Pono Brew Labs Opens Friday, August 26

Photo credit: Hollywood Boosters

Back in March I speculated, thanks to a Bridgetown Bites tipster, that Pono Brewing was opening up in the old Spud Monkeys space (formerly Columbia River Brewing). Since then there have been some articles written to confirm that, which is great news—that empty storefront had such a sad feel to it during the pandemic. Here’s even better news: Pono Brew Labs is opening their doors to the public tomorrow (August 26)!

I first caught wind of this through an Instagram Story posted by mrs.mftasty, and then saw the confirmation on the Pono Brewing Instagram. 5pm on Friday, August 26 is the grand opening, very exciting. As the Pono folks say, “Come on by this weekend and grab some food or a pint, even better both, and see what we’ve done with the place.”

The Brews

The New School beer website has a great write-up of what is going on there and what to expect at Pono Brew Labs. I love how they describe Pono’s work, which “takes inspirations and ingredients from the South Pacific filtered through a pacific northwest craft beer lens.” I also learned of Pono’s ghost brewery status, and that they partnered with Zoiglhaus Brewing for a time. The article has a lot of great info on the backstory behind the brewery, too.

Turns out the guys at Pono Brewing had searched for an appropriate location for four years before landing here. This spot has years of tradition as a brew space, too. They’ve done a bunch of work to improve it from cleaning up the clogged grease lines to resurfacing the floors. Even the draft lines needed to be cleared.

Additional improvements to the brewing side of the operation include “new reworking and rerouting of the hard plumbing, putting in a new diverter panel, new chiller, adding tankless water heaters.” It has essentially taken a complete overhaul to get it to a place where Pono feels good about brewing beer there. Look for the on-site brewery to be ready later this fall, likely mid-September to October, when it becomes the pilot brewery for Pono.

Pono Brew Labs will focus on the “labs” part—they’ll be making all sorts of interesting brews, with ingredients and techniques that fit a small, experimental space. A couple of things they look forward to is working with barrel aging and mixed fermentation beers there. They’ll still be making their beer elsewhere, including known reliables like lagers and west-coast style IPAs, as well as their incredible tropical beers, like their Pineapple Express Kolsch.

As for the bar, I expect there to be plenty of Pono Brewing beer on tap.

The Location: Hollywood District

So yes, it’s in Hollywood. In the article they talk about how locals “just want a decent spot to walk to that’s easy to grab a bite and a couple drinks with their little ones” and I absolutely believe that is true. Plus it’s cool that you can look down into the brewing area, too.

The space has been very flexible and functional for all sorts of groups, big and small. It will be interesting to see what they’ve done with the interior. Bonus: I also saw pinball and Pac-Man in some of the images!

The Food

Aside from the beer, the food will be worth checking out. The menu was developed by Chef Garrick Ikeda. The article calls it “extensive,” and that is offers “the kind of Hawaiian/Pacific Island/Asia food you don’t find at breweries, but is served up in familiar American ways.” The menu includes:

Bulgogi Fries: dirty fries loaded with beef bulgogi, kimchi, and gochujang mayonnaise. Apparently they are a beautiful mess and “you will need a fork.”
Traditional beef or veggie Lumpia (Philippines).
Kalua Pork Sliders (Hawaii).
Crab & Cream Cheese Rangoons.
Poke.
Korean Fried Chicken: pile of chicken pieces drowned in sweet and spicy Korean sauce. A fork is also useful here.
Bulgogi Cheesesteak.
Kalbi Short Ribs.
North Shore Style Garlic Shrimp.
Main dishes comes with two scoops of rice and a choice of a side. Here’s hoping for macaroni salad.

So stop on over at Pono Brew Labs tomorrow at 5pm. And congrats to the Pono folks for getting to this point of opening to the public! I look forward to checking it out.

First look at Pono Brewing Brew Labs’ new Pacific Island/Asian inspired Brewpub in Portland [The New School]

Pono Brew Labs [opening August 26, 2022]
1728 NE 40th Avenue, Portland
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