Holman’s for History

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Thebeerchaser

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

In a recent post, I used the term “bar revivalists” to describe the Three-on-a-Match Bar Group which totally refurbished the wonderful Holy Ghost Bar after the ignominious 2017 termination of the Pub at the End of the Universe in the same location.

And that group under the leadership of Ezra Ace Caraeff has done an outstanding job resurrecting, if you will, four other Portland dives: The Old Gold, Paydirt, Tough Luck and Hi-Top Tavern.

That said, the Match Group doesn’t match the premier Portland bar revivalists – Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambeault (hereafter B & A), whose efforts have breathed new life into numerous Portland watering holes and which I’ve loved reviewing.

They include the Vern, the Double Barrel, the Sandy Jug, the Bantam Tavern, the Alibi, the Lay Low Tavern, the Elvis Room, Gold Dust Meridian and the infamous Sandy Hut (known to regulars as the “Handy Slut”). You can read Beerchaser reviews on the ones above with the blue links. (Marcus Archambeault confirmed that they no longer operate the Bantam.)

Most of these would be just a memory if it were not for this entrepreneurial pair. The photos below might beckon you and they are all gems. Gold Dust Meridian was a little bland on the exterior, but the artwork, amazing cocktails and outstanding happy hour were a great combination.

Thanks to their foresight and capital the “Slut” celebrated its 100th birthday in August 2023 with a block party including a mechanical bull and purple gorilla. May the taps continue to flow at the Sandy Hut for another 100 years!

Oh the History

Holman’s rich history permeates the expansive quarters and imbues it with great character. As described in an excerpt from their website and a news article:

“Welcome to Holman’s where good food has been served for more than 80 years. Originally a small lunch counter, legend says that during Prohibition was a bootlegger’s saloon. Then, after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, it became the “Hello Inn”.

“Holman’s was first opened by the family behind the Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard funeral home of the same name way back in 1933. Oregon Live 4/21/23 (#1)

The Hello Inn

Now if it weren’t for the bar entrepreneurs (B & A) Holman’s might have met the same fate as many other Portland bars and restaurants after it closed when the pandemic hit.

Rather than a permanent closure, however, a refurbished Holman’s reopened on July 31, 2023, after a three-year closure. The establishment even has its own Wikipedia page.

The categories below will tell you why after three visits checking it out, I would suggest Boothby and Archambeault have scored again.

The Staff

Ordering of both food and drinks at Holman’s is done at the bar, so during rush times, the bartenders can be a bit harried, but my experience at lunch and mid-afternoon echoes this 11/24 Yelp review:

“Fun atmosphere and the staff/service is outstanding. some of the nicest and best bartenders in the whole dang town.”

Both Zoe and Adam, when I presented my blog card and asked them a slew of questions, were friendly and helpful.

The Story

As I’ve related in numerous posts, I love bars and breweries housed in buildings with a history – previous other uses and expansion from the original space. Part of the charm of this watering hole is the partitioning into different sections – each with its own history and ambiance – from the bar itself to the lunchroom, to the game room, to the patio.

Bill and Judy Chase, the owners for many years before the transition in 2023, state on the website:

“When we bought Holman’s in the 70’s, seating was limited to less than a dozen people. Through the years we have expanded by adding the North Dining Room (formerly a part of a Rexall Drug Store), the Game Room (formerly a bicycle and lawnmower repair shop), and our Garden Patio (which was converted from an old used appliance graveyard).”

And where else in Portland (or any city) will you see a mural of the Last Supper in the lone bathroom for the bar – with minimal damage from graffiti.

The Museum Effect

A trip to Holman’s is tantamount to a museum visit. Of course, there is some of the typical dive-bar bric-a-bric which always enhances the environment, but the stuff on the walls at Holman’s transcends that. I would love (when I had about two days) to quiz the owners on the origin of each piece.

Take these two examples of great bars which are now gone, but their legacy, preserved in part at Holman’s will continue their place in the legacy of Portland bar annals. First, the Club 21 (formerly owned by B & A) which was housed in a former orthodox church closed on January 15, 2017.

In spite of the name – not a strip club – just a great dive bar.

One can see the historic Club 21 sign in the game room at Holman’s as well as a number of the mounted wildlife trophies and orthodox church icons which grace the walls. Evidently, some of it is also at the Lay Low Tavern.

I think the old-fashioned pinball machines, now in the game room, as well as picture with the pup eating the clam chowder, may have also emanated from the demise of Club 21.

But two even more dramatic examples came from a wonderful family bar named Sloans Tavern. Sloan’s closed in December, 2022.

Take a look below at the cab of the Freightliner Truck, once at Sloans, (left photo below) which is now on the south exterior wall at Holman’s along with the sign and the original awning. It may be one of the only such displays in the country. From the 2015 Beerchaser review:

“The bar was opened by Bob Sloan and his wife, Shirley in 1979. The Sloans owned and operated a custom auto body and paint shop next door – started in 1954 and still operating – they specialized in Freightliner trucks.

As evidenced by the amazing pictures in the bar, Bob Sloan also did skilled body and restorative work on classic autos. When a café next door to the body shop run by an elderly lady closed, they bought the property and opened the bar. (The entire property was originally a creamery that opened in 1926.)

And in what was described in 2012 by Willamette Week as:

“….the best juke box in Portland… you can watch a Chicago Coin’s Animatronic Big Band Box go into action while one of your favorite oldies is played. It’s one of about ten still working in the US and was manufactured in the 1950’s. As described in the “WW 2008 Bar Guide”

“The true gem of the place is the jukebox—an ancient machine, it’s capped with a glass dome containing a miniature (eight-piece) plastic band (and singer) that moves in time to the music (mostly oldies).” (2008 Willamette Week Bar Guide)

While it may not still work and be synched with the juke box, the classic animatronic band at least is preserved at Holman’s.

Preserved from the ’50’s

“Both businesses (tavern and auto shop) closed for good Dec. 30 following Sloan’s sale of the property to developers—they plan to build a seven-story apartment building on the land, and (Shirley) Sloan will settle into a well-earned retirement.” Willamette Week 1/3/22

One of the treats of frequenting an historic dive is also the old beer signs and Holman’s does not disappoint.

Old Guys at Home in an Old Bar

A favorite Beerchasing group of mine comprises seven male friends I’ve known for years. We first connected as a group in 2023 at the Basement Pub and then a year later at the renovated Sandy Jug (formerly a strip club called Pirates’ Cove).

It seemed appropriate to convene at Holman’s even though none of the group was alive and kicking in 1933 although we’re all at least still breathing in 2025.

At Holman’s in mid-January, two of the group (both retired lawyers) were traveling, but we there were still three attorneys in our group in mid-January. One of the group, Dr. Doug Walta is a retired physician.

Wanting to make my late ninth-grade algebra teacher (Don Gribble) proud, I figured the equation was balanced as one physician is the equivalent of three lawyers.

Another repeat attender was Tom Kelly, who serves as a role model for all of us based on his long career as the President of the Neil Kelly Company and his years of service in public and non-profit causes. Jim Westwood and John Kelly were also there.

A new addition to our group, who I invited after only recently meeting him, was another retired lawyer – Doug Blomgren, who after graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, had a distinguished legal career in the areas of tax, real estate, construction and development and litigation.

For many years in the Midwest and then in Portland, he represented for-profit and non-profit housing developers and housing authorities. Doug was also immersed for years in the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPS) litigation when he worked for the Department of Justice.

The main requirement for admittance to this group, however, is a robust (and perhaps cynical) sense of humor and you can see from the photo below (he’s on the left), the initial reaction was positive.

The caption for the photo above should be “organ recital.” That’s because given our collective longevity, the first thirty minutes is spent updating each other on health and anatomical issues.

When I returned to Holman’s, it was for lunch with one of my favorite people (okay, he’s also a lawyer) who’s a former Intellectual Property partner at the Schwabe firm and now works as an Assistant County Counsel for Washington County.

John Mansfied has Beerchased at numerous public houses ranging from the aforementioned Sandy Hut, to the Slammer, Mock Crest Tavern and the Tabor Tavern (right photo below)

John had a French dip and I had a chicken sandwich. They were okay, but not the highlight of my visits and a bit spendy. although the free parking in their lot mitigated it. That said, I plan to return for one of their excellent breakfasts.

Holman’s has created a community and has live music every Thursday, its patio is always filled to capacity during the good weather and some holdovers from when the Crane’s owned it such as Bloody Mary Sunday’s, a Whiskey Club and the “Holman’s famous ‘Meal Wheel’ ….After enjoying your meal, just give the wheel a spin and if you match up the two Red Arrows… your food is FREE!”

One issue that seems incongruous given the business acumen of B & A, is why the Holman’s website is out-of-date and has some erroneous information – most notably operating hours – which are noon to 2:30 AM on weekdays and 10 to 2:30 on weekends. It’s posted by their front door, but wrong on the website. Their Facebook page is also not very current.

Given how many I still have to explore, Holman’s is one of the few bars to which I will keep returning – if only to say hello to Adam and Zoe and Adam. It’s a Portland treasure. (#2)

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Holman’s Bar and Grill Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=670812105094710&set=a.454208363421753).

#2. Holman’s Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=718330103676243&set=pb.100064977793901.-2207520000).

Summer Simmers III

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

From Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic National Park

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.)

In my first “episode” of “Summer Simmers” I stated that I was going to end some future posts with three items from my vast collection – bar jokes, lawyer jokes and quotations. Well this one ends with a combined “story” of each of these three elements.

It’s courtesy of my friend of more than fifty years, attorney Mark O’Donnell, who is one of the best business, land-use and real estate lawyers in the state. His robust practice also includes legal work for non-profit organizations. Besides his skill as a lawyer, Mark is also a wonderful human being.

He’s a guy who shows compassion, a dry and sophisticated sense of humor and an ethic which involves helping others on a daily basis. (I realize that these traits apply to most attorneys….) (#1)

Attorney Mark O’Donnell

In 2013, he received the Sam Wheeler Foundation Freedom Award for his commitment to AA and his work in the community:

“Mark is an inspiration for many, and the support of his friends, family, and colleagues at the event made it clear that he has made an impact in our community,”

In September 2018, the Northwest Pilot Project presented him with the Agency Impact Award to commemorate his service to the organization, which provides affordable housing to seniors in Multnomah County:

O’Donnell’s commitment has prevented 450 low-income seniors from becoming homeless.” …He also partners with SE Works, De Paul Treatment Centers and other organizations that serve at-risk kids and low-income seniors.”

Stay tuned below for the closing story, but first some quick news about two watering holes:

Sasquatch Brewing – Since the pandemic, I’ve chronicled bar and brewery closures although trying to stay positive and letting you know of some openings such as Crux Fermentation’s SE Portland Pub and a pair of small Oregon Brewery Success Stories (The Benedictine Brewery and Beachcrest Brewing).

Remembering a great Beerchasing visit in 2013

Since I covered Sasquatch in 2013 – about two years after it opened “Sasquatch Brewery – Anything but Abominable!”, I was saddened to see the Oregon Live headline last November:

“Sasquatch Brewing to shut down brewery, cidermaking operations, keep SW Portland pub”

It was a great little pub and brewery in SW Portland and I enjoyed a beer with my friend, David Kish, who had a distinguished career in public service both for the State of Oregon and the City of Portland including serving as Portland’s Director of General Services under legendary Mayor Bud Clark.

David Kish – a distinguished career in public service

And Sasquatch has a great story:

“In 2012 (Tom) Sims – former weld-grinder, former beeper salesman, soon-to-be former homebrewer – opened Sasquatch Brewing, and the brewpub quickly caught on in the Hillsdale neighborhood.

It proved to be such a hit that in 2017 Sasquatch’s owners opened a second pub, returning to Sims’ roots in Northwest Portland, where the co-founder had years earlier plied his trade.” (Oregon Live)

David and I talked to Tom, a fellow Oregon State grad (David graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst) and based on his initial success, he had plans to expand – these came to fruition.

After the closure news late last year, I was then happy to see just a couple of months later, Willamette Week’s story:

“Sasquatch Brewing Will Start Producing Beer Again at Its Hillsdale Flagship.”

Experienced brewer, Nick Scandurro, plans to be “…brewing in Hillsdale this fall and have at least 12 in-house beers by spring 2024.”

Tom Sims made heroic efforts, but the pandemic, cost of materials and related issues made it impossible to continue. I hope he continues brewing in some capacity.

The Sandy Hut – A Portland dive icon that I visited in the early days of my Beerchasing journey – epitomized why I started this retirement pursuit.

Known by regulars as “The Handy Slut”, this excerpt from “Willamette Week’s 2008 Bar Guide” (that was three years before I started Beerchasing) will convey why it’s so well loved:

A classic resource for Thebeerchaser from 2008

2008 – “The Handy Slut, as regulars and the bar’s merchandise call it, is a lurid, windowless utopia. It looks like it once housed the Rat Pack—and hasn’t cleaned since the party ended.

The drinks pack enough alcohol to fuel a racecar, and often mere eye contact constitutes consent. The east side loves you, Sandy—you dirty little slut.”

My first foray was in 2014 with one of my favorite attorneys and frequent Beerchasing companion, John Mansfield. John has never been shy about having his photo appear in this blog and the second photo shows him with Kevin, a friendly regular we sat next to at the bar.

He welcomed us and stated he has frequented the bar since 1979 when he moved from Phoenix.

JM in front of the iconic Al Hirschfield exterior

I was thus very concerned about the rumor shortly afterwards that The Slut was going to be demolished and become a high-rise condo.

It was purchased in 2012 by two of Portland’s dive bar saviors, Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambault. And as with their other acquisitions, they went to work

” And in 2018 restored an Al Hirschfield mural of celebrity caricatures, uncovered a glass brick wall by the old entrance and improved the food and drink menu with recipes nodding to the establishment’s Mid-Century glory days, when it was known as The Wolf’s Den.” (Oregon Live 7/18/23)

And as it celebrated it century year in August, does it still have a community following? Well, take a look at the photo below and the description of the event and it’s obvious:

“I’m so in love with this portland community. thank you so much for supporting sandy hut and helping to make portland a great place to live. no arguments, no fights. just 2000 folks showing up to have fun, rock out, and be present. thank you to the vendors, staff, and food carts that made this event a success! ….we love you all!” (#3)

370437164_857649625875497_4447498946348435004_n

And as Promised Above – The Story and Mark O’Donnell

Mark, being a compassionate guy and believing in contrition has forgiven me for my letter after I first met him in 1979 when I worked for the Clackamas County Commissioners in Oregon City.

He was appearing before the Board on behalf of a client who needed a conditional use permit for a mobile home on an expansive rural property. (At that time, they were labeled “house trailers.”)

Fortunately, I had worked with a number of lawyers in the DA’s Office who were were known for their well-honed cynical, sarcastic senses of humor. I speculated, with some risk, that Mark might share this same trait.

So with an elevated attitude of righteous indignation, I sent him a letter castigating him for trying to turn the park across from my Mom’s residence and most of my Oregon home town into a massive trailer park. (#2)

Mark responded, in kind, and this started a long-term friendship where we debated everything from religion to politics to land-use planning at periodic lunches.

Our relationship was characterized by letters and e-mails that many (most notably the secretaries who opened my mail) would view as acrimonious. All of these missives are still in my collection of “treasured” documents and I’ve included a few examples below.

In a letter to me dated 2/21/1979 to the Local Government Personnel Institute (my then employer) he again referenced my “concern” about my mom’s residence, he stated:

“(Your mom) called us bleeding liberals and said she agreed with every policy decision of her “former” son. (In the preceding paragraph, he asserted that Mom disclaimed ever having a son.) I then apologized for my single issue approach and we had a nice talk.

In the course of leaving the premises, she mentioned to me that while she always agreed with your great plans for our society such as clean air, transit malls, snow-capped mountains, clean water, mediocre schools, demise of the family unit, open space and farmland, she did miss the feeling of self-respect, dignity and independence.”

When I started work as the Business Manager at the Oregon State Bar, he did not disappoint me as you can see by the address on the envelope below:

Capture

Of course, Mark wanted to raise the standard higher and got one of his firm’s associate attorneys involved. I knew Martha Hicks from her work as a Deputy DA in Clackamas County when I worked for the County Commissioners. (Ironically, she now works as an Assistant Disciplinary Counsel at the Oregon State Bar!)

In a letter dated 8/7/1979, Martha wrote, in part:

“Attorney Mark O’ Donnell has forwarded to me your letter. He has also explained to me in detail your views on land use planning, government expenditures, tax relief and continuing support for elitist goals.

I have explained to Mr. O’Donnell your ‘spoon-in-mouth’ childhood, education and employment patterns. I have also admitted to Mr. O’Donnell that this does not excuse you, but that he should show more compassion and appreciation for your views.

I suggest you consider the following:

‘From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.'” (#3)

The first time I received a letter quoting Karl Marx

This initial series of letters culminated with Mark’s correspondence to me dated 7/11/1979. It was in response to a check I sent him for $1.07 for “legal services in kind.” The final paragraph in his letter stated:

“The El Gazebo Saloon has the finest super nachos that I’ve ever tasted. Please call me so that we may discuss these important matters over a plate of super nachos and large amounts of beer.”

He enclosed the following correspondence to Ms. Sharon Imholt, the Proprietor of the El Gazebo:

When we met for super nachos and mugs of beer, Mark gave me credit for $1.07 and paid the remainder of the bill. The El Gazebo went out of business long ago and has been resurrected several times since.

The structure that houses the bar has a long history as you can see by the photo below. It’s ignominious history may have come to a halt, however.

It became known as the Route 99 Roadhouse and closed temporarily in February 2021, when the Oregon Liquor Control Commission suspended its license for COVID violations:

“Per Gov. Kate Brown’s guidance, restaurants in ‘extreme risk’ counties cannot allow any form of indoor dining; in addition, all counties in Oregon must wear face coverings and follow social distancing guidelines when in restaurants or bars.

“The OLCC says it had reached out the bar before the in-person visit with educational information about the state’s safety protocols. According to the OLCC, inspectors who visited the bar for the follow-up evaluation found Route 99 packed with customers and staff, many of whom were maskless inside the bar.” (PDX Eater 2/5/21) (#4 – #5)

A watering hole with a long history including a meeting over super nachos and beer

It reopened, but the last Facebook post was in December 2021 indicating it was closing for good and the listed telephone number has been disconnected.

Objectively speaking, the above letters may appear like a foolish waste of time by two guys who don’t have enough to do, but they started a friendship that has endured for decades and transcends trite banter.

Mark followed our last lunch two weeks ago by sending me a booklet with David Foster Wallace’s essay:

“This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life.”

Wallace was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and university professor of English and creative writing who died by suicide at the age of forty-six in 2008.

The text originated from a commencement speech Wallace gave at Kenyon College on May 21, 2005.

“The speech covers subjects including the difficulty of empathy, the unimportance of being well-adjusted, and the apparent lonesomeness of adult life. It suggests that the overall purpose of higher education is to learn to consciously choose how to perceive others, think about meaning, and act appropriately in everyday life.

Wallace argues that the true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be fully conscious and sympathetic.” (Wikipedia) (#5)

The essay was controversial, as was its author, but received great acclaim. I could write another post on both of these, but I want to finish with my favorite part of the work below, and as I promised, it involves a bar!

“Here’s another didactic little story. There are these two guys sitting together in a bar in the remote Alaskan wilderness. One of the guys is religious, the other is an atheist, and the two are arguing about the existence of God with that special intensity that comes after about the fourth beer.

And the atheist says: ‘Look, it’s not like I don’t have actual reasons for not believing in God. It’s not like I haven’t ever experimented with the whole God and prayer thing. Just last month I got caught away from the camp in that terrible blizzard, and I was totally lost and I couldn’t see a thing, and it was 50 below, and so I tried it: I fell to my knees in the snow and cried out ‘Oh, God, if there is a God, I’m lost in this blizzard, and I’m gonna die if you don’t help me.’

And now, in the bar, the religious guy looks at the atheist all puzzled. ‘Well then you must believe now,’ he says, ‘After all, here you are, alive.’ The atheist just rolls his eyes. ‘No, man, all that was a couple Eskimos happened to come wandering by and showed me the way back to camp.'”

And In Conclusion

Cheers to Mark O’ Donnell and as he would advise you:

“Keep your eyes out for those Eskimos!” (#6 – #7)

External Photo Attribution

#1.O’ Donnell Law Firm LLC Website (https://www.odlf.net/about-us/professional-team/attorneys/mark-odonnell/)

#2. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buggenhoutse_woonwagen.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Milliped – 29 June 2022.

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx#/media/File:Karl_Marx_001.jpg) The author died in 1901, so 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. Source: International Institute of Social History – Date: before 24th August 1875.

#4. Route 99 E Roadhouse (https://www.facebook.com/route99roadhouse)

#5. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace#/media/File:David_Foster_Wallace.jpg) By Steve Rhodes – originally posted to Flickr as David Foster Wallace, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4788606.

#6. Mark.jpg (715×1016) (portlandsocietypage.com) Freedom Award honoree Mark O’Donnell Archives – Portland Society Page

#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_with_the_Esquimaux_-_1864_-_Volume_2_page_224.jpg) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Author: Charles Francis Hall – 1864.

Beerchaser Miscellany – Five Years of Thebeerchaser

Posted on July 28, 2016 by Thebeerchaser

The first bar on Thebeerchaser Tour in August, 2011

The Bars in Portland

Measuring Up Against a Standard

My retirement hobby – Thebeerchaser Tour of Bars, Taverns and Pubs started in August 2011. The original intent was to restrict my visits and review of watering holes to Portland venues (after all, there are over 750 establishments and more breweries per capita than any other city in the world) but retirement travel opened new options.

Thebeerchaser with Janet – a supportive spouse…..

The hobby is successful, in part, because of my wonderful and supportive spouse, Janet, especially when we have traveled. Posts on Thebeerchaser include saloons in Europe, Alaska and Hawaii and many other states within the Continental US and, of course, some great bars in Central and Eastern Oregon plus those on the Oregon Coast.

After five years, the count of Portland bars is 78 and those outside of Portland number 97 for a grand total of 175.

An invaluable Beerchaser resource – the Annual Willamette Week Bar Guide

The annual Willamette Week Bar Guide has been an invaluable resource and to demonstrate the potential future grist for this blog, I have compared the Portland venues in the 2016 WW Bar Guide to those I have reviewed in the last five years. Keep in mind that each review requires at least two visits in addition to my on-line research before the blog posts (150 to this point) are published.

The 2016 Bar Guide has brief descriptions of the reporters’ 167 favorite Portland bars. I adjusted downward to eliminate strip clubs, wine and cider bars, and restaurants that have bars such as Higgins – none of which I include when I select bars (exceptions were made for two of the McMenamin establishments with historic bars – the White Eagle Saloon and the St. John’s Pub and the memorable Buffalo Gap Saloon) Thus, the 2016 net figure of potential Beerchaser options in the Bar Guide was 135.

Exception made to recognize historic establishments

Of the 78 Portland area bars I have reviewed, there are very few I did not like or wouldn’t recommend e.g. The Yardhouse in Pioneer Place (for a host of reasons, it didn’t ‘measure up….”) and the Pearl District’s Low Brow Lounge, which had a surly staff. Yet only 57.7% of my bars made the Willamette Week list.

The Yard House – Ambiance of an Olive Garden……

Perhaps I need to accelerate my visits in the second five years. It is obvious that there are still plenty of opportunities for Beerchasing without return visits to those seen from 2011 to 2016!

To see the list of bars featured both in Portland and outside the Rose City, check out the tab entitled “List of Bars” in the header at the top of this page. There is one post for bars outside of Portland and another for those in the Portland metro area.

Are Dive Bars Disappearing?

In an April 15, 2016 article in the Seattle Times, reporter, Bob Young, asserts: “Seattle’s dive bars are becoming an endangered species.” He justifies his premise by citing the fact that, “Thirty-one of the 100 in Mike Seely’s ‘Seattle’s Best Dive Bars’ have shuttered since the book’s 2009 publication.”

Some have expressed the same sentiment about Portland. For example, a December 2014 article in Willamette Week entitled, “Closing Time” with a subheading, “2014 Was Barmageddon in Portland.” The article maintained that the closing of the historic bars such as Slab Town, Tiga, the Matador and others is the “canary in the coal mine.” It quoted one bartender as stating, “Every good bar, everything you see is going under. Everything is going straight to shi%#.”

Slabtown – gone but not forgotten….

The Portland Mercury also did an article on March 9, 2016 entitled “The Portland Dive Bar Preservation Society.” on the same theme and summarized brilliantly with this excerpt:

“Portland’s lost a bunch of dive bars recently. A few were absolute shitholes that deserved to disappear, but most were victims of circumstance and change. A number of other bars have changed ownership and been fancied up to suit the modern market. Dive bars, if not endangered, are at the very least under threat.”

The article lists thirty-eight bar 2014 closures including institutions such as Slab Town, the Grand Café (Frank Peters’ former establishment), the East Bank Saloon, Tiga, Pal’s Shanty and the Matador. Although it was more of a restaurant than a bar, the picture below shows what is left of the long-term establishment the Macadam Bar and Grill which closed last year and was razed last week.

The Grand Café is gone but back as Pour Sports Bar

(I mention this one only because it used to be a Mazzi’s Restaurant and my wife and I went there for our first dinner date in 1979!)

Macadam Bar and Grill – the remnants…..

However, I would suggest that the concern is not as dire as it appears. In Portland, we are fortunate to have entrepreneur’s such as Marcus Archambault and Warren Boothby who have totally renovated the historic Sandy Hut (or Handy Slut if you are a regular) and the Double Barrel.

There was concern that the wonderful Skyline Tavern would be razed and replaced by condos, but fortunately the owner invested additional capital and it was Willamette Week’s 2016 Bar of the Year.

Produce Row closed for about a year, but reopened and is thriving in the Eastside Industrial District. Joe’s Cellar, one of my favorite NW dive bars, closed and like the proverbial Phoenix, rose again the next year and is pumping out draft PBRs like there is no tomorrow. Both the Grand Café and Eastbank Saloon reopened as new bars (Pour Sports and the Bit House Saloon, respectively.)

New Copper Penny will turn into apartments….

But consider the recent loss of the venerable New Copper Penny in Lents, which after many years is closing as part of the Portland Development Commission’s ambitious goal to make Lents into a thriving mixed-use community.

New Copper Penny – history goes to auction

What can you do? Continue to patronize the many establishments which are truly bars and avoid the “fashionable” trend to get a beer at Starbucks or retail establishments ranging from ski shops to bicycle stores which put in a tap or two and attempt to reinvent themselves as a watering hole —-They’re Not!

Similarly, if you fly on one of the airlines now offering microbrews such as Virgin America (San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery) Delta (Sam Adams) or Southwest (New Belgium’s Fat Tire) and have a beer, you don’t have to tell your spouse that you stopped at a bar on your way home.

Not to be considered a dive bar or a pub……

That said, don’t make the mistake of one Luke Thomas Watts (27) who on an Alaska Airlines flight from Sacramento to Seattle, locked himself in the bathroom and threatened to become violent if the flight attendants did not serve him a beer. The plane landed in Portland and Luke was removed. He was indicted and went to trial in July!) http://koin.com/2016/05/11/feds-man-locks-himself-in-airplane-bathroom-after-he-wasnt-served-alcohol/

These Brews Made the Cut….

While this blog, notwithstanding the name, is primarily about bars rather than trying to articulate the subtle taste differences between the hundreds of IPAs or analyze how hoppy a microbrew with an IBU (international bittering unit) of 60 is compared to a similar beer ten units lower, I do periodically mention beers.

Ryan popped the question – and a bottle of champagne at the summit of the South Sister in 2015

My youngest daughter, Laura, and her fiancé’, Ryan Keene, are tying the knot on September 17th at Vista Hills Winery, right outside of Dundee. (My suggestion that the reception be held at one of my favorite Dundee dives – Lumpy’s Landing – was understandably rejected.)

Rejected as wedding reception site….

While Vista Hills has wonderful wine, there will be a few canned beers available and some family members recently got together for dinner and a blind tasting test to determine which brews would be offered during that celebration. We tasted about ten beers that night and the following made the cut:

Oakshire Watershed IPA Worthy Easy-Day Kolsch Good Life Sweet As Pacific Ale

There will also be one cider – that being Portland Cider Co.’s “Hop’rageous.”

The tasting group and Wesley – making critical wedding decisions!

I told Ryan that his favorite professor at the University of Portland (where both of them graduated), Dr. Sam Holloway would be pleased since he sits on the Board of Eugene’s Oakshire Brewery. Sam is also an internationally known expert on the business of brewing as documented when he was named Beerchaser of the Quarter for this blog – see link)

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What Would George Washington Think?

Thebeerchaser generally stays away from politics although the 2016 election cycle has made that more difficult. Suffice to say that because of Beerchasing in Europe, at least unlike the Republican Presidential Nominee, I know that Belgium is a country and not “a beautiful city…..“

But regardless of how tiresome the political rhetoric becomes, nothing will irritate me more than the opinion piece in Oregon Live on 2/26/16 written by the Executive Directors of the Oregon Student Association and the Bus Project entitled, “Buying Postage is a Burden for Many Would-be Voters.” (click on link to see the narrative)

Mario Parker-Milligan and Nikki Fisher, in their youthful wisdom and with righteous indignity, assert that voting by mail, “……assumes ample free time and a drawer full of stamps to get that ballot turned in….But there is a real – sometimes prohibitive (emphasis supplied) cost getting to a post office during regular business hours….the last thing you should have to do is sacrifice needed income or time with your children to vote.”

Well Mario and Nikki, Thebeerchaser also doesn’t accept the premise that this situation is tantamount to a poll tax and suggests that rather than having urged the 2016 Oregon Legislature to enact Senate Bill 1586 to provide return postage for your ballots, that you just take your completed ballot and WALK to your nearest library or City Hall where you can return it without charge.

Washington_Crossing_the_Delaware_by_Emanuel_Leutze,_MMA-NYC,_1851

Washington crossing the Delaware. They were concerned about a Stamp Act far more significant than Senate Bill 1586!

And while you are in the Library, you might want to check out a book (it’s free unless you don’t have time to return it before the due date) and read about the sacrifices that George Washington and his Revolutionary Army made when they were fighting the British from 1775 – 1783. I’m not sure they would have agreed with you on the definition of “burden.”

(It appears that SB 1586 was enacted on 4/4/2016 with an emergency clause, although according to the Secretary of State’s Election Division, the provision for postage was deleted from the final bill.) Since the financial impact was estimated at $1.2 million annually if every registered voter took advantage (would obviously not be the case) that is fortunate. Perhaps these funds can be diverted to civics education in the high schools!

And Finally Since we are Talking About Elections….

Thebeerchaser’s first full-time job in 1974 after naval service was as a clerk in the Clackamas County Elections Department, where we administered and conducted both the Primary and General elections in addition to numerous school and special district elections for bond issues, levies and board-of-director contests.

Although Mario and Nikki would be appalled at how onerous the burden, that was before Vote-by-Mail and each voter, unless they cast an absentee ballot, would vote at one of the approximately 120 polling places throughout the county.

Obsolete in Oregon, but not in many states

Each location was staffed from 8:00 AM until 8:00 PM by four very dedicated and hardworking poll workers and one lead person who collectively reviewed the voter’s eligibility, had them sign the poll book and handed them the appropriate ballot.

They were generally retired ladies who worked for less than minimum wage and these great citizens were also responsible for ballot security since they returned the ballots and supplies to the Data Center in Oregon City after the polls closed.

Poll workers in an election polling location

In reviewing (and recycling based on the mandate by my spouse to “get rid of some of those outdated and unnecessary documents you have in multiple file cabinets in our garage,”) I came across one that also showed how conscientious these ladies were.

The letter below was written by Alta Bluhm, lead poll worker, at Clackamas High School during the Special School District Election on July 27, 1976 and signed by her co-workers: Dora Burnwalt, Priscilla Coffa, Barbara Aldrich and Betty Jo Partridge:

“Opal L. Johnson (not her real name) entered Clackamas High School, became antagonistic toward the board, signed poll book #1409, looked through poll book, received ballot #73, asked how to vote but was told we didn’t give out that information. She hesitated a minute and then tried to leave building with (the) ballot in hand.

Our fourth clerk tried to stop her from taking the ballot from the building. Opal Johnson then attacked her by striking her with her purse and transistor radio. Ballot was retrieved and marked spoiled or void.”

I have a feeling that George Washington and other Founding Fathers would be justifiably proud of these five ladies and perhaps even Mario and Nikki would also share that sentiment….

Cheers – a Moretti at the Devil’s Forest Pub in Venice in 2012

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