What Back Pedal Brewing lacks in size, it makes up with its beer. In the two years the nano-brewery has been operational, it has won a handful of awards and won over the hearts of beer lovers in Portland’s Pearl District.
Creativity and quality make up the backbone of Back Pedal’s fun, fruity beer production. With access to fresh fruits from Oregon Fruit in Salem, hops from the Yakima Valley and grains from Germany, head brewers Greg Passmore and Chris Lins are able to experiment with a variety of concoctions. “We’re lucky here in Oregon in that we have access to the best malts, the best hops and the best water,” says Passmore.
Lins launched Back Pedal with his sister, Andrea, in 2015, in her 24-tap pub Brew Stop, which also held the garage for BrewCycle, the 15-seater pedal-powered bicycles that tour Portland breweries. Ten months after opening the pub, the siblings found out that brewing powerhouse 10 Barrel Brewing would be moving in next door, with its renowned kitchen in tow.
“It would be really hard to convince people to eat more food being right next door to 10 Barrel,” Andrea says of their pub’s then-kitchen. “You can’t convince people to eat another taco but you sure can convince them to drink another beer, that’s kind of an easier transition.”
Thinking on their feet, the Lins renovated the kitchen into a brewery, bought a kettle system, three and a half very small barrels and began brewing in early 2015. A few months after Back Pedal’s opening Chris asked Passmore, an avid homebrewer, to collaborate on a brew, and from there the two decided to become pint-making partners.
So far, Passmore and the Lins have had plenty of success with their beers. One of their first brews was a Blood Orange blonde, released around Christmas time as a nod to the classic stocking stuffer. The beer was well-received and has become a regular appearance on the brewery’s tap list. Tropic Thunder, a hoppy IPA made with grapefruit and freshly chopped lemongrass, is a top-seller, while Flockahops, a hazy IPA made with Mosaic and Citra hops.
The Summer Breeze, a subdued English-style ale that took home the silver medal in pales for the Oregon Beer Awards, is a favorite of the brewing team. It’s “the answer to making a really drinkable good beer that still has the flavor profile of a good small style craft beer,” Passmore says.
The taproom is a cozy, industrial space with seating for 40 people. There are a few televisions playing sports and space in the front for corn hole games in the summer months. On tap, half a dozen or more of Back Pedal’s own beers flow, as well as a few local favorites that don’t make it onto the BrewCycle tour route.
In terms of Back Pedal’s future, the team’s idea is to keep pedalling along, so to speak. Chris envisions more brewing capabilities to open Back Pedal up to distribution and having a more consistent inventory. On the brewing side, Passmore wants to focus on solidifying recipes and building Back Pedal’s brand.
“We’re still figuring it out a little bit,” Passmore admits. “We’re trying to focus on our strengths, which is our ability to experiment and make new beers all the time.”
