McMenamins Thompson Brewery & Public House

Specialties

The name «McMenamin» is well known throughout the Pacific Northwest, signifying a great place to enjoy handcrafted ales, wine, spirits and pub fare with family and friends. The dream began more than 30 years ago in the hearts of brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin and continues to spiral upward. With 57 properties (and counting!), the siblings are considered to be pioneers of the Pacific Northwest microbrew, historic hotels and music venue industries. Go to mcme​namins​.com for additional information, photos and more.

History

Established in 1990.

The house was originally inhabited by Franklin and Maria Thompson, but it was their son Fred who motivated their move here from Minnesota in 1902. Through a string of occupants the house remained relatively unchanged until 1963. It wasn’t until Jack and Lillian Beck acquired it that new uses were considered for the classic structure and they opened an interior design business. A major refinement, though, came in 1984 when a workaholic named Peter Niedbel took possession of the place. He and his wife, Waltraut, moved to Salem from Bavaria, and four months later opened Peter’s Little Bavaria. The place opened in May 1984 to favorable press, bona fide German folk dancers and (at least) a tri-​lingual staff. McMenamins came upon the intriguing property in 1990 when its life as a Bavarian restaurant was coming to an end. We knew right away that the country home-​turned-​Old World eatery was a perfect roadside stopping-​off point to create Salem’s first brewpub — since prohibition that is.

Meet the Business Owner

Mike and Brian M.

Business Owner

The creative force behind McMenamins is brothers Mike and Brian McMenamin. At first glance, these down-​to-​earth men seem an unlikely pair to head the hotels, pubs and breweries company that began when older brother Mike and a couple friends opened Portland’s Produce Row Café in 1974. They just don’t fit the typical corporate make-​up — and perhaps that’s why it’s all worked out as well as it has? The McMenamins are of Irish descent and Portland birth — Mike was born in 1951, Brian in ’57 — and both fully absorbed the culture and quirks of their upbringing in Oregon’s City of Roses. From great bartenders to the razing of the classic Portland Hotel to the launch of Oregon’s first craft brewery and beyond left indelible imprints upon their psyches and cultivated their appreciation for local character and characters. Mike and Brian expanded their educations at Oregon State University in Corvallis, both graduating with degrees in political science during the 1970s.