Yeast-Focused Little Beast Brewing Is Opening a Taproom at Its Clackamas Production Facility

Sounds like the ideal pit stop after a day of hiking or floating on the river.

Little Beast Brewing Clackamas Little Beast Brewing is preparing to open a tasting room next to its Clackamas production facility. (Daniel_Markoya)

Esteemed Little Beast Brewing is ready to invite you to taste from the source.

The business announced today that it would be opening a taproom adjacent to its production facility at 11517 SE Highway 212 in Clackamas.

That’s where co-founder Charles Porter has been crafting sour and wild ales after acquiring the building that used to house Drinking Horse Brewing in 2018.

Of course, most Portland beer nerds know that you never needed to try to haul yourself all the way out to the edge of Clackamas and knock on the door in order to find Porter’s captivating yeast-focused beverages. He, along with wife and business partner Brenda Crow, have been serving customers from the former Lompoc Hedge House, an adorable bungalow on Southeast Division Street, for the last three years.

But the opening of the Clackamas location will come as welcome news to recreationalists who often use that route as a gateway to destinations like Milo McIver State Park for a lazy day of floating or Mount Hood for a vigorous hike.

Essentially, Little Beast could become the ideal pit stop for a reward after a day of hard work on the trail, or a last round while clinging to slowed-down river time before the reality of heading home sets in.

“There’s a lot of people coming through here on their way to and from outdoor adventures along the Clackamas River or in the Mount Hood National Forest,” Crow stated in a press release. “It’s a great place to stop off and conveniently try our newest offerings, vintage beers and grab some four packs.”

Prior to making beer in Clackamas, Porter launched Little Beast in the back of Beaverton’s Westgate Bourbon Bar & Taphouse—a turnkey operation vacated by Brannon’s Pub & Brewery when that business went under, in 2015.

He only planned to stay there a couple of years, given that the space was shoebox-sized, but it was a perfect arrangement to get the brand off the ground—especially considering that the owner of Westgate Bourbon Bar had no intention of operating as a brewery himself.

The new tasting room will open with a dozen taps, and one one reserved for cider. Since the location is the epicenter of Little Beast’s barrel- and foeder-aged experiments, Porter will offer an extensive 25-plus vintage bottle list for onsite consumption, most of which cannot be found anywhere else.

Members of Little Beast’s exclusive bottle club—the Guardians of Funk—are slated to get first access to the taphouse, with the general public to follow. Operations should begin in late summer or early fall, with open hours Thursday through Saturday.

Little Beast Brewing Clackamas Little Beast Brewing is preparing to open a tasting room next to its Clackamas production facility. (Daniel_Markoya)


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