John Harris? Who the Hell is He?

You've probably heard John Harris is getting ready to open a brewery and pub over on Mississippi and Cook. If not, you heard it here first. John's holding a sneak preview of what he's up to on Sunday, April 28, from 2-4 p.m. He'll reveal what he plans to call the place, among other things. But wait. Who the hell is John Harris?

The collaboration with ex-employee Tony Lawrence was a hit

Even if you don't recognize John's photo or know him, you almost certainly know some of his beers if you've been around Oregon beer for any length of time. See, John has been part of the beer scene around these parts for 26 years...and counting. He's what you call an icon, even if you don't know him.

John began his professional brewing career with McMenamin's at the Hillsdale Pub. After the Brewpub Bill passed in 1985, Hillsdale was the first pub to take advantage of the law and start brewing. When they advertised for a brewer, John applied. He had some homebrewing experience, nothing more. As he joked when I spoke to him a while back, "I had no experience, but they hired me anyway." That's kind of the way it was in those days.

He got off to a rough start. "When I was hired, they told me to bring rubber boots my first day. But I forgot to buy them and showed up in hiking boots. That didn't work out too well when it came time to shovel the hops out of the brew kettle. But they didn't fire me, thankfully."

Unknown to many, they were using malt extract to brew at Hillsdale in the early days. They didn't have the ability to mash, so they bought 50-gallon drums of extract and used that. The beers were okay, never great. Other brewers made fun of them. About a year later, they started mashing and the Hillsdale beers eventually got better. Harris was there.

"The cool thing about McMenamin's is you had your own brewery. They gave you a lot of freedom to create stuff. We brewed with fruit, which was not common at the time…rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries. Some recipes worked better than others. There were times when they would say, 'Don’t make that again.'”

After two years (1986-88), Harris took a job at a little place called Deschutes Brewing in Bend. Deschutes was just getting started and he had a major role in developing recipes that were and are infamous in Oregon and beyond.

"I developed the recipes for Mirror Pond, Bachelor Bitter, Black Butte Porter and Obsidian Stout…all the good stuff," he said. "That’s where I made my name." Later in his four-year tenure at Deschutes, John hired Tony Lawrence to clean up the place after brewing day. Lawrence eventually left for Arizona, but subsequently returned and launched...Boneyard Brewing. 

John left Deschutes in 1992 and returned to Portland to work for Full Sail. Full Sail had opened in 1987 in Hood River and was well-known...in large part because they were the first craft brewery to start bottling. But they wanted a pub presence in Portland. The Pilsner Room on the South Waterfront seemed the perfect spot.

"I moved to the Pilsner Room in 1992," Harris recalled. "The place was still run by McCormick and Schmick. Pretty soon we made all Full Sail's draft beer for Portland in that brewery. We made the first IPA here…in 1994. Later, I started the Brewmaster Reserve Program, which was small batches, special beers. The brewery here was good because it gave locals a chance to taste Full Sail's specialty beers without going to Hood River."

Harris left Full Sail after 20 years in 2012. His plan all along was to start his own brewery and pub, but it took longer than he had hoped to find the right location with the right combination of attributes. Now that he has things moving along, it will be interesting to see what he comes up with. Should be good stuff.

If you plan to stop by on the 28th, keep in mind there won't be any beer. Not yet. But there are lots of places in the area to get a beer once you've taken a gander at John's plans.

Tabor Tavern Serves the Underserved

As almost everyone knows, the craft beer experience continues to expand into all parts of Portland. I'm talking about the breweries, pubs and related establishments that seem to be popping up all over the place. It may seem crazy, but it's also good business.

A case in point is the new Tabor Tavern on 53rd and East Burnside. The place opened about two weeks ago and they are staying busy. This area was ripe for some kind of pub. Why? Because options like Laurelwood, the Horse Brass and Belmont Station are a hoof from this neighborhood. Nearby residents now have an option that is easily reachable on foot.

Signage marks the spot

Owner Ken (Zig) Naffziger is the driving force behind this project. He has some 25 years of industry experience with McMenamin's, Horse Brass and Lompoc. Like a lot of people in this business, he always dreamed of having a place of his own. Earlier reports had TT opening by mid-May, but they obviously ran into things that delayed things a bit. They're up and running now.

They serve up a nice list of craft beer from 10 tap handles. There's also a full bar and wine. The beer list includes Zig's Swig, a Lompoc brew brewed specifically for TT. It will evidently be a fixture here, though the style will change depending on the season...lighter in summer, darker in winter. Naffziger expects to have two Lompoc beers on tap continuously. Other taps will rotate.

The long bar is from reclaimed wood

The menu is what they call classic tavern fare. It isn't as expansive as a lot of pub menus you'll see, but the items seem smart and well-chosen. In planning the food offerings, Naffziger leaned on his own experience as a pub manager, as well as what he's seen on his travels of the world. His wife, Kristin, and Lompoc head brewer Bryan Keilty were also involved.

Open hours were a bit spotty during their first week. I stopped by several times in the lunch-o'clock zone and found them closed. That was merely a logistical issue, apparently. They are now open more standard hours and building their lunch business.

Historic photos add to the experience

I stopped in twice during evening hours and found the place packed both times. The outside tables with lined with people on two warm nights. Inside it was noisy...about what you'd expect for a place that's pretty open. I ordered a Tabor Burger and Double Mountain IRA on one of those visits. The burger was terrific, although the fries were not quite what I'd hoped for. I suspect they will figure that out. No need to talk about the beer.

One of the cool things about this place is the historic photos that adorn the walls. There's a large picture of a Mt Tabor streetcar taken many moons ago on one wall and a collection of smaller photos on another. It's all about connecting the pub with the neighborhood, Naffziger said. If you have an historic photo you'd like to see hung in the pub, bring in a print or negative for Naffziger to see and it just might happen.

The big board

Oh...if you're arriving by car, there's a small parking lot next to the pub and lots of street parking. Cyclists will be pleased to learn that Naffziger has ordered a large bike rack, which he hopes to have installed in the next few weeks. Parents will be pleased to learn kids are welcome until 8 p.m. I expect this place will do increasingly well as the word gets out. 

Fifteenth Ave Hophouse Looking Good

Spacious outdoor seating adds to the experience

We've seen a lot of new breweries and pubs opening their doors in recent times. I particularly enjoy seeing the new pubs and tap houses that bring in quality beers from around the region and beyond. These places don't brew so their only loyalty is to great beer.


The Fifteenth Avenue Hophouse (cross street is NE Brazee) opened a few weeks ago and is just now gaining momentum. This place is connected to the Hawthorne Hophouse (41st and SE Hawthorne). I visited the Hawthorne location over the summer and was impressed by the beer selection and vibe.

The Fifteenth Avenue location is follows the same line of thought. They have more taps here, 33 in all. Most of these taps pour beer, but a few pour cider and wine. There are no bottles of any kind here, which swerves away from the recent trend of pubs doubling as bottle shops.

Like its brethren on Hawthorne, Fifteenth Avenue has a pleasant ambiance. There is a spacious, comfy outdoor seating area. The interior is quasi-plush, in keeping with the general theme of the surrounding Irvington neighborhood. They had a gent playing acoustic guitar and singing when I visited, adding to the vibe.

Expect great beers here. They were pouring beers from Ninkasi, Nectar, Oakshire, Boneyard and Natian, among others. I tried Red Nectar from Nectar brewing, on the barkeep's advice. Wow. This is a perfectly matched mix of malt and hop flavor, aroma and bitterness. I wasn't surprised to learn Firestone Walker makes this beer or that it won a Gold Medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival in the American Amber category. Great stuff.

They are still in the process of getting their menu completely up-to-speed. Fifteenth Avenue apparently has a larger kitchen than the Hawthorne location and they expect to serve some higher end fare to go with the standard pub menu we all know and love.

They had some issues getting this place open due to opposition in the neighborhood. But it  isn't a strip club and it isn't a tavern, either. The low key ambiance goes perfectly with the surrounding area. I suspect the Fifteenth Avenue Hophouse will do well.