Crystal Brewery
Established: February 1997
2012 Brewery Production: 282 batches • 3,516.50 kegs • 436,046 pints
This second-story brewery is home to two seasoned and creative brewers - Tony Balzola and Alex McGaw - who, in addition to the usual company standards and seasonals, work to have a constant rotation of flavorful and unique offerings for patrons of Ringlers and the Ballroom, as well as three outlying pubs. House favorites include Pilsner Kristell, a beautiful crystal clear bohemian-style pilsner and the Crystal IPA. The brewers also make frequent use of the barrels made available by the Edgefield Distillery, and these fabulous barrel-aged beverages are not to be missed.
The brewery itself is housed in what originally was the Crystal Ballroom's dance rehearsal studio. Bits of the legendary ballroom's history are depicted on the brew and fermentation tanks, including a stern portrait of Lola Baldwin, the conservative policewoman who stayed busy during the Jazz Age keeping booze and other vices out of this place. One of McMenamins' pioneer brews — Crystal Ale — was named honoring the ballroom before the property was acquired. The recipe was refined in 1997 to coincide with McMenamins reopening of the ballroom.
Interested in purchasing a keg? Call the brewery at 503-225-0047 and review our list of keg sales frequently asked questions.
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