July 16th, 2024

A first look at McMinnville’s new location from Tualatin-based Stickmen Brewing

A wood fired pizza with pepperoni, arugula and a ball of burrata on top in the middle. There is a pint of beer and the glass is etched with the logo for Stickmen Brewing Company.

Name a more iconic duo than pizza and beer, and then raise a glass because McMinnville’s got a new spot for both. 

Stickmen Brewing’s spacious new pub and patio on Northeast Lafayette is the third location from the Tualatin-based brewery. It’s a spacious dining room with 75 seats, two giant televisions, 28 taps, and garage-style doors that roll up to the street-facing patio. The Granary District could consider rebranding as the brewery district as Stickmen is the latest addition to an already stacked lineup of breweries that includes Golden Valley, ForeLand, Grain Station, and Heater Allen. 

Among them, Stickmen’s beer lineup aims to offer something for everyone. Their most popular brew is called The Bees Knees, a blackberry honey ale with Tettnanger hops. The springtime lineup includes a wheat beer fermented with apricot and peaches; a Czech pilsner; a barrel-poured hoppy dark ale; a cold IPA made with a blend of five different hops; and 15 more.  

The menu includes a stable of eight year-round beers, four seasonal options, nine small-production experimental beers, and three sours. All of the beers on offer are their own, made at their Tualatin production facility by brewer Alex Schoenheit and Tim. The remaining taps are occupied by Kristof Farms cider and a couple of local wines including a rosé from Compris and a Winter’s Hill pinot gris. Beers are available in two pour sizes; a 10-ounce or a 16-ounce and for those who can’t decide, taster flights are 6 small pours for $12. 

Company founder Tim Schoenheit was working in a different industry, brewing beer at home as a passion project, before he opened Stickmen in 2012. The business started as a Lake Oswego brewpub with an eclectic menu. The name reflected that the pub offered yakitori-style grilled skewers, and it was originally a brewery and “skewery.”

Schoenheit eventually moved the entire brewery operation to Tualatin, scaled their beer production capacity way up, and opened a second pub with a casual, counter-service menu of wood-fired pizza. They opened a third location in Happy Valley in 2022, closed the original Lake Oswego pub earlier this year, and are working towards opening a fourth location in Cedar Mill.  

At all of the locations, McMinnville included, the heart of the menu is wood-fired pizzas cooked in a giant, handsome oven using a variety of alder, oak, cherry, and other hardwoods. These are smaller, Neapolitan-style pizzas with a light touch of char, a blistered crust, and a tender middle. 

Toppings reflect some classic Italian flavor profiles such as pear and gorgonzola with a shower of fresh arugula on top or the beloved double carb concoction of pizza topped with sliced potatoes, mozzarella, and fresh rosemary. Even so, the pizza program isn’t textbook Italian. There are also some American adaptions, like a riff on Hawiian pizza made with prosciutto and pineapple. Stickmen’s pizza dough is slowly fermented overnight and they do offer Gluten-free pizza crusts, too. Besides pizza the restaurant offers a short menu of salads, a few cold appetizers, and couple of desserts. 

Happy hour runs from 2pm to 5pm and on Tuesdays they offer a local’s deal: a pizza and a pint for $15. High chairs are available and the whole place is very family-friendly. 

One other detail to note before planning your visit. There is a small parking lot behind the building, but the brewery has also worked out a deal where visitors can park across the street at Farnham Electric Company after 5 p.m. and on weekends. 

Emily Teel (she/her) writes about cooking and dining and develops recipes on behalf of national brands. Mom to a toddler, she’s also an avid gardener and loves to forage for mushrooms and berries in the Pacific Northwest.