McMenamins Barley Mill Pub

Specialties

The name «McMenamin» is well known throughout the Pacific Northwest, signifying a great place to enjoy handcrafted ales, wine, spirits and pub fare with family and friends. The dream began more than 30 years ago in the hearts of brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin and continues to spiral upward. With 57 properties (and counting!), the siblings are considered to be pioneers of the Pacific Northwest microbrew, historic hotels and music venue industries. Go to mcme​namins​.com for additional information, photos and more.

History

Established in 1983.

The Barley Mill is a touchstone for McMenamins because of its «first» status among our current pubs. However, in history’s eye, it’s one in a succession of notable watering holes to roost at the corner of Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard and 17^th Avenue. The place is flush with great characters and stories dating back to 1934, when Billy Hahn opened the original beer parlor on this spot. In 1983, Mike and Brian McMenamin came and scoured the place inside and out and gave the 50-​year-​old haunt new life as the decidedly more family-​oriented Barley Mill Pub. The place was decked out with exuberant neon lights and imaginative murals painted by Norm Forsberg and Joe Cotter. Also, the pub’s namesake, a very heavy barley mill (a kitty litter grinder originally) was set up with great effort in the front bay. It’s a prized relic rescued from Oregon’s first microbrewery, the Cartwright Brewery (1979 – 1982).

Meet the Business Owner

Mike and Brian M.

Business Owner

The creative force behind McMenamins is brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin. At first glance, these down-​to-​earth men seem an unlikely pair to head the hotels, pubs and breweries company that began when older brother Mike and a couple friends opened Portland’s Produce Row Café in 1974. They just don’t fit the typical corporate make-​up — and perhaps that’s why it’s all worked out as well as it has? The McMenamins are of Irish descent and Portland birth — Mike was born in 1951, Brian in ’57 — and both fully absorbed the culture and quirks of their upbringing in Oregon’s City of Roses. From great bartenders to the razing of the classic Portland Hotel to the launch of Oregon’s first craft brewery and beyond left indelible imprints upon their psyches and cultivated their appreciation for local character and characters. Mike and Brian expanded their educations at Oregon State University in Corvallis, both graduating with degrees in political science during the 1970s.