Drink 2007: Stumbling Through History

[May 23rd, 2007] Explorers, pirates, loggers and strippers—they've all had their turn shaping our city. And while their right hands pointed toward the future, their left hands tightly gripped the bottle. Portland's history is soaked in booze, from bathtub gin to lovingly crafted microbrews. These days, our city has earned the nickname Beer Town (way cooler than the Rose City) by elevating ales the way the French elevated wine—and without all the cowardice and odor. And a fine crop of local distillers is picking up the torch. But now, just as Portland's brew scene is reaching the height of its powers, the state's sober lawmakers want to levy a crippling tax on beer. Maybe a history lesson—and pint or two—will set them straight.

1805

Lewis and Clark 's legendary expedition comes to an end with a trip down the Columbia. Upon arrival, the expedition experiences the glorious nastiness of a typical Oregon winter, replete with rain and gloom. Members of the expedition become the first Oregonians to deal with seasonal depression through the magic of drinking. Then they do what any self-respecting Easterner would do amid the nonstop rainfall: get the hell out of here.

1850

Drunk people wake up in a lot of places—in ditches, in jail, or even with a throbbing ass in some stranger's bed. But in downtown Portland, drunkards begin waking up on the high seas, bound to slavery. Portland's Shanghai Tunnels are constructed as a system of tunnels underneath the buildings of Old Town. Used for shipments and deliveries (all the way until 1941), the tunnels are also used for human trafficking.

1856

O pioneers! O trailblazers! O godfathers of Oregon brewing, prophets who looked west and realized there was a bottomless belly to fill and endless questionable hookups to be had! Henry Weinhard opens his famous brewery three years before Oregon is even a state, proffering premium beer to the thirsty masses. In 1864, the operation opens the doors of its West Burnside location, in the area now known as the Brewery Blocks. The Blitz-Weinhard brewery uses the port traffic to make its beer an international name. In the latter part of the 20th century, ownership of the brewery switches hands several times before winding up in the hands of Miller, which closes the brewery in 1999 and puts the company up for sale.

1912

Lumber baron Simon Benson notices the smell of stale booze on the breath of his workers (and maybe observes some ill-advised ax-swinging). When he asks his workers why they were drinking beer at work, they bitch that there's no fresh water to drink downtown (but plenty of beer, thanks to Weinhard). Benson commissions the building of 20 bronze water fountains, reportedly reducing beer consumption in the city by 25 percent, an often disputed figure. The "Benson Bubblers" remain downtown icons to this day.

1914

Home of the free, indeed. A bunch of uptight assbags declare it illegal for Oregonians to drink. In 1920, national Prohibition goes into effect. Portland becomes rife with bootlegging, moonshining and general debauchery behind the closed doors of speakeasies—where people are willing to drink damn near anything to get their buzz on. General disregard for the law prevails until Prohibition is repealed in 1933.

1965

For hundreds of years, the Northwest has been known as a hunters' and furriers' paradise due to its ample supply of beaver pelts. But menfolk such as merchant sailors and fur traders have nary seen beavers finer than those on the stage of Mary's Club. The notorious downtown club officially loses the blouses of its dancers in 1965 and becomes a beacon for drunkenness, debauchery and boob worship. The club is the first topless joint in Portland, and leads the charge to make the city the country's leader in nudity.

1983

Talk about your suds-to-riches story. The McMenamin Brothers, Mike and Brian, open their first establishment, the Barley Mill on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard. Little do they know some two decades later their Mc-empire of brewpubs and brew-theaters will be as iconic around these parts as that other Mc-place, with 54 locations in Washington and Oregon.

1984

Widmer Brothers Brewing opens and lights a powder keg of drunken mania: the now infamous microbrewers movement. Widmer is a massive success. Soon after, Portland Brewing Co. and Bridgeport Ales follow suit, while dozens of smaller breweries start cooking. Over the next two decades, Portland brewing grows at an exponential rate to its current status, boasting more breweries per capita than any other state—more even than Munich and the whole of Ireland—and still growing. Currently, no fewer than 34 breweries are operating within the city limits.

1985

Distiller Stephen McCarthy begins distilling his Clear Creek Distillery products, including world-renowned brandies, grappas and liqueurs. Clear Creek becomes the O.G. of Portland's current distilling movement, which has seen House Spirits, New Deal Vodka and Indio Spirits do big business. With more distilleries on the horizon, liquor poises itself to become the next big booze movement in the city.

2007

Legislators propose an increased beer tax that would raise brewers' payments to roughly $36.40 per barrel (or about 10 cents a glass). If passed, the tax will be the highest in the country and probably send ripples through Oregon's booming beer industry, which employs thousands of people. The tax would also raise the prices of a six-pack. A collective "Booooo!" can be heard in bars around the city.