To mark a decade of brewing, Montavilla Brew Works will host ten events celebrating its beer and the brewers behind the process. Melissa and Michael Kora opened Montavilla Brew Works at 7805 SE Stark Street on July 15th, 2015, and started using the annual celebration of that event to host a summertime gathering. Michael Kora saw this year as an opportunity to spread the events across their tenth year, giving people more opportunities to participate in the celebration.

The first of ten events already took place with the Valentine’s Day event that also commemorates the founding of Oregon on February 14th, 1859. Since 2021, Montavilla Brew Works has collaborated with the Heart Sticker Company to produce a West Coast IPA that celebrates living in Oregon and features the iconic green heart in the Oregon State outline. They start brewing the small batch in late January to have it ready for a February release party. There was still snow on the ground this year, but Kora was impressed with the number of people who made it out.

On March 8th, the next event taps into the SheBrew Beer Festival, celebrating women in the craft beer and cider industry on International Women’s Day. Montavilla Brew Works’ Cam Brown will release her batch using the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day hops blend. Kora explained that Brown has an affinity for beer as a home brewer and works at his brewhouse in several capacities. This annual event creates an opportunity for the male-dominated industry to make space for underrepresented people to show their skills and encourage more participation while creating tasty beers. “We’re pretty happy with it and it gives me a chance to give the reins to the ladies that work here that are really passionate about beer and want to learn more about it,” said Kora. He stepped aside and let Brown lead the process while helping translate the home brewer skills to a commercial production level. Cam Brown’s SheBrew beer is available on draft only, so people must try it at Montavilla Brew Works or a small selection of taprooms around town. The special batch will yield ten 15.5 gallon-1/2 barrel kegs, so people interested in tasing it should plan on attending the March 8th event for the best chance to experience it. “The idea was for it to stay as fresh as possible and sell as quickly as possible,” remarked Kora.

The following week, on March 15th, Montavilla Brew Works will release Mayor Millie’s Mexican lager in honor of neighborhood icon Millie The Wonder Dog. “We’ve got a little four-legged mayor of Montavilla that comes in here, a little Chiweenie (cross between the Chihuahua and Dachshund dog) named Millie,” explained Kora. “You’ve probably seen her around. Her owner walks her around all the restaurants and some of the bars. She’s just kind of like a mascot; she’s like an ambassador around here.” Montavilla Brew Works will host a launch party, and staff will welcome dogs on the patio. Mayor Millie’s Mexican lager will be available in a can featuring her image.”

On April 4th, Montavilla Brew Works will release a collaboration with the Dungeons and Dragons-themed brewery on Hawthorne, TPK Brewing Co. The Export Lager is offered on draft only. Then, in mid-April, Montavilla Brew Works will hold another release party for a collaboration with 10 Barrel Brewing Company. Kora has a long history with 10 Barrel’s R&D Brewer, Danny Connors. “He used to be a Rogue and at Buckman Brewing, where the Green Dragon nano Brewers used to brew. Danny kept in contact, and when I started building this place, I asked him a million questions, and he and I got close,” recalled Kora. “He has moved around a bit since Rogue and then hired by 10 Barrel. He reached out to me [about a collaboration], which I thought was great. It gives us a chance to meet a much wider audience with our collaboration beer.” The modern style IPA will utilize terpenes to create a distinct cannabis-inspired aroma to the brew. Terpenes “are basically the compound responsible for giving plants their aroma and even their flavor,” said Kora. “Chemists will use different biosynthetic compounds and build those aromas in a laboratory to mimic the aromas of cannabis without it being THC because putting THC (the active ingredient in Cannabis) in beer is illegal.” Kora explained cannabis is a botanical cousin to the hops used in brewing, and “It’ll blend really well with the hops that we’re already going to use in that brew.” The combined flavor is also a tip of the hat to 10 Barrel Brewing’s ownership by Tilray Brands, which operates in the craft beer and cannabis industries. They are testing flavors before brewing and have created a palette of pineapple, raw fresh cannabis, and strawberry with other forward berry elements. “they really smell great together,” remarked Kora. The collaborators will make the yet-to-be-named beer available as draft only at Montavilla Brew Works and at 10 Barrel’s Portland pub with limited distribution through Maletis Beverage.

As the year progresses, Montavilla Brew Works will refresh its longtime collaboration with East Glisan Pizza Lounge and launch two summertime projects. One is with Nico’s Ice Cream Company; the other is a collaboration between Portland Brewers from Michigan. Michael Kora is from Michigan and discovered several other brewers with similar roots, including Assembly Brewing, Breakside Brewery, Oregon City Brewing, Ruse Brewing, and Upright Brewing. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a lot of years because there were even more Michigan brewers when we started, and some have since gone away or closed,” recalled Kora. “So the plan is to use Michigan-based raw materials like Michigan hops, Michigan malt, or fruit.” The Michigan collaboration may come together in time for the anniversary party date, but the timing could prove challenging. Heading into the fall, they will work on a Palantir German-style dark lager collaboration with Puff Coffee.

People can expect to hear about more collaborations and events as the year progresses, and they often celebrate the anniversary on a Saturday close to July 15th. Following Montavilla Brew Works’ social media is a good way to stay informed about specific dates and times for each event. Michael Kora hopes people will enjoy the variety of celebration dates and find time to join them in commemorating their decade. “Ten years is a big deal, you know, and I don’t want it to just be on one day,” said Kora. “We’re celebrating our friendship with people throughout the year.”