Skip to main contentAt breweries all across Portland, fans will line up outside to get their hands on a special bottle or keep an eye peeled for updates to digital tap list heralding the return of an old favorite. But in one Eastern Oregon community, people wait all year long for a brewery to open because it operates for only a day. Sel’s Brewery doesn’t actually produce any beer, but it is the scene of one hell of a party during the first full weekend of June. That’s when Canyon City’s delightfully named Whiskey Gulch Gang holds the ’62 Days celebration marking the discovery of gold nearby in 1862. The brewery was run by Francis Clemens Sels, a German immigrant, who rebuilt the business twice after devastating fires tore through town. Even while facing those adverse conditions, the beer became renowned, snagging a medal at the St. Louis Fair and proving Oregon brewers have always been top notch.
The Rarest of Breweries
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