Cascade Brewing

Cascade Brewing, a pioneer in the sour ale movement that grew to prominence in the late 2000s, has ceased operations less than a month after its founder, Art Larrance, died at age 80.

Source: Portland brewery – a pioneer of sour ales – shuts down, possibly for good

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Cascade Brewing, a pioneer in the sour ale movement that grew to prominence in the late 2000s, has ceased operations less than a month after its founder, Art Larrance, died at age 80.

A message on the brewery’s website and Instagram page said the closure is temporary, but Alissa Larrance, the founder’s daughter, said she was delivering final paychecks to the staff on Tuesday.

Four years ago, Cascade issued an announcement that it had been sold to a group that included the owners of FlyBoy Brewery of Tigard. That deal, however, was apparently never concluded, Alissa Larrance told The Oregonian on Monday.

She said she was unaware her father still held a controlling interest in Cascade, which passed to a family trust upon his death. She also said her father held the liquor license for the brewery and Cascade Barrel House in Southeast Portland, but it expired 10 days after his death.

“This has all been a big shock during an already stressful time,” she told The Oregonian/OregonLive.

The Barrel House and Cascade’s blending house were both closed, Alissa Larrance said, when the license expired.

Alissa Lawrence also said the family trust is “not able to financially support Cascade.”

Ramie Mount, one of the principals in the group of brewery and taproom owners that had sought to buy Cascade, did not return a text or phone call seeking a comment about the ownership situation or what led to the liquor license expiring and operations ceasing.

Cascade Brewing was founded in 1998 in Southwest Portland along with the Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub. Like most brewpubs, Cascade started out making pub ales, but with competition ramping up even back then, Art Larrance and brewmaster Ron Gansberg, decided in 2006 to swerve onto a path less traveled: sour beers. The about-face would change everything.