McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery & Public House

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 1984.

«The Oregon legislature had just passed a brew-​pub law, and the McMenamins were determined to have the first in the state. «I was only trying to talk some sense into his head. ‘Mike,’ I said, ‘Portland is an entirely unlikely place to sell crazy beer, folks here are educated, they know what is supposed to be in beer, and blackberries from the parking lot are not included.’ ‘Wait’ll they try the blueberry beer,’ he said.» This is how our friend Fred Eckardt so perfectly described the outset of our adventures at Captain Neon’s Fermentation Chamber (as the Hillsdale’s brewing facility was christened) for his article that ran in All About Beer in April 1986. And since its inception, the Hillsdale brewery has been a launching pad for creative experimentation. Of course, the Hillsdale is more than just good beer. Opened February 8, 1984, it was McMenamins’ third location, following closely behind the Barley Mill and the Greenway pubs, which had opened the previous year.

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.