Widmer Brothers Closes Its North Portland Pub After 22 Years

PORTLAND, OR – In 1996, Widmer Brothers opened a brew pub on North Russel Street. At the time, they were among the pioneers of the brew pub movement.

On Tuesday, they announced at the end of the day, they will close their doors for the last time.

The company says that while they are proud of helping establish the brew movement, the downside was the increased competition that has made it hard for the pub to turn a profit.

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"Despite our best efforts to evolve the pub concept over the years, our pub has experienced profitability challenges," Widmer Brothers said in a statement.

"When the pub first opened in 1996, there were only a handful of breweries in the city. Today, there are over 115 breweries in the Portland Metro area. With that increased competition, we have struggled to make the pub financially sustainable."

The company says that while two employees will stay on full-time, seven people are being laid off. Widmer Brothers says that they are receiving "comprehensive severance packages."

Widmer Brothers says that they are continuing to brew beer – they even plan to launch new beer in cans later this year thanks to recently installed canning line.

They say that they are also keeping their retail store on North Russell open and will continue offering brewery tours.

Photo via Widmer Brothers.