Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom

Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom is a bar in Portland, Oregon. Spouses Alex Kurnellas and Shawn Stackpoole opened the original location in southeast Portland in July 2013, followed by a second in northeast Portland in 2017. The business serves local brews on tap, and bottled for take-out.

Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom
Graphic logo of a yellow shield with the text "Portland, Oregon" and "Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom"
Exterior of the original location in Portland, Oregon's Richmond neighborhood, 2021
Restaurant information
EstablishedJuly 2013 (2013-07)
Owner(s)
  • Alex Kurnellas
  • Shawn Stackpoole
Street address3090 Southeast Division Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97202
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45.5047°N 122.6337°W / 45.5047; -122.6337

Imperial operated the pop-up GlüBar in 2020 and 2021, serving beers, ciders, mulled wine, and baked goods. The outpost closed in March 2022, citing challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and a cancer diagnosis in the owners' family. The business has been recognized by the Oregon Beer Awards.

Description

Imperial Bottle Shop had 16 local brews on tap and approximately two hundred bottles to go, as of 2013.[1] Thrillist has said, "Fill up one of their stainless-steel growlers to take home or wait five minutes for them to chill a bottle that you can drink at their bar."[2] In 2014, Grant Butler of The Oregonian wrote, "With large windows facing Division, it's the perfect place for people watching while waiting for a table at Pok Pok. On tap are 16 local beers, and if that's not enough, there are more than 100 bottled beers, including a strong selection of homegrown IPAs."[3] Fodor's has said the bar occupies "a sleek, contemporary corner space" on Division and offers "connoisseur-worthy" microbrews.[4]

History

Spouses and co-owners Alex Kurnellas and Shawn Stackpoole opened the original bar,[5] which occupies 1,347 square feet of retail space in the D-Street Village building on Division Street in southeast Portland's Richmond neighborhood,[6] in July 2013.[7] Upon opening, patrons could have food delivered from nearby Sunshine Tavern.[1] In 2017, a second location opened in a former Mercado Don Pancho on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Vernon neighborhood, with approximately 30 taps,[8] arcade games, and bottles for purchase.[7]

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the original location delivered beer locally from Wednesday to Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m.[9][10] It operated a weekend community plaza featuring local artists, using a special license issued by the City of Portland, during the pandemic.[11] The business has openly supported the Black Lives Matter movement, however the southeast Portland location was vandalized in July 2020 during the George Floyd protests.[12] Outdoor seating returned at both locations by September 2020.[13]

In 2022, plans were announced to close the Vernon location, citing challenges associated with the pandemic and a cancer diagnosis in the family.[7] The bar closed on March 19.[14]

Events
Photograph of a sign on a building's exterior
Exterior sign, 2021

The bar participated in the Nouveau Division Crawl to celebrate Beaujolais nouveau wine in 2015.[15] The Vernon location collaborated with Fremont Brewing in 2018, offering discounted sampler trays to people dressed as Santa Claus as part of the Santacon Sing-Along Spectacular.[16] For New Year's Eve in 2021, the Vernon location hosted the Globetrotter's Ball, ringing in the new year eleven times, "every hour on the hour across the globe".[17] Imperial has also hosted an annual Star Wars Day celebration, screening films from the franchise and serving themed beers.[18]

GlüBar

On December 16, 2020, Imperial began hosting the pop-up GlüBar outside the Vernon location, serving beers, ciders, mulled wine, and baked goods.[5] Mulled drinks changed weekly, using barley wines, sours, and stouts as bases. The Yule Log was prepared tableside with Founders KBS chocolate coffee oatmeal stout, marshmallows, peppermint tincture, and a stick of cinnamon, before being set ablaze.[19] The Fruitcake Delight was made of barleywine mulled with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and turbinado sugar, and garnished with rum-soaked currants and raisins. The glühwein was made of pinot noir from Coopers Hall Winery and Taproom mulled with anise, cinnamon, and turbinado sugar, and garnished with clove. GlüBar also served 2 Towns Ciderhouse's Nice & Naughty Imperial Spiced Cider, garnished with clove and lemon, as well as Momokawa Sake mulled with clove, honey, and orange, and served with a jasmine tea bag infusion.[5]

GlüBar returned in 2021.[20] Drinks included a Bold Leaf pinot noir mulled with anise, cinnamon, and clove, a Crux's Freakcake Sour with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and a Deschutes's Abyss imperial stout turned into a peppermint cocoa by steeping the beer with Ghirardelli and candy canes. Katrina Yentch included GlüBar in Eater Portland's 2021 list of "12 Places to Sip Cheery, Warm Holiday Cocktails in Portland".[21]

Reception and recognition
Photographs of a building's exterior
Exterior of the Richmond bar, 2022

In 2013, Ned Lannamann of the Portland Mercury described the original location as a "welcoming new hangout... and a worthwhile addition to the almost incomprehensibly huge eating and drinking scene on SE Division". He said "the choices (including two ciders) are consistently excellent".[22] In 2014, Willamette Week said, "Imperial is the first beer bar in town to employ a Wine Well to chill shelved bottles, a welcome innovation next to the familiar digital beer board, jazz soundtrack, heavy wood seating and an IPA-heavy tap list."[23] The newspaper included Imperial in a 2021 overview of "favorite patios for day-drinking".[24] CNN Travel and Thrillist have included Imperial in lists of businesses which make Portland a leading city for beer.[25][26] The business has been recognized by the Oregon Beer Awards; Imperial was nominated in the Best Beer Bar/Bottle Shop category in 2019,[27] and tied for Best Pandemic Pivot in 2021.[28]

See also

References
  1. DeJesus, Erin (August 15, 2013). "Inside SE Division's Imperial Bottle Shop, Open Now". Eater Portland. Vox Media. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  2. "Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom - Division". Thrillist. Group Nine Media. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  3. Butler, Grant (January 10, 2014). "Portland's hottest dining destination Take a trip with us to Southeast Division Street, where the culinary gentrification that started a decade ago is only intensifying". The Oregonian. p. 14.
  4. Fodor's Inside Portland. Fodor's. April 7, 2020. p. 234. ISBN 9781640972513. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  5. Frane, Alex (December 16, 2020). "NE Portland Is Getting a Mulled Wine Bar For Winter". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  6. Graves, Mark (June 19, 2013). "Real Estate - Portland-area transactions". The Oregonian. Imperial Bottle Shop leased 1,347 square feet of retail space at D-Street Village, 3050 S.E. Division St., Portland, from ADG IIIA.
  7. Prewitt, Andi (March 15, 2022). "Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom Is Closing Its Northeast Alberta Street Location". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on March 16, 2022. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  8. Bamman, Mattie John (February 1, 2017). "These 130 Restaurants and Bars Opened in Portland in 2017". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  9. Nanbu, Seiji; Frane, Alex (May 8, 2020). "How to Get Booze Delivered to Your Door in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  10. Prewitt, Andi. "Local Breweries Are Beginning to Offer Store-to-Door Delivery Service". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  11. Frane, Alex (August 20, 2020). "A Guide to Portland's Temporary Plazas for Outdoor Dining". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  12. "Local Business Owner Reacts After Demonstrators Damage Shop In SE PDX That's Openly Supporting BLM Movement". KXL-FM. July 27, 2020. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  13. Frane, Alex (June 18, 2020). "A List of Portland Restaurants Reopening for Patio or Dine-In Service". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  14. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (January 20, 2021). "Portland's Restaurant, Bar, and Food Cart Closures". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  15. Bakall, Samantha (November 18, 2015). "Spend the day with Beaujolais: Nouveau wine events in Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  16. "Aminé, Santacon and 9 Other Things to Do and See In Portland Dec. 19-25". Willamette Week. December 18, 2018. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  17. Prewitt, Andi (December 27, 2021). "New Year's Eve 2021: Where to Dine, Drink and Dance in Portland". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on January 8, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  18. Hale, Jamie (May 4, 2015). "May the Fourth be with you! How to celebrate Star Wars Day in Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  19. Prewitt, Andi (January 12, 2021). "The Spirit of Friluftsliv Is Strong With Imperial Bottle Shop's Outdoor Hot-Beverage Pop-Up". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  20. Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (November 24, 2021). "Oregon Has Lifted Its Outdoor Mask Mandate". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  21. Yentch, Katrina (January 25, 2019). "12 Places to Sip Cheery, Warm Holiday Cocktails in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  22. Lannamann, Ned (November 13, 2013). "Get Your Growl On". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  23. "Beer Guide 2014: Bars & Shops". Willamette Week. February 4, 2014. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  24. "Our Favorite Patios for Day-Drinking in Portland". Willamette Week. April 21, 2021. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  25. Foyston, John (November 19, 2014). "World's best beer city is Portland, Oregon; 23 reasons why". CNN Travel. CNN. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  26. Kryza, Andy (May 1, 2015). "The 16 Best Beer Cities in America". Thrillist. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  27. "2019 Oregon Beer Awards Winners and Recap". Brewpublic. February 26, 2019. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  28. Singer, Matthew (May 21, 2021). "Here Are the Winners of the 2021 Oregon Beer Awards". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
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