USA, OR: Base Camp Brewing now permanently closed and looking for buyers

Like countless other breweries, Base Camp Brewing has struggled through the pandemic. But for this brewery, there is also a bigger and more personal angle to the story. According to a recent report in the Oregonian, the brewery is now permanently closed and the owner is hoping an interested buyer will step forward.

In 2012 Justin Fay opened Base Camp Brewing in Southeast Portland’s Buckman neighborhood. It represented a combination of two of his passions, the great outdoors and great beer. The taproom is renowned for its sporty vibe and its roomy patio.

“It was very difficult to come to the decision that I’d rather not reopen,” Justin Fay told the Oregonian. “It’s been extremely emotional. Lots of ups and downs over the last year.”

Justin Fay has not yet set a sale price or a lease price but says Base Camp is available as a turn-key business. The Oregonian reports that he is being flexible and is offering the brewery’s assets in various forms, which might include selling and/or leasing the brand, equipment, building, and intellectual property rights.

Interested parties should know that the assets include an 18-barrel brewing system, a five-barrel brewing system, fermenting/conditioning tanks, racks and kegs, bottling and canning equipment, the draft/refrigeration system, and the taproom. The building covers 11,500 square feet and sits on a half-block lot that includes a spacious patio and fire pit.

While the brewery and taproom sit dormant, a couple of food trucks (food carts) have been operating next to the Base Camp patio area. Fay says he hopes people continue to support those businesses.

Since stepping away from Base Camp’s day-to-day operations in recent years, Fay has been growing hops on his family-owned Bear Creek Ranch in Ashland, Oregon. He told the Oregonian that managing the ranch and moving it toward a regenerative farming model will now be his full-time focus.

Not just hops, along with his girlfriend and family he’s been growing all sorts of things, including his own personal wellness.

Fay says that stepping away from the brewery and the stress of running the business will help him continue on a path of self-improvement that began a few years ago. As part of that journey, Fay has been sober since an incident five years ago with the police, an incident that led to him pleading guilty to weapons and criminal mischief charges.

“It was a situation that spurred me towards getting healthier in my life in so many different ways, and allowing myself to seek and accept help,” he said during a recent interview with The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Everybody has struggled, and most of those struggles tend to be something that are a lifelong learning journey, and I’m continuing with counseling and therapy. It’s something that is a daily part of my life now.”

03 February, 2021