Ancestry Brewery
Jerry Turner, Co-Owner of Ancestry Brewing, sat down, shed his mask — his brow dripping with sweat after hours of lifting and sorting kegs. We clinked glasses, his quaff a Belgian Tripel, mine, Experimental IPA #9, and took slugs of our respective refreshing brews. “We wanted to build a place for the whole family,” he explained. Build it they did, and Family they are. Jerry and son, Jeremy founded their passion project in fall of 2015, and by May of 2016 they had settled into their new home in the heavily industrial section along Tualatin-Sherwood Rd, housing both the restaurant and state-of-the-art brewing facility under the same roof. Factor in daughter, Suzanne Long (Marketing Manager) and her husband, Mel (Cellar Manager) and Ancestry truly is a family affair.
“I was in the Navy for years. One tour of Vietnam. Operations Specialist.” Jerry added. The Ancestry logo, a sextant brandishing an “A” in its center, is a nod to his and son-in-law, Mel’s, naval service. The menu proudly bears the names of the two ships on which Jerry served, on two delicious menu items- the USS Canberra Burger, dripping with smoked gouda, mushrooms, bacon and house-made sauce; and the USS Bagley Fish and Chips, perfectly crispy, yet tender pieces of Ono in an Ancestry beer batter, of course. “If you’re hungry, get the fish and chips,” our adept server, Paul, chimed in, “It’s huge.”
I, however, went rogue and chose the Pulled Pork Belly Hoagie, as I had indulged Ancestry burgers and the amazing fish and chips on previous visits to this location, as well as the newer locations, in Sellwood and on Hawthorne Blvd in SE Portland. My wife, and partner in crime, Kristen, opted for the Bridge City Chicken “Philly,” because she doesn’t eat “red meat” (spoiler alert: she doesn’t drink beer either). “I’ll let you in on a secret,” Jerry hinted, “We might be working on a cider side project.”
With 34 beers made in house — 22 on tap at Tualatin, the possibilities are endless… and enticing. I asked Paul to design a flight of his favorites. Then, a surprise. “A little something we just added to the menu,” Suzanne boasted, “a play on the age-old Chicken/Egg question.” Behold, the “Which Came First Sandwich”- although it didn’t solve the riddle, the Brown-Sugar-Buffalo dipped fried chicken adorned with a fried egg, Tillamook cheddar and bleu cheese dressing on brioche, did beg another question, “Where’ve you been my whole life?”
Finally, my “main event”- the Pulled Pork…divine — a heaping mound of succulent pork, carefully treated with a Carolina mustard sauce, with hints of green curry, melted cheddar, spicy horseradish-dill slaw, rounded out by the crisp acidity of house-made pickles. Warning: this is NOT your run of the mill, slapdash, over-sauced, sickeningly sweet pulled pork sandwich- it is Balance, Complexity and Deliciousness, all on a toasted hoagie roll. Throw in some Bacon Beer Cheese Potato Twisters, a masterfully curated six-beer flight, headlined by Craft Beer Award winners: the Piney IPA (Silver Medal, 2019) and Irish Red (Gold Medal, 2019) and you have a perfect lunch, dinner…or late breakfast.
As Kristen finished the last bite of her “Philly,” while staring out past the “sail shades” to the bucolic view from the kid-friendly, dog-friendly patio, she smiled- “It’s a step above your normal pub grub!” I couldn’t have put it any better. So, let the sextant atop the logo navigate your way to Ancestry Brewery, and guide you out of the depths of hunger and thirst…deliciously.
(Ancestry Brewery, 20585 SW 115th Ave, Tualatin 97062. Sun-Tues 12-8, Wed-Sat 12-9. To-go, Off-sale, Swag and Growler Fills Available.)
Wingstop
Gone are the days of 5¢ Tabasco smothered “drummies” in a desperate effort to sell more beer- thankfully, now the Wing is the Thing. Enter Wingstop to the Tualatin area, nearly two months ago- a veteran chain in the “wing game,” founded in Garland, Texas in 1994. Now, I must admit, I am not a wing purist, so when I spied the “boneless” option, I knew I was in the right place. Service was friendly, as I imagined there was a smile beneath the counterperson’s mask when I asked her for her two favorite wings. Collectively we agreed upon Lemon Pepper and tangy Spicy Korean Q, but flavors range from the mild, yet flavorful Garlic Parmesan to the maniacally hot Atomic– spicy enough to garner five “fire emojis” on the menu board. From the six-wing small order, to 50 in the Party Pack, Wingstop has wings for any and all occasions, however I strongly suggest ordering ahead to avoid the 20-minute ticket time during the lunch rush.
(Wingstop, 7684 SW Nyberg St, Tualatin 97062. Sun-Thurs 11-11, Fri-Sat 11-midnight. Online, phone and walk-in orders available for carryout.)
