Back in January, New School Beer called Wayfinder Beer “Portland’s most anticipated new brewery of the year.”

That hype stayed alive these nine intervening months, even as the launch date of the 110-seat “German-style beer hall” pushed well past spring and the save-the-dates all but disappeared. The widespread interest from local beer lovers (including the Beer Me desk at PoMo) stems as much from curiosity as thirstiness: what does it look like when you mash up the ambitions of three Portland hotshots? 

Now we can quench that curiosity: on Saturday, October 1, Wayfinder opens for real.

Occupying a completely renovated 9,000-square-foot former grain warehouse just a stone’s throw from the Burnside Bridge, the “slightly refined” bierhall hybrid incorporates a vast raised deck, custom wood-fired grill, a taplist of 16 beers (initially, collaboration brews with partners like Baerlic, Hopworks, and 54° 40’), and a smokehouse-styled menu from Rodney Muirhead of Podnah’s Pit. Also bringing their expertise to bear: Charlie Devereux, co-founder of Hood River’s Double Mountain Brewery, and Matthew Jacobson, the serial entrepreneur behind Sizzle Pie, Relapse Records, Mini Mini, and the White Owl Social Club. 

Interesting recipe. Clean finish? That 10-barrel system (manned by Kevin Davey of Gordon Biersch and Firestone Walker) is not yet operational, so the book’s still wide open for Wayfinder. One thing’s for sure—we’ll be claiming a seat for the next few chapters at minimum. Viel Glück! 

Wayfinder Beer opens Saturday, Oct 1, at 304 SE 2nd Ave.