Widmer Brothers Brewing

Back in ’79 it was tough for brothers Kurt and Rob Widmer to find beer that they enjoyed to drink. So, they took it into their own hands and began home brewing for themselves and their friends. Tired of working in the corporate world, Kurt and Rob decide to do what most people only dream of: quit their jobs and turn their beer hobby into a vocation. So, they scrounged up equipment from wherever they could, including a dairy tank turned mash tun, a shrimp cooker turned whirlpool and a 1970 Datsun pickup truck “borrowed” from their dad. Cobbling it all together, they built the Widmer Brewing Company in an industrial part of NW Portland, what is now the Pearl District. In 1986 the Widmer Brothers created the first American-style Hefeweizen or Hefe, which is translated from German as ‘yeast wheat’. If you ever run into the Widmer Brothers, make sure you pronounce their beloved beer as they intended, “hey-fuh”. Today Hefeweizen is Oregon’s favorite craft beer and continues to win awards at national beer festivals including a Bronze at The Great American Beer Festival. The Widmer Brothers Brewery cranks out new beers and innovate Oregon’s craft beer scene.