To operate a brewpub is usually more expensive and requires more manpower than a tiny taproom does.
That being said, though, brewpubs are hardly a thing of the past. In most cases, brewpubs have led the craft beer movement—first as the pioneers and now as flavor gurus. Chefs at brewpubs are infusing beer into their recipes, offering beer and food pairing menus, and hosting some of the country’s best beer dinners. In this Brewpub Nation blog post series, I interview chefs about their respective brewpubs.
First up in the series is Jack Henniger, the executive chef at BridgePort Brewing in Portland, Oregon, a brewpub that’s often called the country’s original brewpub and undoubtedly Portland’s first beer and food mecca. Oregon native Henniger attended the New England Culinary Institute in Essex, Vermont, cooked at the Museum of Fine Arts, and opened an Italian and Southwest restaurant in Boston, among many other restaurant gigs. One too many New England winters later, Henniger made his way back to Oregon in 2006 and has been at BridgePort since.
