what are his plans for the future – not only for his own enterprise, but for the city he loves:

“But Milne is a self-described and unapologetic optimist, and where some see a reason to turn out the lights, he sees motivation to add wattage.

‘I wanted to come out of the pandemic and really be a part of the solution to making Portland better,’ Milne said. ‘So we started with that. How can we be a positive voice for Portland?’” The Oregonian – Andre Meunier 2/22/23

Stay tuned for the next post of Thebeerchaser and you will find out the encouraging answer(s) to that question. (#8 – #9)

Great beer and great food!

Oh yes, one parting shot:

Unfortunately, Adam Milne and Carson Bowler are both U of O Ducks. Go Beavs! Go PAC2!

Cheers

External Photo Attributions

#1 -2. Old Town Brewing Website (Old Town Brewing (otbrewing.com).

#3. Wikimedia Commons (File:Nevera Philco, año 1950, Museo del Pueblo de Asturias, 01.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Malopez_21 – 10 September 2019.

#4. Wikimedia Commons (File:Portland, Oregon sign + Old Town tower, 2012.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Another_Believer – 8 January 2012.

#5. Old Town Brewing Website (About Us — Old Town Brewing (otbrewing.com))

#6. – #9 Old Town Brewing Website (https://www.otbrewing.com/beers)

Old Town Brewing – Part II

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

In Thebeerchaser’s first post on Old Town Brewing, (hereafter OTB) I sketched the story of the founder and owner, Adam Milne and his vision which has become a reality.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/02/26/new-energy-and-ideas-at-old-town-brewing/

The Old Town Brewing Trademark

(Note: This is a long post and even if you don’t peruse it in its entirety, be sure to check out the videos towards the end of the post. But to check them out, you will need to click on the blog site rather than look at it through e-mail. Just click on the title in your e-mail. You will be glad that you did…)

The prior post elaborated on the great ambiance and rustic environment, the team concept Adam espouses and briefly touched on the unfortunate legal battle with the City of Portland over the iconic OTB trademark in which Adam and his team prevailed after years of litigation.

But, the story is not complete without a detailed discussion of the beer and the creative marketing which goes into making it a gem in the NW micro-craft industry. The list of awards for OTB beer is extensive and the styles of beer garnering awards diverse as can be seen from this link below:

https://www.otbrewing.com/dock-sales

Gold Medal Winners – Pilsner and Shanghai’d IPA

For example in 2018, there were two Gold Medals – – OTB’s Pilsner and Shanghai’d IPA – at the World Beer Cup in Nashville – Adam described this as the “Olympics of beer competition.”

And at the Great American Beer Festival in 2014 – the “Academy Awards of beer” according to Adam – they brought home a silver medal – Sun Dazed Kolsch – following by a gold in 2015 for Shanghai’d IPA.

The honors continued in 2019 with three medals at the Best of Craft Beer Awards in Bend where brewers from 33 states compete. Shanghai’d won again with a bronze – also one for Paulie’s Not Irish Red and a silver for Dark Helmet. I was impressed that besides the reaffirmation of Shanghai’d IPA quality, that OTB has garnered medals for a diverse group of brews.

Head Brewer – Adam Lamont – educated in his craft

Adam credits a lot of this to the fortuitous hiring of Andrew Lamont. He had spent about eight years with the Boston Beer Company two and one-half of which were as brewer for Samuel Adams Research and Development Brewery.

Adam was looking for a brewer in late 2014 and thought, “There’s no way he will work for me.” Fortunately, Andrew, who was pursuing a PhD, decided he wanted to relocate to Portland. This was after Lamont had earned his Master’s in Polymer Science at Southern Mississippi and his Master Brewer at UC Davis.

But it’s a team approach that Adam credits for their success as can be seen from this photo from the OTB website and his statement:

“”We feel our biggest strength in brewing quality beer is creating a team approach that feeds all of our passion and excitement,’ he says. ‘It was important for [head brewer] Andrew [Lamont] and I to create atmosphere that allows our management crew to lead and have a voice in the beer creation process.’”

Adam Milne and his team – creativity can be fun…….

While it would be easy to do an entire post on the following issue, we should touch on the trademark battle with City of Portland – an example of bad judgment on the part of the City – an ill-advised bureaucratic foray which drew the ire of the micro-craft community, business groups and those who value common sense…..

Many citizens wondered why Portland was taking on this small business when OTB had applied and been granted the image for its logo by the US Patent Office. Moreover, Milne had come to the City offering to compromise before the fight escalated.

For those interested, a detailed account of the fascinating legal issues involved, check out Jeff Alworth’s blog Beervana:

https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2017/11/13/the-city-of-portland-versus-old-town-brewing

Now, Intellectual Property law can be very technical, but if you want to see a summary of the settlement use this link from an article in Craftbeer.com

https://www.craftbeer.com/editors-picks/old-town-brewing-portland-end-lengthy-trademark-dispute

Carson Bowler

Brien Flanagan

As I mentioned in the first OTB post, on both of my two visits I was accompanied by two very skilled lawyers who are also both wonderful human beings – some may think the categories are mutually exclusive.

Carson Bowler, a fraternity brother of Adam from U of O days in the ’90’s, and Brien Flanagan were in our group.

On the second visit, Carson, Adam and I got two flights of eight – a good idea given the variety of good beers and a very reasonable $10 – only a buck more than a flight of four. My favorites on that visit were the Sun Dazed (German-style Kolsch) and the Belgian Tripel – a collaboration with Rogue Brewing with an ABV of 9.8%!

The three of us – based on the experience Carson and I had on our first visit, got another of the House Special Pizza – “The shop favorite since 1974. A combination of pepperoni, salami, mushroom, black olive, bell pepper, and homemade Italian sausage.”

On the flight path….with Carson and Adam

On the first visit I got a pint of their award-winning Paulie’s Not Irish Red Ale. As a fan of red ales, I can state that it lived up to the description: “Impeccably balanced and malt-driven with notes of sweet bread and caramel, partnered with a medium hop bite and soft finish.”

While having a reputation for great pizza, OTB also has some other good eats including five different salads, pasta and six toasted subs of which the Meatball is the house favorite “Sliced meatballs covering a garlic buttered roll, mozzarella, cheese and house-made marinara dusted with Reggiano cheese and fresh basil.”

The first trip to OTB was a belated 70th birthday present from Carson and Brien and they paid deference to their elder by letting me have the extra slice of the House Special Pizza we split.

Belated birthday present – as you can see from this picture and the last, Carson when being photographed holds his head at an angle and adopts an intellectual pose

Brien is also a Beerchasing regular and, in fact, his last foray on this blog was right in the same neighborhood at Billy Rays Neighborhood Dive Bar. You should stop by this great dive bar on a trip to OTB.

Flanagan (in the center) in a visit to BRNDB

One of the more impressive aspects to this enterprise is their creativity, which is demonstrated in the development and production of new beers – for example their Mushroom Ale – which some purists pan, but has gotten some good reviews. Hiring a scientist as your head brewer allows adventures like this one that Andrew first tried as an experimental beer in 2015:

For example, this 11/29/17 review from Ratebeer.com:

“Not only does this beer give you an experience that I can guarantee you’ve never had, it also tastes amazing. Like drinking carbonated maple syrup with a touch of umami character. Amazing.”

https://www.pdxmonthly.com/articles/2015/8/5/old-town-brewing-mushrooming

Experimentation yields results….

But also the display of their product in the cans which commenced in 2018 (as evidenced by the pictures below and this statement on their website:

“There’s much to be appreciated about beer cans. We trust these sealed vessels with the momentous task of transporting our precious cargo safely. We outfit them in our finest digs to help celebrate and convey our stories about who we are and what we stand for.”

Another innovation was the delivery of beer by bicycle, which started in 2012 – perhaps you will soon be getting a Glow Torch IPA by drone in the near future….

Although they don’t still deliver beer by bike, Adam says:

“We were the first brewery in America to do that based on our research.. I had the idea and called the OLCC who expressed doubt it was legal. They called back and said they all met and couldn’t find a reason it was illegal.”

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portland-brewery-delivering-beer-on-bikes-149010975.html

One of the most innovative Brewery advertising methods I’ve witnessed since starting Thebeerchaser in 2017 is their video series. Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but I thought these great ads were somewhat under the radar – “Beers in Paradise.”

They feature OTB’s Sales Director, Joe Sanders. This four-part video series is extremely well done, humorous and shows what having an in-house creative artist and media expert can develop. I asked Adam how this idea germinate:

“We decided to do something that spoke to our audience and communicated our seriousness for making beer in a really fun way. Once we made our first video, with Joe as our front-man…. the snowball started to roll. People loved them and we had so much fun making them.”

https://www.otbrewing.com/latest-news/2018/4/3/weekly-beer-hunting-beers-of-paradise.

My favorite was the Pillow Fist IPA although you should check all of them out. (They’re slightly hidden on the Website under the drop-down “Latest News.”) And for a fascinating article – again on Jeff Alworth’s Beervana blog, read about the process as described by Creative Director, Jordan Wilson.

Creative Director, Jordan Wilson

The process starts with naming of the beer, the context and set for the videos and is followed by evaluating the effectiveness of the videos through metrics.

“It’s total DIY….this feels like a unique strength for Old Town – we keep everything in house and avoid the high cost of creative overhead. And because of our lower investment, we can play with it more. Throw things at the wall, see what sticks.….(the videos have) become an extension of our brand and how we tell our stories.”

https://www.beervanablog.com/beervana/2019/1/30/how-we-use-video

They also use videos to announce new releases. Take a look at this one that announced Figaro Imperial Stout – brilliant!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuE6X_dAxrS/embed/?autoplay=1

As you can see below, Adam gives his staff credit for their success – one of his core values. For example, this notice on their website about Staff Appreciation Day.

“2018 was incredibly fun and certainly the most memorable year for us to date. We kicked off with a major rebrand of our company, canned our first brews, made it through a dispute that brought our community together and forever changed the way we hold our love and admiration for this industry, we started our videos series, collaborated with some of the most amazing and talented people, drank amazing beer, celebrated more“

Team values reinforced!

Another example was during the 2012 fire, when the Brewery and pub were closed for three weeks. The staff’s pay was continued during the closure.

There’s no question that those who want a good brewpub experience have a multitude of options in Portland, but this 12/7/18 Yelp review summarizes the composite experience well and illustrates why you should drop by and say “hello” to Adam and his team:

“Delicious brews and FIRE pizza! The space is large but cozy. I was recently there for a work event and the food was AMAZING plus the service was top notch. Their bartender Tony got our 20+ person party drinks quickly and he was SO FRIENDLY – not the usual response to large parties in PDX. The vibes were great! Of course, I’ll be back!”

Old Town Brewing 5201 NE MLK BLVD

New Energy and Ideas at Old Town Brewing

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

Old Town Brewing’s brewery and taproom on MLK Blvd – photo ,courtesy of Old Town Brewing

Notwithstanding the fact that there are many thriving breweries in Oregon, the micro-craft business in Oregon – it ranks fifth in the US for the number of breweries per capita – is extremely competitive.

An eastside mainstay closes its door in early 2019

This is evidenced by the closure of three major players in the Portland brewing scene just in the last several months – Alameda, Bridgeport and Burnside. (Click on the links on the names of the last two to see Thebeerchaser’s reviews.)

And Widmer Brothers, the Lompoc Tavern and Portland Brewing have also closed their pubs – gone, but not forgotten as good places to raise a mug.

Bridgeport joins the legendary Slab Town in closing its doors in NW

While some not familiar with the brewery business, have a dream of establishing their own operation based on their enjoyment from home brewing, it takes considerable planning, risk tolerance and devotion to long hours and meeting challenges to sustain a successful brewery or pub – and there’s also the initial capital to even open it.

Backwoods Brewings’ second location in the Pearl District

That is why I have so much respect for the entrepreneurial spirit of some of my favorites including Mark Becker of Flyboy Brewing, the Waters family of SW Washington’s Backwoods Brewing and Jim Mills’ from Caldera Brewing in Ashland – and these are just a few.

Add to those, Adam Milne, the founder and owner of Old Town Brewing (hereafter OTB) in Portland. I had dinner and beer with Adam and lawyer, Carson Bowler, on my second visit to Old Town’s operation in NE Portland – the brewpub and actual site where they brew their six flagship beers in addition to a number of limited batch seasonal brews.

By the way, due to the breadth of the story of Adam Milne and Old Town Brewing, it will be covered in two separate blog posts rather than the customary one narrative.

Adam Milne – young entreprenauer

The original, and now companion location is the well-known historic Old Town Pizza site. And the story is interesting and fulfills a dream – similar to those of the people mentioned above in their enterprises. Adam first visited Old Town Pizza when he was only nine years old. It was owned by the Accaurdi family who opened it in 1974.

“It was in the historic Merchant Hotel in Old Town and a hub for like-minded people with a radical agenda. It stood as a beacon for the local community; a place to break bread and enjoy your neighbor.” (Old Town Brewery web site)

That visit had an impact and demonstrates this young entrepreneur’s vision since he bought Old Town Pizza in 2003 when he was only in his early thirties – 33 to be exact.

He subsequently expanded to NE Portland on NE Martin Luther King Blvd in 2008, where he built the brewery and pub. Assistance came in the form of a low-interest loan from the Portland Development Commission in its effort to promote enterprise close-in NE Portland.

It now houses, in 6,000 square feet, an attractive and bustling brewpub in addition to their brewing hardware and canning/bottling equipment. Adam and his family live in the same neighborhood. This review will focus on the NE location rather than Old Town Pizza brewpub which is still located on Second and NW Davis Streets.

Those who view the story on the OTB website will see that the enterprise, since that time, has had two major expansions and thus may conclude that it’s been a smooth ride for this native of Marcola, Oregon, but that’s not the case. He graduated from Mohawk High School – with twenty-one other classmates in his senior class.

In 2003, to raise the capital to purchase Old Town Pizza, Adam mortgaged the equity in his home and sold a rental house to make the down payment. Only one month into the new venture, their primary refrigerator went out – they had no cash to replace it. He had to buy all new refrigeration and new pizza ovens. When I asked how they resolved, Adam chuckled and said, “I suppose that’s what credit cards are for!”

Attractive recovery from the 2012 fire in the second story

Then there was the fire upstairs at the NE brewpub in 2012, which resulted in closure of the pub for two to three months.

Many people are also familiar with Adam’s battle with the City of Portland over the Old Town Breweing trademark – the iconic “leaping white stag” – which was not only stressful, but the multi-year legal battle, resulted in significant attorney fees before OTB eventually prevailed and settled with the City.

Source of mult-year legal battle…

On both of my visits to OTB, I was accompanied by Carson Bowler, a partner at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt law firm and with whom I had the pleasure of working for a good portion of my 25 years at the firm.

Starting in 1990 and for four years, while at the U of O, Carson lived in the same fraternity – Sigma Nu – as Adam. Carson also bears a strong resemblance to former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, Art Vandely, President of Vandely Enterprises.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2014/01/31/beerchaser-of-the-month-art-vandelay/

Art Vandelay in his executive role has a different legal perspective…

This environmental attorney has enjoyed his friendship with Adam and stated:

“I’ve known Adam for more than twenty-five years. We were in the Sigma Nu house and his reputation then was that he was the nicest guy in the fraternity. Unfortunately, that reputation was accurate.

One could never lie to, or ‘borrow’ from or prank Adam without the everlasting worry that God, Himself would punish any such shenanigans with eternal damnation.

Adam always had one great idea too many until he didn’t and launched Old Town Brewing. It was in this enterprise that his ambition, good taste, generosity and entrepreneurial spirit blissfully collided to produce pure-love in a pint. Adam makes good beer because only good things come from Adam.”

We will get back to Adam in the second blog post, but first let’s talk about their quarters in NE Portland. The architect was another Sigma Nu at Oregon, Eric Aust, now practicing in Newport Beach, CA and who specializes in custom residential and commercial development.

https://www.austarchitect.com/old-town-pizza

He succeeded in making Old Town Brewing one of the most impressive and comfortable brewpubs I have visited in seven and one-half years of Beerchasing. Thebeerchaser is not conversant with technical design concepts and themes, but I know what I like and that was definitely the case with the environment at OTB.

While some of the new breweries and brewpubs in the Pearl are sleek and modern-industrial, the OTB building is rustic – large fireplaces, dark wood and a home-grown Northwest ambiance. And there are interesting historic photos as can be seen below.

For example, most of the wood in the two-story structure is reclaimed from an old tobacco warehouse in Kentucky. When we were touring,Adam stated, “You can still smell tobacco,” – (well, at least somebody without the sinus issues that plague me probably could….)

The round barrel tables are former sewing machine stands purchased from an antique store in nearby Aurora. The bar and backbar are very attractive and there are a variety of seating options.

Attractive bar

Okay, ambiance is nice, but what about the beer? OTB fares very well in that category which is evidenced by the extensive list of awards on their website dating back to 2013:

https://www.otbrewing.com/dock-sales

I will cover the beer in significantly more depth as well as the food and the trademark battle and show some of the pictures from my first visit – this time with two lawyers – the aforementioned Carson (not Washington) and his fellow lawyer in the Schwabe Natural Resources Group – Brien Flanagan, the Group Leader.

Bowler and Flannagan

Old Town Brewing 5201 NE Martin Luther King Blvd

Thebeerchaser

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Tag Archives: Carson Bowler attorney

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Head Downtown to Old Town (Pizza and Brewing)

Old Town Brewing – Part II

New Energy and Ideas at Old Town Brewing