Assembly Brewing

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Assembly Brewing
Assembly Brewing logo.jpeg
Assembly Brewing, Portland, Oregon, 2022 - 02 (cropped).jpg
The restaurant's exterior in 2022
Assembly Brewing
Restaurant information
Street address6112 Southeast Foster Road
City Portland
County Multnomah
State Oregon
Postal/ZIP Code97206
CountryUnited States
Coordinates 45°29′27″N122°36′01″W / 45.4909°N 122.6004°W / 45.4909; -122.6004
Website assemblybrewingco.com

Assembly Brewing was a brewery and restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. The business operated two brick and mortar locations: the original restaurant was in southeast Portland's Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood and the outpost known as Pizza Annex was on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood. Before closing two locations permanently in 2025, Assembly was Oregon's only Black-owned brewery. [1]

Contents

Description

Assembly Brewing was a Black-owned brewery and restaurant with two locations in Portland, Oregon. The original restaurant was in southeast Portland's Mt. Scott-Arleta neighborhood, near Foster-Powell. An outpost called Pizza Annex operated on Alberta Street in northeast Portland's Concordia neighborhood. [2]

The original restaurant operated in a renovated 7,500 square-foot space owned by Adam Dixon, which was previously housed a Korean grocery store. [3] The Oregonian's Andre Meunier said, "The exterior sports clean, mid-century lines with a gray and earthy-orange theme. Inside, high ceilings with revealed wooden beams and earth tones create a rustic Portland pub feel, and artisans have crafted metal and wood pieces for the bars and tables." [4] There were four interior murals, one of which was completed by Theo Holdt and inspired by Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry Murals , [5] depicting brewers instead of automotive industry workers. [3] [4] Andy Giegerich of the Portland Business Journal described the artworks as "stunningly detailed". [6] Assembly also had pinball, a covered patio, and a parking lot. Guests were required to be 21 years of age or older. [7]

The menu included Detroit-style pizza, sandwiches, salads, cocktails, [3] and seven beers on tap. Pizza varieties included Hawaiian, "meat-lovers" (with pork roll), [8] and "veggie gourmet". [3]

History

Exterior of the Pizza Annex, 2025 Portland, Oregon in May 2025 - 056 (cropped).jpg
Exterior of the Pizza Annex, 2025

Co-founder and brewer George Johnson, originally from Detroit, established the business with Adam Dixon on March 23, 2019. [3] [9] Assembly was the first Black-owned brewery in Oregon, according to Portland Monthly's Katherine Chew Hamilton. [10] In 2019, Andi Prewitt of Willamette Week said the business was "one of the few minority-owned breweries in the country". [9]

During Pizza Week in 2021, the restaurant served a pizza called "The D" with pepperoni, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, onions, and green pepper. [11]

In May 2025, the business announced plans to close the original location permanently on May 11. [12] [13] [14] The Pizza Annex closed permanently in September 2025. [1] [15] [16]

Reception

Willamette Week's Andi Prewitt said Assembly serves "what might be the most authentic Detroit-style pizza in town". [9] Rachel Pinsky included the restaurant in Eater Portland's 2021 overview of "Where to Find Thick, Cheesy Square Pizzas in Portland". [5]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Pettigrew, Jashayla (September 4, 2025). "Portland brewery shutters last remaining location, months after closure of flagship space". KOIN.
  2. ↑ Meunier, Andre (February 8, 2024). "Assembly Brewing, a pioneer of Detroit-style pizza in Portland, to open Alberta Street location". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Frane, Alex (March 26, 2019). "Foster-Powell Welcomes a Brand-New Brewery with Detroit-Style Pizza". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Meunier, Andre (March 29, 2019). "Assembly Brewing brings pub-style beers, Detroit-style pizza to Foster-Powell: Portland Breweries Series". The Oregonian . Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Pinsky, Rachel (April 26, 2021). "Where to Find Thick, Cheesy Square Pizzas in Portland". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  6. ↑ Giegerich, Andy (November 14, 2019). "Here's what drives Assembly's George Johnson (hint: it's pizza and beer)". Portland Business Journal.
  7. ↑ Lannamann, Ned. "Assembly Brewing Has Detroit-Style Pizza, Session-Style Beers, and Absolutely No Kids". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  8. ↑ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (December 16, 2019). "A Guide to Portland's New Pizza Shops". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 "Assembly Brewing Is Bringing Craft Beer and Detroit-Style Pizza to Foster-Powell". Willamette Week. March 26, 2019. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Assembly Brewing's Detroit-Style Pepperoni Pizza Is the Best Thing I Ate This Week". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  11. ↑ Humphrey, Wm Steven (April 21, 2021). "Pizza Week Spotlight: Meet the Slices and Pies from the Southeast Neighborhood". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Southeast Portland's Assembly Brewing to close after 6 years". kgw.com. May 6, 2025. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ Nocera, Veronica (May 6, 2025). "Oregon's only Black-owned brewery to close SE Portland pub this weekend". The Oregonian. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Portland's Assembly Brewing downsizes by closing flagship location". KOIN.
  15. ↑ Nocera, Veronica (September 2, 2025). "Shuttered Portland brewery closes its Detroit-style pizza annex". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
  16. ↑ Bicchieri, Paolo (September 11, 2025). "A Vegan Fast Food Superstar Calls It Quits". Eater Portland. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
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