Page 125 - Southern Oregon Magazine Summer 2021

THE WEEKEND

BEER COMPANY

MOVES TO A

LARGER SPACE

grants pass brewer opens on the
north side of town

by liza b. zimmerman

david gibb

earing up for a beer-filled day on the Rogue River? The
Weekend Beer Company has you covered. Want to taste great
local brews and indulge in food truck fare? That works. Want to
Gtake the kids and the dogs, out for a fun outing that also offers
loads of adult time? That shouldn’t be a problem either.

The new and improved Weekend Beer Company (WBC) location is about
50 percent bigger than the venue’s previous digs in downtown Grants
Pass, with 68 parking spaces and seating for the bulk of its guests outside.
Pets and tikes can roam free within the protective barrier of fence around
the exterior of the courtyard.

The 4,800-square-foot indoor space of the building flows to the outdoor
area, which has an impressive 8,000-square-feet of outdoor space, featur-
ing heated seating in cooler weather. With space for 100 inside and 150
outside, the WBC also hopes to host concerts and live music.

According to Ashley Crews, one of the four owners—along with her hus-
band Brandon and old friends Kelsey and Troy Yoho—the brewery is open
seven days a week and doing a brisk 1,000 to 1,300 covers a day. The
crowd, she notes, is mostly local, plus tons of traffic coming off the main
artery the I-5. The two couples play different roles in the business. Ashley
focuses on the marketing, Brandon brews the beer, Kelsey takes care of
the tap room and finance aspects, and Troy is the operations point person.

Ashley says that the foursome was, “excited to open the outdoor brew-
ery with views of the mountains.” The brewery partners with local rafting
companies so visitors can pack up and take the beer on the river. “It is a
booze cruise,” she adds. The WBC does about 15-percent of its business
to go.

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