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Old Castle Brewing Company
Oldcastlebrewery.biz. By appointment only.
['BORO DEEPER] Hillsboro's beer scene, such as it is,
exists almost in secret. Many of its homegrown brewpubs are tucked away
in anonymous office parks and on streets that aren't particularly
well-traveled. Allen Levy's single-barrel operation, hidden at the end
of a suburban cul-de-sac, is especially tiny and difficult to find, but
given the cloistered nature of his more established peers, it fits right
in. A veteran Army reservist, Levy was introduced to home brewing in
1990 through the Society for Creative Anachronism, where he learned to
make mead. Hence the name Old Castle. Last year, he got licensed as a
nano and began brewing his flagship product, a sweet brown ale he's
labeled Atticus and Oberon, in his garage. It wasn't always meant to be
this small: The original plan was to open a steampunk-themed brewhouse,
but he was forced to downsize after his partner backed out. That dream
is still alive pending financing, but for now, he's counting small
victories: He recently sold his first keg, of Apothecary Black IPA, to
the cafe at PlayDate PDX, an indoor playground in Northwest Portland.
They've got a bouncy castle, so it's thematically appropriate.
DRINK THIS: Well, it's not as if there's a lot to choose from at this point, but the Atticus and Oberon, a London brown ale, goes down smooth.
WWeek 2015