A Message from Dave Wills, Managing Instigator

 I've been running Oregon Trail Brewery as well as my Freshops business and tree farm for the past 23 years.  Although I never really intended to run the brewery as you can see by reading about our history at oregontrailbrewery.com,  I just couldn't see the place close after helping to build it back in 1987.  Over the past 20 years we have made some great beers and trained many a brewer here but no one brewer has stuck around more than about 2 years.  This certainly made things difficult to try and grow this business into a profitability constantly training new employees.
As I move into the future I have other plans for my time and need to offer this fine opportunity to someone that has the time and energy to take this brewery into the future and take advantage of the 200th anniversary of the Oregon Trail in 2043.  We have a great location in downtown Corvallis with many of our accounts only a walk away with a keg on a hand truck.  Corvallis is a great town with loads of support for locally made products.  Home of the USDA hop research farm and Oregon State University with its fermentation science/food science program.  We are only 60 miles to Newport on the coast, 80 miles south of Portland, and 80 miles to the Cascades to the east.  Competition is fierce but the opportunities are many so check us out at oregontrailbrewery.com and look over our assets below.  If you're ready to take on this Oregon Trail it will be alot easier than the pioneers experienced back in the 1840's.  We are a 3 story old school gravity that requires very few motors.  Our Bourbon Barrel Porter rates 97 on ratebeer.com.  We have an in house lab with retired microbiologist Don Pfeiffer willing to work or train the future owner.  Our current brewer Paul Miller is producing fine beer and is available to work or train you the buyer.  I know the ins and outs of this place and am willing to help as well as supply the best hops in the land via Freshops.  Our sales were only 318 barrels in 2013 which is down from the past but with a strong effort there is no reason that Oregon Trail Brewery cannot be as successful as any of the many breweries that have grown and continue to grow in this fun but challenging business.     Check out this link of brewery sales in Oregon in January 2014.
http://www.olcc.state.or.us/pdfs/beer/beer_2014_01.pdf
Many of the top 25 breweries in sales were started less than 5 years ago and sold more in January than we sold all last year. Bottles, bottles, bottles is what has made these breweries successful.  We currently only bottle our bourbon porter as space is very limited for bottling here but opportunity exist!
After looking over the info online please don't hesitate to give me a call at 541 929 2736 or plan to come to the brewery for a full tour and tasting.


Hoppily,
Dave Wills
President