McMenamins West Linn 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 1992.

While the pub’s proximity to the Oregon City Golf Course has done a lot to dictate the artwork, its proximity to the thunderous Willamette Falls has dictated this spot’s history. The pub sits in the historic Willamette area of West Linn, just up the riverbank from the convergence of the Willamette and Tualatin rivers. And long before the roar of I-​205 drowned out the roar of the falls, this area was a quiet part of Marshall K. Perrin’s Donation Land Claim. Perrin retained his DLC for some 31 years, selling it in 1875. I-​205 opened for traffic in January 1970 and changed this spot forever. In 1992 this place became West Linn’s first brewpub and McMenamins’ first «small house» brewery. The house specialty with a cultish following, Sunflower IPA, was named for the pub’s beer garden lined with sunflowers. Created here in the mid-​1990s its popularity spread like wildfire. Today, Sunflower is the only IPA that McMenamins’ bottles.

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.