Sasquatch Brewing Will Start Producing Beer Again at Its Hillsdale Flagship

Sasquatch Brewing has been saved from the dead.

Less than a year after its owners announced they would cease all beer production and shut down the outer Northwest Portland spinoff, a buyer has swooped in and plans to start making beer again at the original Hillsdale pub.

Nick Scandurro, who has 10 years of brewing experience at facilities across the country, now holds the keys to Sasquatch and will get the original 7-barrel system back up and running. He tells WW the purchase of the property closed Aug. 1.

“I connected with Tom Sims, the previous owner and fellow brewer, and we shared the goal of restoring the brewhouse to its full potential,” Scandurro says. “Tom spent years building the foundation for Sasquatch in the Hillsdale neighborhood and led an excellent team. I’m looking forward to continuing the relationship with the community, bringing back the in-house brewing, and growing with Sasquatch Brewing Company.”

Founded in 2012 in an area that was then, and still largely is, a brewery desert, Sasquatch gained a following not only for putting out pretty solid beer, including West Coast IPAs and hazy versions, but also for its menu of quality takes on pub classics like burgers, mac and cheese, and wings. It remains popular among Hillsdale residents.

In 2017, the brand expanded by opening a 4,000-square-foot production facility and pub on the industrial edge of Northwest Portland. That location never really recovered after the COVID-19 closures—business remained down and inflation pushed costs up, pushing the company to its breaking point. But the owners did keep the Hillsdale pub going, even though the production facility sat idle there.

Now, that space has a new brewer at the helm, who is ready to fire up the kettles.

Before moving to Portland, Scandurro helped start Port Orleans Brewing in New Orleans’ East Riverside neighborhood approximately six years ago. That company offers a variety of beers—from a fruit tart ale to an IPA to a coffee stout—as well as a lineup of flagships that include two lagers, a Kölsch and a brown ale. Once here, he worked at the highly decorated Ecliptic Brewing and then took a position leading brewing operations at 13 Virtues in Sellwood. Scandurro says his experience in the South and the Pacific Northwest will influence what he will put on tap at Sasquatch.

“My New Orleans upbringing plus time spent brewing on the West Coast will make for an exciting beer lineup,” he adds. “My personal favorite beers are traditional German-style beers, but with how close we live to local hops, I plan to make some Northwest IPAs and other West Coast styles. You can certainly look forward to easy-drinking beers for all to enjoy.”

Scandurro’s goal is to begin brewing in Hillsdale this fall and have at least 12 in-house beers by spring 2024. However, you don’t have to wait that long to remind yourself what a classic Sasquatch brew tastes like. The pub currently has a couple of offerings, like the Woodboy IPA, which are currently being brewed using Zoiglhaus’ equipment in Southeast Portland.