The Left Bank Building on Portland’s east side won’t immediately jump out at you as the Upright Brewing location. This old, historic building near the Broadway bridge is an example of how older buildings have been re-purposed for multi-use tenants of all varieties. From a brewery, to a coffee shop, to offices and more, Portland is making use of its past. Upon entering, you’ll find a small chalkboard sign directing you to take the stairs to the brewery. Despite the sign, it’s not immediately obvious where to go. In fact, the first time I went to the Left Bank Building, it took me a few laps of walking around the main level to find the stairs. Once discovered, I wandered uneasily down the hallway into a dark basement, the smell of hops just barely entering my nose.
And then suddenly, at the end of a long hallway, you’ll find it. With casks and tanks lining the walls, the space looks much more like an underground storage cellar than a working brewery and taproom; this is Upright Brewing.
Not only is their location incredibly unique, but their style of beer matches their unconventional space. Alex Ganum, owner at Upright Brewing, started homebrewing shortly after moving to Portland in 2002.
“I founded Upright and have been head brewer since day one [in 2009], working alongside three of the best guys around: Bobby Birk, Gerritt Ill, and Brent Small.”
Together, they employ an open fermentation style of brewing, which means the fermentor has an open top to allow airborne yeast to flavor their beers. The open fermentation system gives each of their beers an individual, unique taste, and is quickly becoming a popular method of fermentation nationwide.
Beer like Jazz
The uniqueness of the beers at Upright Brewing is illustrated in their name. Upright is a shout out to Jazz musician and band leader, Charles Mingus, and his instrument of choice, the upright bass. Mingus had an improvisational style, but was fully aware of the contributions of each band member. This philosophy resonates with the guys at Upright Brewing, and is something they try to embody in their approach to beer.
When I spoke with Bobby Birk one day in the tap room, he told me they have a really different approach to the way they create beer. While many breweries have one head brewer, all three of the guys at Upright brew. And while Ganum often comes up with the ideas, it’s a highly collaborative process.
“I love when our beers reflect our process, you can almost taste the [differences] in our beer. We’re very organic in that way.”
About the Beer
Upright Brewing focuses on the Farmhouse/Saison style of beer. This style is a bit subjective, but according to Phil Markowski in the book Farmhouse Ales,
“[Farmhouse] refers to a style of beer in Northern France and Belgium. The term “farmhouse ales” conjures up romantic images of simple country beers brewed on self-sufficient farms as a matter of necessity…the term generally denotes two basic style groups: wallonian saison and French bie´re de garde.”
Much could be written about farmhouse ales, but think of them as a style of beer originally brewed in the winter months to be consumed in the summer. Birk told me that this changes how the yeast responds to other ingredients because of the cold temperatures. “For us, it’s more about the flavors and using seasonal ingredients. Others may say it has to do with the communal style, or family environment.” At Upright Brewing, they are highly connected to the changing seasons, and use seasonal ingredients for all of their beers.
At the moment, they have nine beers on tap, which changes often (we’re not 100% sure what will be on tap on October 22). One interesting beer called “Jeju Gose” contains two kilos of dry tangerines from Jeju Island, and is a collaboration with Pongdand Sour Works in South Korea. “Southeast Asia is crazy about Portland Craft Beer,” says Birk. (To be fair, who isn’t crazy about Portland craft beer?) They sent nearly all of the Jeju Gose over to South Korea, and only have one keg left (get your hands on it if you can!).
I asked Ganum which beers are their most popular, but since they rotate so much, it’s kind of a hard question to answer. “In the tasting room, for mainstays, we have a new IPA called Supercool that’s being received well, a German-style pilsener named Engelberg, and a sour cherry wheat beer named Four Play.” I’m a big fan of the Four Play, though be warned, it’s sour!
“We hope to have a one-off Bavarian style Hefe ready in time for the 5k run. We replaced the wheat in the recipe with a blend of triticale and rye; it should be fantastic! Classic weisse beers are openly fermented, the method we use here, plus it’s a refreshing beer that should be especially appropriate for a morning of exercise.”
Outside of the taproom, you can get Upright Brewing beers at specialty beer shops throughout Portland, and occasionally at specialty grocers like New Seasons and Zupans.
About The 5K Run on October 22, 2016
We have the pleasure to partner with Upright Brewing for our 5K run on Saturday, October 22nd, 2016. We want to emphasize that our runs aren’t traditional “races”. You will not be timed (at least not by us), you’ll be running on an open course, and there are no medals at the finish. The run, however, will be super fun!
The Upright Brewing run will start at the brewery, loop around the building, then head west over the Broadway bridge. Runners will turn right onto [street name], then another right on Naito Parkway, followed by a quick left onto the West Bank Esplanade. We will run all the way down to the Steel Bridge, wind back around through the Moda Center, then head up Broadway Avenue and back to Upright.
Upright Brewing 5k course route. Subject to change.
Because we’ll be on parts of the popular waterfront loop, we won’t need to worry too much about traffic. Crossing Broadway Avenue onto the bridge, and again crossing Naito Parkway, are the two main spots where we’ll need to be mindful of traffic. Unlike some of our other runs, we won’t be running through any residential areas (unless you count the two blocks of condos along the river). There is very little elevation gain, making this a fantastic route for newer runners. Jogging strollers are welcome, but may be tricky to bring into the brewery since it’s a bit tight on space.
Race Day Details
The 5K FUN RUN starts at 11:00 a.m., but please arrive by 10:30 a.m. to check-in. They ONLY take cash, so bring extra if you plan to buy multiple beers after your free one from us! They also have cash only snacks from Grain and Gristle and Old Salt Marketplace (two awesome Portland restaurants). We’re also working on a food truck option, so stay tuned.
All runners will receive one complimentary beer with registration, and may purchase more during the event with valid ID. They have 12 oz pours and 5 oz pours, so you can sample several. We will also be selling t-shirts and other merchandise.
PARKING is tricky at Upright, but that’s the norm these days in Portland. Expect to park in the surrounding neighborhood and walk to the brewery. TriMet has nearby public transit stops, and we encourage carpooling. As always, we request that you have designated drivers or a ride home, safety first!
Further UPDATES will be sent to registered runners as we get closer to the event date, so be sure to watch your email inbox.
We look forward to running, drinking, and hanging out with you on October 22 at Upright Brewing!
