Boring Brewing is Anything But...

Don’t let the name fool you. There’s rarely a dull moment at the Boring Brewing Co. in Sandy. Oh the irony.

There’s always something to do at this handcrafted brewpub, where locals and visitors alike make a pint-stop for a cold one on their way to and from Mount Hood.

Brewmaster Bill Schwartz and his wife Kelly bought Boring Brewing in 2017 when it was located in the small town of its origin – Boring. They kept the name in 2018 when they moved the brewing company to Sandy, its present site off Highway 26.

Bill makes all kinds of styles of beer. There are 12 to 14 on tap at any given time, from light beers to dark beers, IPAs, porters and stouts. The Big Yawn IPA is Boring’s flagship. Other signature beers currently on tap include Boring Brown, Hot Scotch and Hoppy Blonde.

“If there’s a style out there, we’re going to brew it,” Bill said. The Brewmaster said Boring Brown is his personal favorite beer, but the regular customers tend toward the top-selling IPAs.

“My favorite no matter what we do is Boring Brown,” he said. “We’re in IPA territory. Customers like the IPAs. They’re the No. 1 seller, then Boring Brown and Hoppy Blonde. We also do hefeweizen, golden ale, and blueberry cream ale.”

Bill produces about two batches of beer a week, using a two-barrel brew system with four fermenters. He first started brewing handcrafted beer out of a warehouse with a buddy when he was 25. He began brewing at home with his son when his son got old enough, using a 30-gallon brew system.

“I love the different flavors and really enjoy putting recipes together, figuring out the different things you can put in a beer,” Bill said. “One of the next ones I want to do is a roasted elephant garlic stout. Right now we have a Rosemary oatmeal stout. Doing unique things like that is really fun, especially with a name like Boring Brewing.”

Boring Brewing offers a variety of food items to complement the fine brews on the menu, including Bavarian pretzel sticks with dipping sauce, German smoked bratwurst, brats on sticks, hot dogs and grilled tortilla wraps.

Thursday through Saturday, chef Jeff prepares a special or two. The chef is well known for his locally famous “Big Stupid,” a giant platter that feeds 6 to 8 people with too much stuff on it to name all the ingredients here.

Chef Jeff is in barbecue mode as summer winds down, with burgers and chicken sandwiches on the grill. When winter comes back, he’ll be cooking up some rice and pasta dishes.

The pub has a family friendly atmosphere in a cool old building with three big garage doors, one leading out to a patio. The eclectic decor has dartboards in one corner, guitars in the other and live music every weekend. There’s open mic night, trivia, and games. 

“There’s always an activity going on,” Bill said. “The community can come to relax, listen to music, and play games.”

The music is mellow, usually acoustic guitar, but local heavy metal bands occasionally take the stage and rock the joint.

This year, Boring Brewing added a mobile tap trailer, a converted 1957 horse trailer with 6 taps for remote events. Bill said the trailer, which serves beer, hot dogs and tamales, will appear at the Sandy Farmers Market on Friday afternoons. He has already booked weddings and corporate events.

Boring Brewing Co. is located at 38250 Pioneer Blvd., Sandy, corner of Bluff Road and Highway 26, across from the Tollgate Inn.