USA, OR: Hopworks Urban Brewery closes Vancouver brewpub
For most of its history, Hopworks Urban Brewery has benefitted from good timing. The brewery-brewpub chain got its start in 2008, just in time to ride the wave of the craft beer resurgence. And it opened locations in the North Williams neighborhood in Portland and Mill Plain in Vancouver, just before those areas took off, Oregon Business reported on August 6.
Now, Hopworks is suffering from bad timing, according to co-founder and brewmaster Christian Ettinger, who says the pandemic caused behavioral shifts inconsistent with Hopworks’ model of oversized brewpub — shifts that linger to this day.
After growing to five locations by 2020, the sustainability-focused brewer has shuttered three. And on Saturday, it will pour its last pint in Vancouver. It’s a stark turnaround for a one-time craft brew darling and Portland success story.
“We had a good 11-year run, pre-covid. I’m very proud of what we created in those first 11 years. We still got that in us,” Ettinger said this week, sounding somber but resolute. “I’m an eternal optimist, and out of this, we’re going to take our time and we’re going to look deep and reinvent Hopworks for the next 17 years.”
Since COVID, people go out less, and spend less at restaurants when they do. Younger people are drinking less than previous generations.
Beyond those explanations, there’s far more competition now. When Hopworks began in 2008, the U.S. had 1,200 breweries. Now, there are more than 10,000. And increasingly in 2025, tariff fears and uncertainty are affecting consumer choices.
In light of these challenges, Ettinger and his wife and business partner, Brandie, plan to take Hopworks back to what they say made the company successful in the first place — by expanding distribution and focusing on a single brewpub location, the Powell Boulevard “flagship” in Southeast Portland.
The Powell Hopworks will feature some new offerings like an expanded pizza menu and event calendar. A new 120-capacity live event space will feature local musicians and performers.
“We’ll have a pretty singular focus on making great beer and gathering people around that,” Ettinger says. “Now that I don’t have to worry about growing a tap house or brewpub syndicate. I can just spend all my time in the brewery, getting our great beer to more people.”
Ettinger says it’s not all glum news. Hopworks’ barrel production was up 5% in 2024 and home-region sales were up 15%. The company still produces around 10,000 barrels per year, distributing around the PNW and Japan, and recent agreements have extended distribution into Northern California and Idaho. They’re points to build on as the company enters its next phase.
The Ettingers started out with a DIY ethos and wrote sustainability into their business plan, becoming the first certified B Corp brewery in the Pacific Northwest. Over the next 10 years, the business grew rapidly, opening locations on Williams, at the Portland International Airport and in 2016, in Vancouver.
Early on, rather than national or worldwide dominance, the Ettingers dreamed of hitting the “sweet spot” of a regional chain of five or six profitable brewpubs.
We know what happened next. Hopworks limped along for three years, subsidized by PPP loans. For the past two and half years, leaders at the company have experimented with counter service and other ventures, and hoped things return to 2019. “At the end of the day, we couldn’t overcome the shift in behavior, and also the competition.”
When they established on Powell Boulevard, Hopworks was among the neighborhood’s only dining options. Same with North Williams. Same with Mill Plain. Same with PDX. In a sense, they were undone by the craft-beer scene they helped create.
“I think we had a pioneering spirit with how we looked at neighborhoods. And I think we were going to keep hitting the gas and trying doing that. In 2019, we had every reason to try to open two or three more.”
Ettinger thinks the next tenant at their Vancouver space — Amaro’s Table — could be a better fit for the city, with its cocktails, comfort food and steakhouse vibe.
An HR rep with Northwest Hospitality (owner of Amaro’s and other brands) was in attendance Aug. 1 when Ettinger announced the closure to the Vancouver staff. Hopworks employees were invited to attend an upcoming job fair intended to staff up the new restaurant.
Shift manager Nicole Eckrich said most employees don’t seem to know where they’ll go next. Many have been at the Vancouver Hopworks for over five years. She’s been there nearly it’s entire run.
“I think we’re all still kind of in shock,” she said. “A lot of us are probably going to take some time and just chill.”
For now, customers can enjoy deep discounts on just about everything remaining in stock, including packs of Hopworks’ popular Overland IPA and Beestly Honey Porter. The tanks and other brewing equipment will be auctioned soon. A beer can collection that stretches the length of the building will likely resurface at the Powell location, possibly in the new venue space. Same with an installation of bike frames that hangs above the bar.
07 August, 2025
