Fort George Brewery

Astoria was once known for canning and exporting a quintessentially Pacific Northwest product. Thanks to Fort George Brewery, it still is. In fact, Fort George brews and packages most of its beer in a 67,000-square-foot building that once produced cans for the region’s salmon and tuna industry.

In Fort George, which opened its doors in 2007, old Oregon meets new Oregon.

The brewery is the brainchild of Chris Nemlowill, who grew up in Astoria and returned home after graduating from Southern Oregon University in 2003 with degrees in marketing and computer science. Naturally, he wanted to make beer.

Nemlowill’s interest led to a job at a Cannon Beach brewpub, where he worked with head brewer Jack Harris. In 2005, only two years removed from college, Nemlowill partnered with Harris to open a brewpub in the rundown Fort George building two blocks from the Astoria riverfront.

Nemlowill and Harris found what would become the heart of the operation, an 8.5-barrel brewing system, in Virginia and, short on money, dismantled and drove it to Oregon themselves. An encounter with a tornado in Nebraska inspired the name of one of their most successful beers, Vortex IPA, which currently accounts for about one third of Fort George’s total production, according to Bradley DePuyt, vice president of operations.

Fort George Brewery opened its brewpub in 2007, and demand for its beer from local bars and restaurants grew more quickly than Nemlowill and Harris had expected. Within three years, the brewery exceeded the goals listed in its 10-year business plan, says DePuyt.

To boost production, Fort George bought much of the surrounding block, including the adjacent Lovell building, in which it installed a 30-barrel brewing system. Distribution soon expanded not only within Oregon, but also in Washington and Idaho. Along the way, Fort George one of the first breweries in the Pacific Northwest, if not the first, to package beer in 16-ounce cans.

Continued growth soon taxed the brewing system and the Lovell building itself, which was almost a century old. The brewery expanded yet again, this time at a site that once housed a salmon and tuna cannery. A 60-barrel brewing system occupies a warehouse in which the American Can Company once manufactured cans for fish. Fort George Brewery’s waterfront facility, located near the Astoria-Megler Bridge, opened in 2021.

This year, Fort George Brewery hopes to produce 34,000 barrels of beer, or just over 1 million gallons, says DePuyt. As of last year, it was the 83rd largest craft brewery in the United States and the fifth largest in Oregon. Distribution continues to increase steadily and now includes northern California.

All of the company’s brewing systems remain in operation. The original system brews beer for use in the company’s local restaurants and tasting rooms. The system in the Lovell building supports research and development while providing capacity for collaborations like 3-Way IPA, a seasonal beer created by Fort George and two different breweries each year.