April 1, 2013

Portlandia Bröø Vërks in the works


Andrew Singer and Jonathan Krisel, producers of IFC’s hit TV show, Portlandia, announced that series stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein are launching a brewpub on NE Killingsworth adjacent to In Other Words feminist bookstore frequently spoofed on the program in the “Women and Women First” sketches. The space, vacated by The Record Room, formerly served as a cherished vinyl lounge offering craft beer until Portlanders eschewed vintage LPs and shifted en masse to digitally formatted recorded music mirroring the trend away from bikes toward mopeds and motor-assisted bicycles.

Emulating In Other Words’s not-for-profit status, the brewpub, to be called Portlandia Bröø Vërks Und Das Public Haus, will operate as Portland’s first nonprofit pub. As news leaked, Oregon Public House quickly opened overnight to capitalize on the concept, moving so quickly it’s as if the operators had been planning it for over two years.

The series creators and actors announced their opening line-up of draught beers, named after characters and phrases the satirical show popularized. Put a Bird on Wit is a sourpuss of a Belgian Witbier. (In related news, Armisen and Brownstein are suing Flat Tail Brewing from Corvallis for copyright infringement). Portlandia Pils will be their super-hopped summer Pilsner. (In related news, Armisen and Brownstein issued a Cease & Desist to Laurelwood Brewing.) Pickle That IPA will not be on tap, but rather available only in tallboy cans with the slogan "we can Pickle That." And they have mixologized a Martini Saison called Dream of the ‘90s is Olive in Portland, dry-hopped with three locally sourced, certified-organic, gluten-free, heirloom olives.

The brewpub is executive produced by Lorne Michaels.