Barley Mill Poster

This poster, ubiquitous around McMenamins for a time, celebrates the Barley Mill Pub, a special place in our evolution. The Barley Mill is where the light truly clicked on for the brothers McMenamin; it is our first location in the realm of McMenamins as we know it today.

Mike McMenamin is seated at the center bottom of the poster with glasses, orange hair and a beard. His brother Brian is to his right. In the 1970s into the early ‘80s, Mike and Brian gained know-how by opening and running in a variety of ventures. In 1983, they gathered what they learned from those experiences and took a running start at something new: the once rowdy, recently closed, live-music tavern called the Fat Little Rooster at 17^th & Hawthorne in Southeast Portland.

Their goal was simple: tables, chairs, art, music, a basic-but-hearty menu and good beer – all necessary ingredients for a convivial gathering place. The brothers decked out their new pub with neon lights and imaginative murals, all crafted by friends. The most wondrous attraction was the Barley Mill’s namesake: a heavy, red barley mill that was originally a kitty litter grinder. It was brought in with great effort and positioned in a central spot to be enjoyed in all its primitive splendor. It remains a prized relic from Oregon's first microbrewery, the Cartwright Brewery (1979–82).

The true test of the relevancy of a pub is in the variety of its clientele. It doesn’t depend on the trendy décor to bring in the people. It’s the other way around. The neighborhood clientele is the atmosphere. It’s a classic, long-term relationship. It doesn’t go in and out of style. It is the community center.
­­­­— Mike McMenamin