Bridgeview Beer and Wine Supply — Attraction in Oregon City

Worst brew supply shop experience ever. TLDR: Looking for supplies? Don't ever shop here unless you're severely desperate.

When I showed up on Sunday at 1:20pm, the "Open" sign was up, all the lights were on, but there was a note saying "Back at 1:30, Larry" and the doors were locked. Honestly, this did not bother me as previous reviewers have mentioned that the owner frequently does not honor his advertised hours of operation and I was prepared to wait around a little bit. Plus, it's only 10 more minutes of standing in the cold and sometimes you gotta leave your post because something important has come up. I totally get it, no big deal.

At 1:31pm I called his cell phone (it was posted on the note). I wasn't impatient or rude, I mean he put the number on the sign. I just wanted to let him know that he has customers. It was a pleasant conversation and he said he'd be there in less than 5 minutes. When he showed up 14 minutes later, there were now four parties of people patiently waiting outside. Seriously, I get it, sometimes you can't just rush out the door and what's a few extra minutes to wait? Again, no big deal.

I walked in and yes it's slightly cluttered and dusty, but I kind of like that vibe, personally. It's casual and laid back. When I went to the grain section, I was very surprised to see buckets of grain stacked on top of each other several rows deep, with the majority of labels hidden from view. Consequently, gathering my grain bill would take a while and I couldn't even immediately see that what I wanted was even in stock. Add that to the fact that all he's got is an ancient auger-style hand-cranking mill. "Ok," I thought, "this is going to take a while, but if all the grain is here and I can get the crush I want, then I'm a happy customer."

So I patiently wait for him to finish up with a customer who is just starting to learn about distillation. I listen as the owner says stuff like "If you've been learning anything on the internet, then we need to first throw away all that stuff you've learned because 97% of it is wrong. And then you need to read a book instead and learn the right stuff." It was then apparently obvious that this guy is not only the type of homebrew shop worker that only knows his way and all other ways are wrong, but he's also discounting "the internet." With his very bold, matter-of-fact method of sharing information, this guy has a very sad combination of traits.

My turn arrives and I ask him if he has an electric mill available as an alternative to the hand crank. He says no, and that's fine. It just means that it will take me a little longer. Especially if I need to double-crush since I'm brewing in a bag. I then ask him "Can it do a fine crush?" "No," he says confidently, "it does a perfect crush." "Ok," I responded - politely, mind you - "I'm brewing in a bag so I'm looking for a fine crush." Get this. Wait for it. He then says with great authority "No. You're mistaken."

I smiled and said "See ya later!" and walked out the door.

I shouldn't have to argue with the salesman to get him to sell me something. People, he's not a good teacher. He's not an expert. I'm sure he knows a lot of great stuff! But the truth is that excessive tannin extraction occurs only at high mash temp and at high pH - which will not happen with my massive stout grain bill. Furthermore, I'm brewing in a bag, so I couldn't care less about the dangers of a stuck mash.

If he was a good teacher, he would've asked me why I want a fine crush instead of just telling me that I'm mistaken. That's almost more insulting than just saying I'm wrong. If he was an expert, he would've just asked me about my lautering technique and would've quickly understood that I'M NOT LAUTERING.

Anyway. I give the owner and the supply shop a zero out of five and the bottle shop a four out of five. So we'll split the difference and call...

This was my first visit ever to a wine supply store. I bought additives I needed to add to the 45.5 pounds of Golden Plums I picked out here on the farm. The Gentleman who runs the store was very helpful, especially in helping me figure out when to check the S.G.(Starting Gravity) using a Hydrometer. When I couldn't find a helpful answer to a question I ha regarding whether I had to add 13 times all the ingredients in the recipe I had, or approximately how much of each ingredient I should add to 45.5 lbs of Golden Plums; when the recipe I was using only called for 3 1/2 lbs. Frustrated because I'd spent hours looking for an answer. I finally decided to give the owner of Bridgeview a call & he was more than happy to let me know that whenever you multiple a wine recipe, you add all the ingredients by the exact same added measure, to remain balanced. Not many people will give quick & fact based answers; so it was a refreshing thing to receive a useful answer from the Bridgeview owner.. Ì highly recommend getting all your wine making needs at Bridgeport Beer & Wine Supply; in Downtown...

This is one of the last "old school" brew supplies out there. The place is jammed floor to ceiling with stuff. I doubt its changed in the last 20 years, which in my eye: is a good thing. I go there sometimes for my ingredients, in part, for the nostalgic atmosphere of an OG brew supply store. Other places have been cleaning up, creating open spaces, etc and it feels more like an industry and less like a hobby.

With that said... there definitely are reasons people modernize. There is no electric mill here for example. If you need grains, bring your turn'in arm cause you'll be there an hour with an antique heater at your feet. The hop fridge is ... an old fridge. The grains are all in buckets and organized slightly better than a lego bucket.

There is a certain kind of charm here though, I think if you want to feel more connected to your brew, your supplies and your experience... a place like this is where...