Mikkeller opens pop-up in Portland

USA – Danish brewer Mikkeller is expanding into Portland, the US craft beer capital, as it teams up with Portland restaurant group Chefstable to open a Mikkeller pop-up bar in the recently closed Burnside brewery.

The pop-up bar, which will open in June and shut down at the end of the year, is a placeholder while the partnership explores the possibility of a permanent bar, restaurant and Mikkeller brewery at the site. The pop-up will feature at least 23 Mikkeller beers on tap, along with a menu of Japanese noodles and rice dishes.

In preparation for the pop-up, Mikkeller’s founder Mikkel Borg Bjergsø has stoked up consumer interest by doing two collabs with local brewers Cascade and Gigantic, which will be released this month.

The Burnside brewery, a nine-year-old business, closed unexpectedly in February this year. Local media say that it sold around 3100 hl in Oregon in 2017, but only 2200 hl through November of 2018. The declines started after posting sales in Oregon of 4000 hl in 2016. Burnside has since divested its assets to Mikkeller’s partner Chefstable, and paid its debts to its landlord and others.

It seems that Mikkeller is venturing into Portland asset-light and without carrying any financial risks. This may have been a smart move as Portland is a hotly contest craft beer market. The city of 650,000 people has over 80 breweries in the metro area. Besides, there are more than a dozen within a 2 km radius around the former Burnside brewery.

Mikkeller operates several breweries, including San Diego, New York City and Copenhagen. The company also oversees 35 Mikkeller outlets, including bars in Los Angeles and San Francisco.