Rogue Ales & Spirits Abruptly Closes Newport, Oregon, Facility Amid Rumors of Excessive Debt

This from OregonLive:

Rogue Ales & Spirits, which has seen its beer sales drop and owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent and back taxes, abruptly shut its massive Newport operations and all of its restaurants Friday, the Lincoln Chronicle has learned.


Rogue officials met with Port of Newport officials Friday morning to tell them they planned to close their operations immediately. Rogue rents its South Beach space – 47,000 square feet for its brewery, warehouse and restaurant – from the Port.


Rogue, which has been in business for 37 years, had recently shut its distillery operation and the Port agreed last month to re-lease a portion of the 4,800-square-foot building to a seafood processor.


The brewery shut one outpost in Northwest Portland, the Pearl Public House, in September 2020 amid the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rogue Hall, another pub near Portland State University, shut last year.


Friday’s closures also included Rogue’s four remaining pubs in Astoria, West Salem and Southeast Portland.

In Newport, Rogue is now drastically behind on rent and taxes – owing $545,000 to the Port of Newport and up to $30,000 in taxes to Lincoln County.

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About Rogues Ales & Spirits:

Who is Rogue?

For over thirty plus years, Rogue has been at the forefront of Oregon’s booming beer industry. By offering an ever-changing product lineup, Rogue has developed a fan base that never knows what to expect other than the unexpected.

At Rogue, we believe in getting our hands dirty and doing the job ourselves. We’re continuously experimenting and innovating to craft World Class ales, lagers, spirits, canned cocktails and more for Rogues everywhere.

Our mantra: Dare. Risk. Dream.
Dare more than others think is wise.
Risk more than others think is safe.
Dream more than others think is practical.

Why Newport, Oregon?
Jack Joyce, Rogue’s founder, was driving through Oregon looking for a location for a second brewpub when he found himself stuck in Newport, Ore., in an unusual snowstorm. There he met Mohava Niemi, aka “Mo” (founder of Mo’s Restaurants) who extended her signature hospitality. Over a bowl of her famous clam chowder, Mo told Jack she’d always dreamed of living above a bar and offered to rent Jack the vacant storefront and her garage under two conditions:

Rogue promises to “feed the fishermen.” This was Mo’s way of saying give back to the community because the vast majority of Newport’s residents are fishermen. Rogue committed to feeding the fishermen three decades ago and still gives back today through donations, cause beers and partnerships such as the one with Dreamland Skateparks.
A photo of Mo in a bathtub forever hangs over the bar. To this day, this photo of Mo hangs in every
Rogue pub.

Jack agreed to these terms and the Rogue Bayfront Public House soon opened in Mo’s storefront. Before long, this would become Rogue Ales & Spirits main location when the Ashland brewpub was forced to close
due to flooding.

Rogue Today
The brewpub in the back of the Bayfront Public House eventually moved to a larger facility on South Beach in Newport, which has now become Rogue World Headquarters. Over the past three decades, Rogue has grown from a brewery to a globally recognized beverage brand. Rogue products are now available in all 50 states and more than 50 countries.

Rogue today includes 6 pubs throughout Oregon in addition to Rogue Brewer’s on the Bay Production Facility, and Rogue Spirits Distillery.

Rogue Fast Facts:
Rogue was founded in 1988 by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell,
Rob Strasser and Jeff Schultz
Rogue’s first outpost was in Ashland, Oregon.
In 2003, Rogue began distilling as one of America’s first independent craft distilleries.
In 2007 Rogue moved the distillery from Portland to it’s now location in Newport.
In 2014 Rogue opened the Rolling Thunder Barrel Works and begins coopering their own barrels.
Rogue has only had two Brewmasters: John Maier (retired in 2019) & Joel Shields .
Rogue’s canning line runs at 13,800 cans an hour (the equivalent of 2,500 six-packs!).
Rogue has won more than 2,000 awards for taste, quality and packaging.
Rogue crafts beer, spirits, CBD seltzers, canned cocktails and sodas.