Steeplejack Brewing Company
Steeplejack Brewing Company is an Oregon brewery and restaurant brand combining craft beer, casual dining, and multi-use hospitality spaces.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Steeplejack Brewing Company is an Oregon-based brewery and restaurant business founded by partners Brody Day and Dustin Harder. The company opened its first restaurant in 2021 in Portland's Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood, using a former Metropolitan Community Church as its setting. The location established the brand's central format: a large, casual hospitality venue pairing house-produced craft beer with a broad food menu, including burgers and other approachable restaurant fare. The company expanded quickly beyond its original Portland site. A second location opened in 2022 on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway, with seating for approximately 200 guests. Its menu at that location included pizza, salads, arancini, and polenta in addition to burgers and beer, indicating that Steeplejack was positioning itself as a full-service restaurant rather than as a taproom focused solely on beverages. A Hillsboro location, announced in 2021, also began operating in 2022. The owners subsequently announced plans for a fourth location in Manzanita on the Oregon coast. Steeplejack's operating model has continued to broaden beyond conventional brewery restaurants. In February 2025, the company began operating in a former bank building on Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood. The site includes a coffee shop associated with Harder Day, a food cart pod, and a patio. Food businesses reported as opening in the pod included Ali's Hot Chicken and Smash Burgers, Gyro World PDX, Mama Chow's Kitchen, Shera Indian Food, and Tacos Fita. This format gives Steeplejack a role as both a brewery restaurant and a hospitality destination accommodating different food concepts and group sizes. Brewing is central to the brand's identity, although the available reference material does not provide a complete beer catalog, production volume, distribution footprint, or ownership structure beyond the founding partners. Anna Buxton was identified as the company's brewmaster in 2022. Steeplejack received the Best New Brewery award at the 2022 Oregon Beer Awards, and Buxton was later recognized as one of 18 Portland food-and-beverage industry rising stars by StarChefs in 2023. In 2025, Eater Portland included Steeplejack among its recommended Portland restaurants and food-cart pods for large groups. The brand's known market is Oregon, particularly the Portland metropolitan area, with announced interest in Manzanita. It is not documented as a publicly listed company or as an internationally operating brand. Its positioning is built around locally rooted craft brewing, accessible restaurant food, large-format venues, and flexible social spaces that can serve individual diners, families, and larger groups.
History
Steeplejack Brewing Company was established in Oregon by business partners Brody Day and Dustin Harder, who opened the brand's first restaurant in 2021. The venue occupied a former Metropolitan Community Church in Portland's Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood, giving the new brewery an architecturally distinctive setting. Its initial offer paired craft beer with burgers and casual restaurant service, establishing a format that combined brewing with a substantial food operation. Expansion followed soon after the opening. The owners announced a Hillsboro location in 2021, and that site began operating in 2022. Also in 2022, Steeplejack opened a second Portland-area venue on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway. With seating for approximately 200 people, the location was designed for larger groups and offered a wider food selection than the original core description, including pizza, salads, arancini, and polenta. The company also announced plans for a Manzanita location, signaling an ambition to develop beyond the Portland metropolitan area and into Oregon's coastal hospitality market. The brand's brewing credentials were reinforced by its recognition at the 2022 Oregon Beer Awards, where it was named Best New Brewery. Anna Buxton served as brewmaster as of 2022 and received separate professional recognition in 2023, when StarChefs named her one of 18 Portland industry rising stars. These distinctions helped associate Steeplejack with Portland's broader craft-beverage and restaurant culture. In February 2025, Steeplejack expanded its operating concept at a former bank building on Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood. The site included the brewery restaurant along with a coffee shop operated by Harder Day, a food-cart pod, and an outdoor patio. Several food vendors were identified as opening in the pod, including Ali's Hot Chicken and Smash Burgers, Gyro World PDX, Mama Chow's Kitchen, Shera Indian Food, and Tacos Fita. The location therefore extended Steeplejack's role from brewery restaurant to multi-concept gathering place. By 2025, the company had developed a recognizable Oregon hospitality presence centered on craft beer, accessible food, large venues, and group-oriented spaces. Eater Portland included Steeplejack in a list of recommended restaurants and food-cart pods for large groups. Available references do not establish detailed corporate ownership arrangements, financial results, distribution outside Oregon, or a confirmed opening date for Manzanita. The brand remains documented as an active Oregon brewery and restaurant business.
- 2025
Hawthorne Boulevard multi-use venue opens
[1]Steeplejack begins operating in a former bank building in Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood, with a coffee shop, food-cart pod, and patio.
- 2022
Hillsboro location begins operating
[1]The announced Hillsboro site becomes operational.
- 2022
Second Portland-area location opens
[1]A roughly 200-seat restaurant opens on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway.
- 2022
Best New Brewery award
[1]Steeplejack is named Best New Brewery at the Oregon Beer Awards.
- 2022
Manzanita expansion planned
[1]The owners announce plans for a fourth location in Manzanita, Oregon.
- 2021
First Steeplejack restaurant opens in Portland
[1]Brody Day and Dustin Harder open the original brewery restaurant in a former church building in Portland's Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood.
- 2021
Hillsboro expansion announced
[1]The company announces plans for a Hillsboro location.
Products and positioning
An Oregon craft brewery and casual restaurant brand focused on house beer, broad comfort-food menus, large social venues, and destination-style hospitality spaces.
Brewery products · 2021
Craft beer
House-produced craft beer is the central beverage offering across Steeplejack's brewery restaurants. The available reference material identifies the company as a brewery and records its Best New Brewery recognition, but does not provide a complete list of styles, permanent beers, seasonal releases, packaging formats, or distribution arrangements.
Restaurant food · 2021
Burgers
Burgers were part of the food offer at Steeplejack's original Portland restaurant and fit the brand's casual, beer-oriented dining format. Specific recipes, menu names, and pricing are not established in the reference material.
Restaurant food · 2022
Pizza and salads
The Beaverton-Hillsdale location expanded the restaurant menu beyond burgers to include pizza and salads, supporting the brand's broader full-service positioning and appeal to groups with varied dining preferences.
Restaurant sides · 2022
Arancini and polenta
Arancini and polenta were identified as side dishes served at the Beaverton-Hillsdale restaurant. They contribute a broader, shareable food selection alongside the brewery's beer and main dishes.
Hospitality destination · 2025
Hawthorne hospitality venue
The Hawthorne Boulevard operation combines Steeplejack's brewery restaurant with a patio, a coffee shop associated with Harder Day, and a food-cart pod. This is a venue format rather than a single packaged product and broadens the brand's role as a gathering place.
Brand decisions
2025
Develop a multi-concept Hawthorne venueStrategyBackground
Steeplejack sought to extend its brewery-restaurant model into a larger hospitality setting.
Action taken
The company began operating a former bank building with a coffee shop, food-cart pod, patio, and multiple independent food vendors.
Aftermath
The Hawthorne site positioned Steeplejack as a destination for varied dining and larger groups in Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood.
2022
Expand the brand across OregonStrategyBackground
Following the first Portland opening, the company pursued a broader Oregon location strategy.
Action taken
Steeplejack opened a second Portland-area location, began operating in Hillsboro, and announced plans for Manzanita.
Aftermath
The company developed a multi-location presence in the Portland area while identifying the Oregon coast as a future market.
2021
Adopt a brewery-restaurant formatStrategyBackground
The founders launched Steeplejack as a restaurant and brewery rather than as a beer-only taproom.
Action taken
The original Portland venue paired craft beer with burgers and full restaurant service in a converted former church.
Aftermath
The format became the basis for subsequent locations and the brand's group-oriented hospitality positioning.
Recent events
- 2025
Steeplejack begins operating a Hawthorne Boulevard venue[1]
Product launch
In February 2025, Steeplejack began operating in a former bank building in Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood. The site included a coffee shop, food-cart pod, and patio.
- 2025
Eater Portland includes Steeplejack among recommended group-dining destinations[1]
Other
Eater Portland listed Steeplejack among the city's recommended restaurants and food-cart pods for large groups.
- 2023
Anna Buxton recognized as a Portland industry rising star[1]
Other
StarChefs included Steeplejack brewmaster Anna Buxton among 18 Portland food-and-beverage professionals identified as rising stars.
- 2022
Steeplejack expands to a second Portland-area location[1]
Other
A second restaurant opened on Southwest Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway with seating for roughly 200 guests and a menu including pizza, salads, arancini, and polenta.
- 2022
Owners announce plans for a Manzanita location[1]
Other
The owners announced plans to expand the brand to Manzanita, Oregon.
- 2022
Steeplejack named Best New Brewery at the Oregon Beer Awards[1]
Other
Steeplejack received the Best New Brewery honor at the Oregon Beer Awards.
- 2021
Steeplejack opens its original Portland restaurant[1]
Other
Brody Day and Dustin Harder opened the first Steeplejack restaurant in a former Metropolitan Community Church building in Portland's Sullivan's Gulch neighborhood.
- 2021
Hillsboro location announced[1]
Other
Steeplejack announced a Hillsboro location, which began operating the following year.
Sources1 sources
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