Biergarten and taproom from Portland-based German-style brewery opening soon
Biergartens are those magical places where the barrels are always rolling out beer to slake your thirst, and your hunger is sated by profuse plates of sausage, sauerkraut and schnitzel.
Portland will become even more magically delicious this summer, with the imminent opening of a new barrelhouse by Rosenstadt Brewery.
Co-owners Nick Greiner and Tobias Hahn are currently remodeling the Northeast Portland taproom and outdoor space that was previously home to Culmination Brewing, which closed earlier this year. The space is readymade for Rosenstadt with production equipment, a spacious walk-in cooler that currently serves as Rosenstadt’s warehouse and adjacent taproom, and covered patio, the soon-to-be biergarten.
“When this space came open, it was a no-brainer,” Greiner says.
Rosenstadt is another welcome new addition to the up-and-coming Kerns neighborhood, where several new urban residences and retail space developments are in progress.
Brewing friendship
Greiner and Hahn have dreamt about opening their own biergarten for years. The pair became friends in 2013, started brewing together and launched their Rosenstadt brand in 2015. Up until now, they haven’t had their own brewing facility or taproom, instead making their beer at other breweries and leasing space at storage facilities.
“With the production capacity that exists locally, there hasn’t been a need for us to construct a factory of our own,” Greiner says. “We’ve worked with a variety of partners through the years, small and large, from Max’s Fanno Creek Brewpub, Laurelwood, Portland Brewing (when we bottled during Covid), Zoiglhaus and Hopworks, to name a few.”
Greiner says Rosenstadt’s intention was to invest in self-distribution, rather than a brick-and-mortar brewery. “From the beginning we’ve developed the beer recipes, branding, held hop contracts, you name it,” he says.
Neither has it been a problem not having their own taproom. Rosenstadt’s beers have become house draft pours at Portland restaurants including Kachka, Laurelhurst Market, Ox, Olympia Provisions Public House Eatery (recently rechristened Alpenrausch) and Restaurant St. Jack.
Now, Rosenstadt has a place they can call all their own.
Greiner gave me a tour of Rosenstadt’s taproom and biergarten, currently in progress of being remodeled. The space includes an inside seating area with a stretch limo-sized bar, plus a smattering of tables for about 50 people. The outdoor biergarten spans a covered patio space accommodating several dozen more.
“There is a German word, Gemütlichkeit, which loosely means coziness, warmth or friendliness — which is our goal for the space,” Greiner says. “We’ve got some work to do.”
Rosenstadt has a 20-tap cooler to fill, but leans toward quality over quantity. “We’re keeping things simple — we’d rather have only 8 or 10 beers on tap, no more than a dozen and offer some specialities that have not seen distribution,” says Greiner. “Weizenbock, for example.”
Foodwise, Greiner says the plan is to keep things simple. “It will be a short menu with a German influence, with a few staples, frequently rotating specials and perhaps a bit lighter than what is typically expected.”
Celebrating German traditions in the Rose City
Co-founder Tobias Hahn is a native of Freiburg, Germany. He has a Ph.D. in microbiology, which is reflected in the immaculately clean, filtered style of beer in which Rosenstadt specializes. Hahn and Greiner, whose wife is German, first met at Portland’s German American Society, where their respective kids attended German language classes. Both homebrewers for years, their paths crossed soon again, when Hahn stopped in at F.H. Steinbart, the homebrew store where Greiner moonlighted on weekends.
Based on their shared love for German culture and beer, Greiner and Hahn conceived Rosenstadt, German for “Rose City,” taking inspiration from the city of Portland’s beloved nickname.
Greiner and Hahn anticipate Rosenstadt’s taproom and biergarten will be ready to open in July or August. So, while we wait for Rosenstadt to start rolling out the barrels at their own biergarten, we will have to continue enjoying their beers in 12-ounce and 16-ounce cans available from retailers across Rose City.
Rosenstadt’s beers are brewed according to Reinheitsgebot, the 500-year-old Bavarian brewing regulations that limit the ingredients in beer to just water, barley and hops. “We’re not reinventing the wheel — just making it go round,” Greiner says. “We make the beer traditionally, present it appropriately and let the beer do the talking.”
Below are five summer sippers from Rosenstadt to enjoy right now.
Kölsch – The first beer Hahn and Greiner made together, and the flagship of their flight. German malts impart a soda cracker aroma, and newer-variety Hüll Melon hops impart a honeydew melon-like fruitiness. Grab a six-pack and picnic with tinned fish, buttered bread and fresh fruit tarts with shortbread crust and vanilla custard. | 13° Plato, 5.2% ABV, 32 IBU
Pilsner – Clean bitterness hits the center of the palate, with noble hops offering accompanying herbal, floral and spicy aromas. A blend of German pilsner malts provides malty-sweet, biscuity character in support. | 11° Plato, 4.9% ABV, 38 IBU
Helles Lager – More delicate than Pilsner, Helles Lager is the quintessential Bavarian light beer, meant to be drunk with gusto from one-liter mugs, such as the one depicted on the label. German Pilsner, Carafoam malt evokes a warm bread aroma, balanced by German magnum and Tettnanger hops supplying delicately floral and lemon notes. | 13° Plato, 5.3% ABV, 32 IBU
Dunkel – “Any biergarten worth its schnitzel has to offer a dark lager to balance the light,” Greiner says. Rosenstadt’s Dunkel (translating from the German for dark) is chocolate brown in color, with scrumdiddlyumptious notes of whole grain bread and roasted chestnut. Full-bodied and malt-forward. | 12.5° Plato, 5.3% ABV, 28 IBU
Hefeweizen – The only cloudy beer Rosenstadt makes — true to style. As Rosenstadt states on their website, “No afternoon spent under the chestnut trees in the dappled sunlight of a Biergarten is complete without a tall glass of Weissbier.” German wheat gives Rosenstadt’s Hefeweizen a pillowy body, crisp finish, subtle acidity and deeply golden hue. Weissbiers are known for their spicy clove notes, with pear, stone fruit and banana flavors. | 14° Plato, 5.4% ABV, 18 IBU)
Visit @rosenstadt_brewery on Instagram and stay tuned for more information about their taproom and biergarten at 2117 NE Oregon Street, Portland
