Modern Times Previews New Belmont Fermentorium Expansion

Updated 11/13 – details below.

Last night, Modern Times previewed the soon to open expansion of their existing Belmont Fermentorium location in Portland, Oregon. The colorful new space, located in the building directly adjacent to their current space at the corner of SE Belmont and 7th avenues, allows for more than double their current occupancy.

In addition to a new commercial-sized kitchen and an additional 36 taps (including coffee and nitro), the newly remodeled interior continues the piñata theme, complete with a new Macho Man Randy Savage mural, and an even more vibrant vibe.

The event was attended by members of their League of Partygoers & Elegant People and their guests. While the taplist was limited to 10, which will no doubt increase, the food menu appears to be just as extensive, if not more so, than the current offerings next door.

One of the most discussed about features of the new addition is the rooftop deck, complete with another set of taps, which was closed for the evening. It looks to still be under construction and only time will tell how soon it will be up and running.

When the Belmont Fermentorium took residence in the space formerly occupied by The Commons Brewery in late-January of 2018, there was a multi-phase plan that included occupying this new space, construction of a rooftop deck, connecting the new space to the existing one (yet to be created, but still in planning), and the possibility of a retractable covering for the roof deck. While I wasn’t able to get confirmation of the latter being put in place, it sounds less likely at this point, based upon what I heard last night from various sources.

The entire space is filled with the unique decor that patrons of Modern Times have come to expect of their locations. Ornate detail, bright colors, second-use materials (plastic knives, comic book pages, mylar and papier-mâché, etc.), and new green tiles under the main bar, reminiscent of their Devil’s Teeth can designs.

In speaking with employees of Modern Times, I was unable to confirm exact soft or grand opening dates for the new space, other than “very soon.” Although after talking with a number of League members, I was given the impression that a soft opening is slated for tomorrow. As with any new venture, all the kinks are still being worked out operations-wise, yet everything appeared to be running smoothly last night.

Update 11/13: an article published on New School Beer today indicated that the original 630 SE Belmont space would be closed and that the two spaces would not be connected.

To confirm the status of the original location and it’s relationship to the newly opened space, I corresponded an senior employee at the Belmont Fermentorium who noted the following:

“630 [SE Belmont] is still a production space and is actively worked in on a daily basis. The tasting room space is now being used for private events. We will continue using the space for The League preview tastings as well. Eventually we will be installing more tanks in the space.”

They further stated that “the eventual connection between the buildings will be on the warehouse side, not the retail side.”