Modern Times Beer's Fermentorium closed in February, and now it will be home to Living Haus Beer Co. The space previously was The Commons Brewery home until it closed in 2017.Andre Meunier/Staff
A trio of experienced Oregon brewers – whose resumes include pFriem Family Brewers, Culmination Brewing and Modern Times Beer – will take over the former Southeast Portland location that was home to The Commons Brewery before its closure then Modern Times’ Belmont Fermentorium, which in February also closed.
Mat Sandoval, Conrad Andrus and Gavin Lord are teaming up to form Living Haus Beer Co., which will operate in the building footprint used by The Commons until its closure in 2017. In 2018, San Diego-based Modern Times moved into the location but doubled it in size, transforming an adjacent space into its taproom and second-floor patio.
Living Haus has signed a lease for the Central Eastside space, where it plans in July to open a taproom and lager-focused brewery at Southeast Belmont Street and Seventh Avenue. The brewhouse will also be available for contract brewing for other brands, and the partners say they envision establishing “collaborative long-term relationships within the beer industry and beyond.”
Lord, former head brewer at pFriem, will oversee contract brewing, which will operate under Living Haus parent company Sin Marca Beverage. Sandoval, former Modern Times head brewer, and Andrus, head brewer at Culmination Brewing before moving to Modern Times, will oversee Living Haus brewing.
“Our goal has always been to create a brand with the highest quality beer that is approachable, creative, and sessionable,” Andrus said. “I believe we as a group are extremely talented across all styles, but a lot of our focus will converge on classic, clean, and refreshing lager beer.”
The partners said the space, at 628 S.E. Belmont St., would be transformed into a “lush, green environment reflecting the natural world outside the brewery walls.”
“From our beers to our tasting room, Living Haüs Beer Co. will highlight all things living, breathing, and ever evolving,” Sandoval said. “With some creative inclusions of the natural elements of light, earth, air, and water, we have designed an area that stands up to the quality and artistry of our beers.”
He added that the space would be elegant, but also include “a hint of danger: high-quality beer, an airy and green environment, and thrash metal.”
The Living Haus taproom will also offer natural wine and spirits, the company said.
The other half of the space Modern Times had occupied, at Belmont and Sixth Avenue, remains vacant. Ron Dowhaniuk, a senior vice president at Urban Works Real Estate, said his company is looking to lease the building, possibly as a turnkey option that includes dining, the rooftop deck, plus production, storage and canning capability.
-- Andre Meunier; ameunier@oregonian.com; sign up for my weekly newsletter Oregon Brews and News, and follow me on Instagram, where I’m @oregonianbeerguy
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