It’s safe to say there has been more than a few challenges in getting Mt. Tabor Brewing’s new location in Felida ready to open.
Like 5,600 pounds worth of challenges.
That’s how much the new wood-fired oven that will bake pizzas in 90 seconds at Mt. Tabor’s Felida Village location weighs, according to owner Eric Surface.
In preparation for an opening that is now set for late October or early November, it was not the weight of the brick oven that provided the challenge to Surface, but the width.
“The oven was definitely bigger than the doorway,” he explained. “We had to do a modification on some things to get it to fit in the door … it was an adventure.”
The same could be said for getting the Felida location up and running.
Surface had originally hoped to have the brewpub open by summer, but the project had to take a backseat to Mt. Tabor’s new brewery and taproom in Southeast Portland (124 SE 114th Avenue) and the hoops that Surface had to jump through with Multnomah County to open it.
But the Felida project is back on track, which, when open, would return Mt. Tabor to the Vancouver area for the first time since April 29, when the company closed the downtown taproom it had operated since October, 2011.
Why Felida? That’s an easy one for Surface, who lives in Felida, six blocks from where his newest operation will be – one that will not only appeal to hopheads, but will serve food aimed at families.
“We thought it would be a lot of fun to work this close to home,” Surface said.
But, yes, there will be beer – a lot of it.
Surface said Mt. Tabor will offer between 18-20 taps, and while nearly all of their brewing will be done at the Portland location, there will be room for some small-batch beers and other concoctions to be made in Felida.
The Mt. Tabor beers have something for everyone, according to Surface, and their beers are “really easily approachable, drinkable beers.” Two of Mt. Tabor’s beers – Asylum Avenue and Bridge Lifter – were rated by Willamette Week earlier this year as two of the best IPA’s in Vancouver, when the taproom was still open downtown.
Whereas Mt. Tabor’s neighbor, Felida Coffee House, has been busy, it will soon have some company in terms of attracting a crowd in its space, which is about 2,900 square feet.
And, as Surface noted, there will be plenty of familiar faces.
“We want it to be a gathering place, whether that’s for pizza, vegetarian dishes or beer. It’s for the community … and we’ll be there, too,” he said. “We’ve been supported so well by the community since we were downtown.”
