BearKat Brewing now open in Sherwood

BearKat Brewing Company opened September 6 at 20345 S.W. Pacific Hwy. Ste. 404 in Sherwood.

Drinking a fresh pour directly from the Brite beer tanks is now available to Sherwood residents.

BearKat Brewing Company opened September 6 at 20345 S.W. Pacific Hwy. Ste. 404. It is open Monday through Wednesday from 3-9 p.m., Thursdays and Sundays noon-9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays noon-10 p.m.

Co-owners and spouses Shawn Bayer and Jill Katsis combined their last names to come up with the brand—and combined their brewing and business skills.

Katsis, the head of operations, has 11 years of managerial experience at JLL real estate, while Bayer, the head brewer, began brewing hard cider in a dorm room 20 years ago, becoming a professional seven years ago.

Bayer told The Sun that the couple was previously living in Colorado, but since Bayer grew up in Washington State he had always wanted to return to the Pacific Northwest, while Katsis discovered the Willamette Valley during girls’ trips to wine country.

“That was the combination of our visions for the future,” Bayer said. “Specifically Sherwood we thought was a little underserved, and we wanted a brewery closer to this area where we live, so we decided to make a go of it.” 

Bayer said their main specialty is German-style beers because of his German heritage. Currently on tap are a Hazy IPA, Irish Red, a newly released Oktoberfest brew, and more.

“German-style beers require step or decoction mash protocol, or manipulating the grains in special ways with the temperatures to get a more robust flavor. I have German heritage, so German style beers are close to my heart.” Bayer said. “We want to have a diverse lineup and be responsive to what styles the community wants, so we're taking requests.”

Before BearKat, the location used to be a furniture warehouse, so the team had to build out the kitchen and barrels completely from scratch.

“It was a nice, blank canvas where we could bring our vision to life of how we wanted the look, and the feel, and the vibe to be for the guests,” Bayer said. “The bar was built by hand out of fir … it was a big labor of love to get this whole place built out.” 

Currently, BearKat features a seven-barrel brew house with two 15-barrel fermenters, which allow Bayer to brew up a double batch for the more popular beers. 

“We have the rare ability to serve directly off our Brite beer tanks. That’s where you add the carbonation, but it’s also where they do clarify, get clear, and are ready for consumption in those tanks,” Bayer said. “So rather than having to kick them off, we can do that, or we can serve directly so it's the freshest beer possible, right out of the taps.”

For nosh, the brewery serves gourmet beef brisket hot dogs sourced from a ranch in Utah, as well as flatbread pizzas with unique twists like red pepper pesto, red sauce, or rich alfredo. They also offer vegetarian and gluten-free options, as well as branching out into cider, hard seltzer, kombucha, sparkling juice, and wines. 

“Since we are so close to the wine country, we've got some great wine options—and we're family friendly as well,” Bayer said. "We will partner with nonprofits to make a real difference. For each collaboration, we'll create a special brew with a chosen 501(c)(3) charity and donate 100% of release night sales for that beer directly to their cause. The remainder of the batch will continue supporting the organization with a substantial portion of ongoing sales."

Currently, BearKat has six employees on the team, but is looking to hire more. 

At BearKat, Wednesdays play host to $5 drink happy hours, with bingo on Thursdays. Four large TVs play sports games, and big garage doors open up to the fresh air.

Learn more at www.bearkatbrewing.com.