The German word for “togetherness” is, roughly, “gemütlichkeit,” which is used to describe a state or feeling of warmth, friendship and good cheer. This word could very well be 3 Points Urban Brewery’s motto. Opened in Pendleton at the beginning of June, this brewery — operated by the Hickory Wald group, whose other ventures include Nation Kitchen and Bar, The Hannaford and Rhinehaus — embodies gemütlichkeit to, well, a “t”.
The conceit of the brewery and taproom is predicated on its titular three points: art, experience and beer, according to marketing manager Aaron Westendorf. (Pendleton itself is also created by three intersecting points: Reading Road, Main Street and Liberty Street.)
Community could be a fourth point. The leadership team engaged with the Pendleton Community Council to fit into the reenergized neighborhood atmosphere (3 Points is just one of the new businesses opening in Pendleton, joining barbecue spot Lucius Q and the forthcoming Pendleton Parlor creamy whip, among others), and future plans include potential utilization as a coworking space during the day.
But it’s art that is front and center when you enter 3 Points. The space is sleek and open, peppered with black-and-white stools, high top tables and shiny countertops, which allow splashes of color to take the spotlight. The bar face itself is wrapped in a large, colorful print — a full-scale version of artwork created by local artist Matthew Dayler for the brewery’s Origami beer.
“It’s more kind of a you want to see the art first, then you want to have a great experience and oh, by the way, enjoy the beer we’re making,” Westendorf says.
Six artists, including Dayler, were commissioned to create pieces inspired by 3 Points house beers. The artists — Dayler, James Billiter, Greg D’Amico, Adam Laine, Jake Gerth and LD Nehls — created conceptual art in a variety of media to tell the story of each beer in the brewery’s portfolio. Their work is on display in the taproom and on the tap handles. (3 Points is also accepting submissions on their website from local artists for future beer designs.)
“They contacted me for (Birdseye) and I was immediately like, ‘Oh, my gosh, yes,’ because I’ve always wanted to do a can design,” says Nehls, a local watercolor and acrylic artist well-known for hosting the Contemporary Arts Center’s monthly Drink and Draw event. “I love beer so much, so that was (on my) artist bucket list to get to do a design for a beer.”
Nehls’ design is a colorful, textured patchwork of warm, earthy yellows and greens interspersed with pops of pale aqua, dusky pinks and a blushing red. She works primarily in watercolor, and the dreamy nature of her design has an atmospheric origin story, too.
“I was literally working on this thing on an airplane with my little travel watercolor set,” she says. “The beer is a saison, which always is earthier tasting. I felt like having the outlines of farms and fields (viewable from the sky) really matched with the classic saison.”
That kind of serendipitous end product is exactly what Westendorf and 3 Points are looking for when engaging local artists to create imagery for their beer.
“It’s that kind of working relationship where you don’t want to taint what the artist might have in their head by a preconceived notion,” he says.
Beers on tap include Origami, Birdseye, Sinking Orca, Rattle & Shake, Easy Ale, Sure Shot, and two experimental offerings, Gesture 137 and Gesture 569. Prices hit a sweet spot — $2.50 for a four-ounce taste, $3-$4 for eight ounces and $6 for 16 ounces.
Head brewer Patrick Mulrey creates all the recipes, and he relishes it.
“In a situation like this, you get to be a little more intimate with everything,” he says. “There’s a lot more hands-on and you get to feel everything through the entire process.”
Mulrey’s process is rather artistic, too. He says he’ll get an idea for an end flavor and jot down ideas that relate — often song lyrics.
The Easy Ale, for instance, was originally called Normal American Kid, inspired by a song of the same name off the band Wilco’s most recent album. That resonated with Mulrey when it came to creating an appealing beer for a typical night out — a “normal” beer that didn’t veer into the extremes Mulrey says can be so divisive in beer culture.
On a recent visit, I ended up trying six of the eight beers on tap. Easy Ale, with an ABV of 4.5 percent and described as an “effortless drinking beer,” is indeed just that. It’s light and crisp and might supplant my normal choice of Hudy Delight (no judgment, please) as my new go-to beer.
Origami, a “post coast IPA,” is Mulrey’s answer to the bitter and dry IPAs predominant on the West Coast and the heavier-bodied, creamier East Coast IPAs. I have no particular affinity for IPAs, so I was intrigued by this middle-ground brew. Lo and behold, I actually very much enjoyed it. My notes say, “Definitely hoppy, but not offensively so,” and that is the best benediction a beer can receive from someone who avoids IPAs most days.
Birdseye is probably my favorite of the lot. It’s creamy, with peachy notes and hints of white pepper. The Sinking Orca was a nice counter-balance to the sharper, lighter flavors I was ingesting. For an oatmeal or American stout, it wasn’t overwhelmingly heavy like I expected. I tried the Rattle & Shake last, and it’s a true-to-form Vienna lager — a bit malty, a bit biscuit-y and very tasty.
The taproom itself is spacious and airy, with a pseudo-industrial feel nicely complemented by open garage doors and slick blue lighting. There’s a huge TV wall in the open back section, created by D’Amico, featuring portraits of each artist and the full image of their beer design (it’s really fun to watch it scroll through each one.)
“It’s gemütlichkeit,” Mulrey says, coming full circle. “The idea of being taproom-heavy, of being something that evokes that feeling — to be a more comfortable place to hang out and have a wider array of beers.”
Mission accomplished.
3 Points Urban Brewery, 331 E. 13th St., Pendleton, 3pointsbeer.com. Hours: 4 p.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday; 4 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday.
This article appears in Jun 13-20, 2018.