A GARAGE GROWS
Sam Bond’s soon to brew beer
I
t’s no secret that Sam Bond’s Garage is a
venue where Eugeneans can go to experi-
ence lively bands (both local and touring) put
on first-rate shows. Many a music lover has
spent an evening or two taking in the laid-
back atmosphere, the raging concerts and
the impressive selection of beer that Sam
Bond’s has to offer. But now there is more to
look forward to — specifically, more beer.
Sam Bond’s is in the process of opening its
own brewery.
“We’re beer lovers, and this is the next step,”
owner Mark Jaeger says.
It turns out that the idea of Sam Bond’s having its
own brewery was always a goal of Jaeger and
company. Jaeger wanted to have a brewery that
physically existed inside the current Sam Bond’s
venue, but the limited space did not allow for this.
Jaeger says that the brewery was the original idea.
“Then the music took over. But we’ve been planning
this for years.”
So what do you do when the incredible little beer
pub and music venue you started is too small to brew
beer in, but you really want to start cranking out your
own brand of cerveza? You go big.
“We have a huge old warehouse of a building,”
head brewer Jim Montgomery says. “It gives me
plenty of space to brew in.”
In a building Jaeger says is colloquially known as
“The Foundry,” located at 540 East 8th St.,
Montgomery is preparing to concoct what will soon
BY D A NT E Z UÑI G A - W EST
become staples of Eugene’s beer-drinking and show-
going community.
“The brewery will be representative of the bar
[Sam Bond’s],” Montgomery says. “Not fancy but
functional, industrial with an old timey feel.”
Montgomery is a transplant from the Bay Area,
with more than 12 years of brewing experience. A
chemical engineering buff who fell in love with beer
making, he spent time working for a small brewery in
Spain before returning to the states. Montgomery says
the Spaniards weren’t too into microbrews, and they
preferred hot-weather lighter beers in general. This is
what drove him back to the U.S.
“I’m excited to be in Eugene,” Montgomery says.
“Anyone can open a brew pub but Sam Bond’s has a
great music venue to go with it. Which is awesome.”
So sometime shortly after the upcoming new year,
keep your eye out for the first of many new brews by
way of Sam Bond’s. Montgomery expects to have
three to four standard beers at all times, with three or
four seasonal ales that will correspond to the weather.
Rumor has it that an English pale ale, a German wheat
beer and a hoppy IPA may be the first of Sam Bond’s
new beer brand. With Montgomery’s experience at
larger commercial breweries, as well as smaller
independent operations, the best of both worlds is
about to show up in your stein (or Mason jar).
“We’re not trying to reinvent the idea of a
brewery,” Montgomery says. “I’m trying to make
these beers solid Northwest quality and carry on the
microbrewery tradition here.” ■
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