Ratebeer.com | 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:

“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 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)