That Private Reserve was different than mass-marketed beers and brewed in Portland lured local drinkers, perhaps helping set the stage for the craft revolution, Dunlop says. “It was considered to be special: This is a really premium product in a sea of national brands that were encroaching, taking market away from Blitz-Weinhard.” “One of the reasons it was super popular here was probably because it was a local beer, but it was a lot more than a local beer,” Dunlop says. And it found a niche with Private Reserve, which positioned itself as a premium product amid a crush of budget beers. Henry Weinhard’s looms large in Oregon, says Pete Dunlop, a Portland-area beer writer, who chronicled the city’s sudsy history in his book, “ Portland Beer: Crafting the Road to Beervana.” The book charts Henry Weinhard’s growth, including its reinvention as a soda maker during Prohibition, its merger with the maker of Blitz beer, the Portland Brewing Co., in 1928 and its attempts to claw market share back during the 1960s and ‘70s, introducing brands like Private Reserve and Olde English 800 malt liquor.Īs a local brewery competing against the growing influence of beer conglomerates, Henry Weinhard’s sparked loyalty among Oregonians. We’re trying to get back to the nostalgia and bring that beer back home,” he says. It was their grandpa’s favorite beer, maybe their dad’s drink. “Everyone has a Henry Weinhard’s story from growing up. When Hop Valley churned out its first batch of the legendary lager recently, it marked the first time in 20 years Henry Weinhard’s was made in its home state. We wanted to keep it at an approachable, entry-level price point,” he says. “They want to participate in local, but not pay an arm and a leg to get it. There’s still a sizable opportunity for the beloved lager, both with its built-in audience of loyal fans as well as with younger legal-age drinkers who want to support local beer at an affordable price, Ross says. Hop Valley hopes the beer will connect with local drinkers and succeed in the craft economy segment. Hop Valley mined the archives to incorporate historic elements that resulted in a classic, retro look that trumpets Henry Weinhard’s 1856 founding and stands out on shelves. The revived brand comes with an updated look. “It’s once again an Oregon brand,” brewed exclusively in Oregon, Ross says. The 4.7% alcohol-by-volume lager, first brewed in 1976 and acquired by Miller Brewing in 1999, will be brewed using its original recipe and Cascade hops from Oregon. craft beer division, is returning Private Reserve to shelves in Oregon, Washington state and Idaho this month. The brewery, part of Tenth & Blake, Molson Coors’ U.S. The beer that’s been called Oregon’s first craft beer is coming back – this time, under the Hop Valley banner. “We knew we had to take this opportunity and run with it.” Henry Weinhard’s blazed the trail for craft beer in the Northwest,” says Brandon Ross, national chain sales manager for Hop Valley. “It’s a huge part of our history in the Northwest. When the opportunity arose to bring back the iconic Oregon beer Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve to drinkers in limited markets in the Pacific Northwest, the team at Hop Valley Brewing didn’t waste any time.
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