Fueled by a healthy dose of tenacity, grit and passion, this husband-and-wife duo deliver world-class food and beer in a festive, down-to-earth setting.
In 2022, Burnside realized that dream when she opened Grand Fir Brewing with her award-winning chef husband, Doug Adams. Their goal: to provide Portlanders with “the ultimate beer and food lovers experience.” The couple leaned into Adams’ culinary skills — he’s worked at numerous top Portland restaurants and was on season twelve of Top Chef — and Burnside’s brewing prowess — in addition to racking up medals for Grand Fir, she’s brewed at top NW breweries Pelican and 10 Barrel. Burnside states that this balance — “we are equally a brewery and restaurant” — differentiates Grand Fir in a city that has a high concentration of craft breweries.
The combination is a perfect fit for Burnside, given that she “got into brewing through food.” After graduating from Johnson and Wales University with a degree in Culinary Arts, Burnside began working at a farm to table restaurant where she made the house cheese. “This introduced me to fermentation. At the same time I was an avid baker. When I was introduced to homebrewing, I realized there were a lot of similarities in brewing as there was to baking, cheese making and cooking. I started brewing myself and was hooked.”
“What I love most about brewing is that it combines a lot of my favorite passions and interests. Brewing is like liquid baking and requires you to be meticulous in every step of the process. I also enjoy the sanitary environment of the brewery as well as the science involved. I love making everything from German lagers, big West coast IPA, and stouts.”
“Lichen is our house West Coast IPA and I think what people really enjoy about it is that has a very light malt profile, finishes dry and is loaded with mouthwatering Strata as the main star of the hop blend."
/ WHITNEY BURNSIDE, BREWMASTER/CO-OWNER @ GRAND FIR BREWING
As a brewery co-owner, Burnside has enjoyed channeling her passion into all aspects of the consumer experience at Grand Fir. “Being able to put our hearts and souls into every aspect of the brewery from the beer/food down to the aesthetics and vibe” has been her favorite part of the process.
Centrally located in the Buckman neighborhood of SE Portland, Grand Fir is clearly rooted in NW vibes. A chopped wood wall flanked by ferns spans the upper loft area of the brewery-restaurant, and another wall has the motto “Old Growth Fresh Beer” spelled out in moss lettering with a friendly-looking carved wood black bear welcoming guests. The simple food menu offers a bit of something for everyone, from the Fried Chicken Sando to the Oregon Bay Shrimp Roll to the Squash Quinoa Bowl — all pair perfectly with Burnside’s balanced, flavorful beer offerings.
The beer list almost reads like a Northwest scavenger hunt: Foxglove, Slug Life, Undergrowth Pale. It includes Lichen IPA which has quickly become one of Grand Fir’s flagship beers — not surprising, given its tagline: It Grows on You ! “Lichen is our house West Coast IPA and I think what people really enjoy about it is that has a very light malt profile, finishes dry and is loaded with mouthwatering Strata as the main star of the hop blend. Strata is definitely one of our signature house hop varieties. We love how bright this variety is and how it boasts huge sweet pineapple, lemon and strawberry. Strata also plays really well with many other varieties (including NZ) and is not at all shy with its presence.”
Foxglove, the menu’s Session IPA and 2024 World Beer Cup Silver-award winner, also has some Strata in the hop bill. In addition to utilizing Indie’s flagship hop Strata, Burnside has brewed with Indie’s lesser-known hop Meridian. “I love brewing with Meridian and really enjoy its complex yet delicate profile of fruity lemon, mandarin orange, and sweet berries. I’ve used Meridian in both sessionable IPAs, English summer ales and an American lager.”
A festive atmosphere complements the top-notch food and drink offerings. Bluegrass jam sessions take place on Thursday nights during the fall and winter months when the weather outside is cold and wet, making Grand Fir the kind of neighborhood spot that you want to duck into and stay a while. During warmer months, casual picnic tables line the sidewalk and the large windows that line the taproom open to the outdoors, creating an airy indoor/outdoor feel.
Although Grand Fir opened its doors at a difficult time — Burnside cites the “challenging time in the industry and economy” — this enthusiastic, down-to-earth couple must be doing something right. Set to expand operations, Adams recently exclaimed on his Instagram feed, “we’ve acquired a little space in our same building in which we will install more tanks for @whitneyburnside to produce more of her award winning incredible beer… We have the best team you could ever ask for — and that’s our ace in the hole.”
Burnside adds, “Opening up Grand Fir Brewing alongside my husband has been the most challenging thing I’ve ever done but it’s also the most rewarding. And I get to do it with the life of my life who makes the most incredible food. I feel pretty lucky!”