THIRSTYGROWLER
Astoria Brewing Co. retires an iconic mascot
BY WILLIAM DEAN
The snarling dog that has served as Asto-
ria Brewing Co.’s mascot for more than 20
years is now being retired.
Bitter Bitch Imperial IPA, a tri-
ple-hopped, dark-malted brew that has been
one of the downtown brewery’s mainstays,
is no longer being produced.
The last kegs ran dry in late August, sig-
naling a new direction for the family-owned
brewery that began as Pacific Rim Brewing
and Wet Dog Cafe in 1997. All the original
beers were named after dogs. Bitter Bitch
was the last of the pack.
Brad Kenoyer, who is in charge of brew-
ing operations, began the evolution by giv-
ing Andrew Brown, previously of Buoy
Beer Co. and now Astoria Brewing Co.’s
head brewer, free rein to update recipes,
collaborate with other breweries and intro-
duce new beers better suited for modern
palates. More small-batch seasonal releases
are also in the works.
In the past year, the brewery has also
revamped its taproom and began canning
popular beers more aggressively, with an
eye on wider distribution. New labels fea-
ture a misty Oregon forest scene.
As for Bitter Bitch, Kenoyer says the
decision to pull the plug was difficult, but
had everything to do with rebranding.
“We all knew it was time,” Kenoyer
said. “It’s hard to not brew a beer that
we’ve made for so long ... but it was just a
dated beer in a lot of different ways.”
That includes the potent brew’s consid-
erable bitterness and, of course, its name.
Other local breweries have had to make
their own retirement decisions.
Only two of Fort George Brewery’s
original beers remain in year-round produc-
tion today: Vortex IPA and Cavatica stout.
That means there have been a lot of tough
calls over the years to drop some of the
brewers’ favorites.
Fort George’s 1811 lager, for instance,
had sentimental value. The brewery’s first
beer to be canned, it was introduced amid
fanfare in honor of Astoria’s Bicentennial.
Astoria Brewing Co.’s snarling dog mascot is a
favorite of local beer fans.
Brews & News
Fort George Brewery’s Beer Pier will be
open during Labor Day weekend. Live
music is scheduled to accompany brews
on tap. A food truck will be available.
Buoy Beer Co.’s Oktoberfest celebration
will be held from Sept. 23 to 25 at its
downtown pop-up taproom in the Astoria
Food Hub building. Expect a selection of
German-style beers alongside food and
music.
Photos by William Dean
LEFT: Brad Kenoyer has been busy rebranding Astoria Brewing Co. and its selections.
RIGHT: Updated beer can labels feature a forest scene.
“It was exciting,” Brian Bovenizer, the
brewery’s marketing and sales director,
said. “The first beer off our line.”
But the lager’s popularity soon waned,
leading to the painful decision to retire it
after a few years. It was brought back for
a limited time in 2021, helping to kick
off Fort George Brewery’s seasonal lager
series.
Bovenizer says the decision to pull a
year-round beer is typically based on sales
and changing tastes. “We’re always trying
to innovate and come up with new things,”
he said. “We want to create beer that
evolves with the palate of our drinkers.”
When Buoy Beer Co. retired its oatmeal
stout, one of the brewery’s originals, it had
little choice.
Bars and taprooms closed during the
COVID-19 pandemic, shutting off the mar-
ket for the draught-only beer. Production
ended, often never to resume. But old rec-
ipes never die. Beers with a following can
be always be brought back for a limited
time.
As for that snarling dog, the car-
toon-style art isn’t going away. It’s embla-
zoned on everything from the taproom’s
rotating sign to pint glasses and growlers.
It’s part of Astoria’s brewing lore.
William Dean is an author with a pas-
sion for craft beer. His suspense novels,
“The Ghosts We Know” and “Danger-
ous Freedom” are available in bookstores.
Contact him at williamdeanbooks@gmail.
com.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2022 // 7