Whether you drive the stretch of NE Sandy Blvd often or not, you've likely heard that BTU Brasserie was for sale and has been acquired. Sporting a new paint job outside and in, founder and brewer Charlie Goman has established Second Profession Brewing.
Charlie has no commercial brewing experience and is drawing on a combination of his homebrewing experience, mentoring by Tomas Sluiter of Culmination and assistance from Marc Martin of Northwest Brewery Advisors. Working on the nearly new Portland Kettle Works system that was part of the acquisition, Charlie plans to brew beers that are heavily Northwest-influenced, spanning a variety of styles. At a recent media preview we tried two of their beers (others this close to being ready were finishing in the fermenters). Professional Pale Ale, an English-style pale with NW influence from the Cascade and Mt Hood hops, drinks true to its description. Their Rye IPA is most certainly spicy with more rye spiciness coming through than many other examples of the style we've tried. Both beers, in addition to being enjoyable on their own for those looking to drop in for a pint, are also good companions to the food menu.
That menu, described as "German comfort food" is made up of dishes from Charlie's home of Milwaukee, WI and are executed by their chef who comes from the now closed Der Rheinlander. Sausages sourced from Zenner's, in full in-bun format as well as sliced in sampler platter format for easy sharing, are the focal point of the menu and entirely too delicious. Sides include warm German-style potato salad, soups, green salads and the winner in our book, garlic fries. The fries are very good on their own but what is even better is the sage aioli they're served with (incidentally, in the cutest mini-buckets). One could probably dip slices of drywall in this aioli and eat through a sheet, it is that good.
As for the name, one component of it is fairly obvious in that the decision to open a brewery is a second profession for Charlie. He previously sold copiers, something he didn't find fulfilling, and churned through lots of ideas about what he would do instead before settling on taking his love of homebrewing to the next level. Another part of the decision to settle on the name of Second Profession came from a conversation with a buddy who commented that "brewing is the second oldest profession." Finally, Charlie feels many of his customers will identify with their second profession as being what they choose to do during their time outside the office. The logo, created by Room Service Creative, illustrates a second profession for many Oregonians - enjoyment of the abundance of outdoor activities available - while perhaps for others our second profession would be described as enjoying the abundance of craft beer available.
- The brewery, with the exception of the seats at the actual bar, is family friendly and the menu will include a couple of kid-focused items.
- The menu, although in its soft-opening format succinct state is sausage-heavy, will also offer vegetarian and vegan dishes. Thank goodness, because even if kids weren't allowed no restaurant will survive here without allowing (wait, inviting) vegetarians and vegans.
- The drink menu includes a section of beer cocktails Charlie hopes will bridge the gap between beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers.
- They hold a full liquor license and will stock a supply of basic liquors.
Second Profession Brewing
5846 NE Sandy Blvd
Open Wednesday - Sunday 4 - 10pm
Grand opening October 27 - 29 (more details)
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