Fat Head’s Portland To become Von Ebert Brewing

It never seemed like a fit to us to begin with…An Ohio brewery franchising its operation into the already beer rich and uber-local Portland beer scene.

And now we’ve learned that Fat head’s PDX, which launched in 2014, will close in January and be replaced sometime after that, by Von Ebert Brewing, which will also be operated by the current Fat Heads franchisee, Tom Cook.

The news which broke late Tuesday left a lot of locals scratching their heads, for it turns out the franchise had gained considerable traction in Portland and was packed more times than not…

But as Beervana Buzz learned when they contacted Tom Cook, closing Fat Head’s PDX was a mutual decision…

“I know it sounds like spin…But that’s exactly what happened. They wanted to focus on the Midwest, where they have a lot going on with a new production brewery and the new Canton brewpub. I wanted to focus on Portland. We decided it’s probably best for them to continue in the Midwest and for me to do my own thing out there.”

“Von Ebert Brewing is a new concept,” according to Cook “where northwest family traditions meet bold new ideas in craft brewing.”

The majority of his brewing team will remain in place including Head Brewer, Eric Van Tassel and Sean Burke, who built a huge reputation for his unique brewing skills at the now closed and sorely missed The Commons.

Fat Head’s Banner: Yelp / Johann D