New
Brews
TWO BREWERIES ARE SET
TO OPEN IN EUGENE
THIS SUMMER
BY KEVIN SULLIVAN
C
raft brewing companies like Ninkasi have
put Eugene on the map as the place to
experience and purchase quality beer as well
as support local causes. Now Elk Horn
Brewery and Mancäve Brewing hope to make names
for themselves by using innovative ideas and supporting
the community.
JESSE INISAN AND BRANDON WOODRUFF OF MANCÄVE BREWING
MANCÄVE BREWING
Nearly a decade ago, when Brandon Woodruff was
on his way home from the Navy after tearing his ACL,
he called his then-girlfriend and said, “Hey, I have to
come home now, and I don’t know what I’m going to
do.”
Soon after arriving home, Woodruff started bartending
and eventually obtained his first homebrew kit from
Valley Vinter and Brewer. For nine years he has been
saving up his tips made as a bartender and giving away
his beer for free at places like the Kaleidoscope Music
Festival, just to get his name out there.
Now, Woodruff, his business partner Wes Gunderson
and investor Jesse Inisan have a self-funded warehouse
property in the Whiteaker neighborhood.
“If you want something, you just gotta go for it,
man,” Woodruff says.
Mancäve Brewing isn’t your typical place to get a
pint. There is a “Höhle Verein Society” (German for
“cave society”) that customers must join if they want to
gain access into the brewery. But that won’t happen until
they buy some of the merchandise with Woodruff’s
designs on them.
Once in the society, customers can expect invitations
to special events including tours. Not only that, but 100
percent of all profits made from merchandise goes
toward rotating charities, the first of which will be
Greenhill Humane Society and EC Cares, which provides
early intervention and early childhood education to kids
with developmental delays or disabilities.
Mancäve Brewing is located at the edge of the Whit
in a blue-collar environment, where Woodruff says that
he wants workers to feel like they can come to get a
drink rather than go all the way into town.
“I just want people to enjoy the beer,” Woodruff says.
For those who neither want to go to town or head to
the cave to enjoy the frothy beverage, another cool
option from Mancäve Brewing is delivery. Expect
Mancäve to start selling beer mid-June and open the
sit-down area of the brewery sometime in July. They
are located on 540 Fillmore St.
ELK HORN BREWERY
When Stephen and Colleen Sheehan opened up the
Delacata food cart a few years ago, they had reservations.
STEPHEN AND COLLEEN SHEEHAN
OF ELK HORN BREWERY
www.eugeneweekly.com
They weren’t sure how the people of Eugene would
take to Southern fried food.
“The Southern food cart just took off. We can’t
believe the response we’ve had from this community,”
Stephen Sheehan says.
Now the Sheehans own 90 percent of Elk Horn
Brewery, which is slated to open Aug. 1. Boasting
“the sickest deck in town,” a handful of TVs and sev-
eral elk mounts, Elk Horn Brewing is sure to have a
feel all its own.
“This is a dream we’ve been working hard on and
it’s actually going to happen,” Colleen Sheehan says.
Stephen Sheehan says his granddad was one of the
owners of Tennessee Brewing. “I feel like the brewing
business is in our blood,” he says.
Southern-style brewing and cooking make for a
delicious combination, and Elk Horn Brewing definitely
will not disappoint with their food. Customers of
Delacata will be happy to hear that the couple plans on
expanding their menu to include desserts and other
such goodies.
On the “badass” deck, the Sheehans say bands will
play live, and opening night they have a band that
“people know.” They just won’t say who it is.
There are several investors in Elk Horn Brewery,
but Stephen Sheehan says that they all contribute
something other than money. Sweet Cheeks Winery
donated 5 acres of land specifically to grow hops for
Elk Horn. Other businesses have donated building
supplies and other equipment.
“We feel like a part of businesses from all over town
are on the walls of Elk Horn,” Stephen Sheehan says.
Delacata is known for sponsoring children in need
to gain a whole new wardrobe and school supplies.
Now, with Elk Horn Brewing, they will have a “beer
’cause we care” tap where every dollar spent will go to
an organization of their choosing. Not only that, but
Colleen Sheehan says come the holidays, Elk Horn will
sponsor a child to get a present from Santa Claus.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done in my life
because of people’s reactions,” Stephen Sheehan says.
Elk Horn Brewery is slated to open Aug. 1. ■
EUGENE WEEKLY’S STATE OF SUDS 2014
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