Chuckanut Closing Portland Taproom

Nearly three years after opening their P. Nut taproom in Southeast Portland, Chuckanut Brewery will be closing the location, shifting focus to the continued expansion of their Burlington, Washington production space, including investment in a larger canning line.

“It’s with a heavy heart we’ve decided to move out of P. Nut,” says co-founder and co-owner Mari Kemper, “but we had a great time getting to know our Portland fans and being a part of the beer culture in Oregon. Hopefully our fans in Oregon will continue to support Chuckanut beers and enjoy them without our in-person presence.”

Chuckanut’s last night of operations at the Portland location will be Saturday, October 26th. Their new fall hours, which started yesterday, are now Monday through Friday 4-9 pm, Saturday 12-9pm, and closed on Sundays.

This satellite of Chuckanut Brewery came into being December of 2021, opening its doors less than three months after closing their original North Nut brewery and kitchen in Bellingham. Helmed by industry veteran Bryant Cocks, the P.Nut location hosted an array of special events and takeovers, including gravity keg tappings, collaboration releases, mayday festivities, Oktoberfests, and weekly industry specials.

Coming off the expansion of the South Nut 20 barrel production facility over the past few years, which more than doubled it’s footprint, they’re presently working to bring online their original 10 barrel system which resided in their original Bellingham location until it’s closure in October of 2021. Bringing this brewhouse back to life will enable the brewery to produce more seasonal specialties and fulfill the increased demand for their offerings throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“The main reason we are leaving is to get a bigger canning line and be more available to all the Chuckanut fans throughout WA and OR. It cost a lot of money to expand and this expansion into cans is a result of the contraction of our in-person presence in Portland,” says Kemper. “We still have our Taproom at South Nut that’s fun to visit and hang out. We’re hoping there are more road trips in store for our Oregon fans that want to drink Chuckanut at the source and they visit us there!”

Chuckanut Brewery was founded by Will and Mari Kemper in Bellingham, Washington and is the second brewery they’ve owned after co-founding Thomas Kemper in 1984. After decades of brewery consulting, assisting with international brewery openings, and overseeing brewing operations at an additional 11 breweries, Will and Mari settled down in a home they designed themselves near Chuckanut Bay, leading eventually to opening Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen in 2008.

Over the course of 16 years, Chuckanut Brewery has become one of the most award-winning American craft breweries, being recognized many times over, predominantly for their crisp, as well as dark lagers, and world-class kölsch, enabling them to establish a strong distribution footprint, both in Washington and Oregon. Their continued success has translated into 2 GABF Small Brewery & Brewer of the Year awards, 3 Large Brewery of the Year awards at the Washington Beer Awards, 26 GABF medals, 7 World Beer Cup medals, and 52 medals at the Washington Beer Awards.