Just one year after opening its doors, Great Notion Brewing today revealed plans to build a second location in Portland, Oregon.
“We run out of beer all of the time,” Great Notion co-founder Paul Reiter told Brewbound.
Although Portland’s beer scene has yet to experience the long lines often found in New England and Los Angeles for cans of highly acclaimed hoppy offerings from the likes of Trillium, Tree House and Monkish, Reiter said demand for Great Notion’s 7-barrel batches of hazy and juicy New England-style IPAs and fruit-forward sour beers is on the rise.
“No one can do that in the Northwest yet,” Reiter said of drawing wrap-around-the-block lines.
Great Notion is striving to fill that need after signing a lease on a 20,000 sq. ft building at 2448 Northwest 28th Avenue that will become home to a new 30-barrel brewhouse, taproom and restaurant that is slated to open in late 2017.
The search for a new space began about six months ago due to increasing demand for the brewery’s beer as well as a lack of space at its current facility in the Alberta Arts neighborhood, Reiter said.
“If you saw our current space, it’s like someone’s apartment,” Reiter said.
Despite the increased brewing capacity, Great Notion has no plans to distribute its beer. Instead, the company will continue selling directly to consumers, Reiter said. However, he didn’t rule out eventually shipping some kegs to nearby markets, such as Seattle, if the brewery has any liquid left to spare.
“We want to support the people asking for our beer,” Reiter said.
To pay for the expansion, Great Notion’s owners have secured a $1 million SBA loan from Umpqua Bank.
The brewery has set forth the following timeline: In the first quarter of this year, Great Notion will work with an architecture firm on layout and design, secure building permits and start basic construction. In the second quarter, the brewery will commence work on a new tasting room and kitchen and begin installing the new brewhouse.
By the third quarter, Great Notion hopes to receive Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) permits and begin brewing its first batch in time for a grand opening.
“We’ll do a lot of barrel aging at the new place,” Reiter said. “We’ll build a clean room for bourbon barrels and then have sour barrels everywhere you look.”
Great Notion also plans to add 15 to 20 new jobs in the Portland area once the new facility comes online.
Despite its small size, Great Notion will keep its Alberta Arts space and offer special beer releases at each location.
“We’ll have Great Notion Northeast and Northwest,” Reiter said.