USA, OR: Lazy Days Brewing to throw official grand opening of its two new Oregon locations

Lazy Days Brewing, a new ownership group that in the fall reached a deal to buy the two Oregon locations of Ex Novo Brewing, has completed the transition and this week is throwing its official grand opening, Oregon Live reported on February 1.

The new owners have worked over the past months to maintain as much continuity as possible during the transition at the original Ex Novo brewpub in Portland and the pizzeria in downtown Beaverton. And they want to keep the laid-back, casual feel that Ex Novo fans had come to appreciate at both.

“We want people to feel welcome, at ease, relaxed, at home,” says Jake Elder, one of the four co-owners, speaking on continuing the Ex Novo vibe while incorporating Lazy Days’ vision. “We want it to be like it’s Saturday morning and they’re in pajamas. And we want people to feel this is a place to get away after a long day at work and not worry about cooking, or meet up with friends on the weekends.”

The grand opening events will showcase much of that continuity. Both locations will feature an Ex Novo staple — Detroit-style pizza — and the owners have fired back up the kitchen at the Portland location, which was closed toward the end of Ex Novo ownership. It is again cranking out burgers, sandwiches, salads and appetizers — and the staff has brought back a longtime favorite among Ex Novo regulars: the beloved beer cheese soup.

Continuity is the call in the brewhouse, as well. Zane Singleton, formerly of Vancouver’s Trap Door Brewing, Norwegian brewery Graff Brygghus and Dwinell Country Ales, and Joe Smith, formerly of Migration Brewing and Southern Pacific Brewing of San Francisco, were the last brewers in Ex Novo’s Portland brewhouse and stayed on with the new team.

They have been joined by Elder, a graduate of Oregon State University’s Fermentation Science Program who brewed for a short time at Pelican Brewing in Pacific City and also worked in winemaking at California’s E. & J. Gallo Winery.

The brewing crew has been busy cranking out beers to fill Lazy Days’ taplist. They plan on offering up to a dozen styles at any one time, with currently on tap a light lager, a pale ale, an IPA, an Irish stout on nitro, and a kellerbier, with a red ale and Helles lager soon. An English dark mild, The Mild, Mild West, will be tapped for the first time during the grand opening ceremonies at both locations, as well.

Lazy Days’ deal to purchase the locations included a contract to continue producing Ex Novo beers for distribution in the Northwest, and those continue to be sold at the two locations.

“We want to brew beers that we want to drink and that our neighbors are going to want to drink,” said Ryan Still, one of the co-founders and Lazy Days president. “We’ve been listening to regulars who come in and have ideas, and at the end of the day we just want to make them really well.

“We don’t want to make a million beers. We want to cap it at 10 or 12 and do some one-offs, but we want to make some good, drinkable beers and make them well. And I think we’re doing that. It helps when you have incredible brewers.”

Ex Novo owner Joel Gregory founded Ex Novo in 2014 with a mission to make great beer but also support the community and its nonprofits. It quickly became a neighborhood favorite in North Portland near the Moda Center before expanding to Beaverton in 2019, where it also drew a large following.

But Gregory and his young family moved back to his home state of New Mexico to be closer to extended family. There he opened an Ex Novo location and is developing a second, and keeping the Oregon locations running became increasingly difficult, prompting him to put them up for sale nearly a year ago.

The four members of the new ownership group, which also includes business partner Kyle Boylan and a former Cascade Lakes Brewing co-owner Doug Kutella, have varied business backgrounds but one commonality: working together for years at Pacific Foods, the Tualatin-based food and beverage company known to most people for its soups and broths.

When Ex Novo came available, they decided to throw in together on the venture. Since taking over, they have been busy expanding the operation’s footprint, both physically and with its offerings.

Still said Lazy Days in Beaverton was set to take over an adjacent tax office’s space, which it will renovate and make accessible via a passthrough from the main restaurant. That will also provide a space for the public to rent for private parties or company events.

And Still said Lazy Days had received a grant from Beaverton for construction of an outdoor structure to host expanded seating along the sidewalk area.

“We’re looking forward to making that a more comfortable outdoor space,” which will be directly across from the Loyal Legion beer hall. “It will be covered eventually, which is especially important for people who have dogs.”

The added space allows the Beaverton location to expand its kitchen, and on Saturday, Feb. 10, it will begin offering late-morning brunch service on the weekends. Still said a menu was being developed to include items such as sausage and gravy, French toast, Cinnamon rolls and country hash, along with brunch beverages such as coffee cocktails and mimosas.

Still said Lazy Days had joined the Beaverton Chamber of Commerce and was working with the organization to plan a pub crawl on March 6. He said in addition to the chamber, Lazy Days also hoped to work with other businesses in historic downtown Beaverton, such as Breakside Brewery and Loyal Legion, on promotions and other events.

In Portland, the second-floor dining area is open again and is also available for private rental. A kids’ play space has been added, as well.

And rebranding at both locations is under way, with new logos now on the doors and permanent signage on the buildings soon to replace temporary banners.

Still said starting the new business and transitioning to take over Ex Novo had been a lot of work but rewarding already.

“We never had any misconception that it would be easy — it’s lots of long days and hard work, but at the end of the day it’s worth it,” he said. “As we continue on, things have been getting better and better from a business standpoint, and people love that we’re up and running and have the kitchen going.”

And he said Lazy Days’ patrons had been warm and welcoming to the new upstarts who took over a beloved brewery.

“People come in and recognize some of the old faces and are happy to meet the new people,” he said. “People who were longtime Ex Novo regulars are starting to come back and bring backgammon and hang out and have dinner. More and more people who gave up a while ago are coming back and trying our beers.

“I met some regulars who were such fans of Ex Novo that they took a trip to New Mexico. And even they were so happy that a new team was taking over here and cared about what Joel was trying to do and that we weren’t abandoning the legacy. So that feels really good. We’ve been warmly received.”

Both grand opening events in Portland and Beaverton will include beer samples and the Mild, Mild West release, plus hourly giveaways and details on an upcoming mug club. A send-off and gratitude toast to Ex Novo Brewing will be held at each location at 7 p.m. “We want to give thanks to Ex Novo for setting us up for success,” Elder said. “We’ll be inviting Ex Novo fans to join us in a special toast, celebrating the last 10 years. And hopefully you’ll see that we are responsibly carrying on their legacy.”

Beaverton grand opening: 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 1, 4505 S.W. Watson Ave., with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. The Beaverton food menu includes six types of Detroit-style pizza, including vegan options, as well as appetizers like artichoke dip, Buffalo chicken dip, meatballs and vegan meatballs, cheesy bread, a big pretzel, beer cheese soup and dip, and salads. During the grand opening, two new pizzas will be sampled, the Brussel Hustle and Basil Dave

Portland grand opening: 4-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, 2326 N. Flint Ave. Portland’s food menu includes four styles of Detroit-style pizza, plus a couple of burgers and sandwiches that include a pesto grilled cheese and a pulled pork shoulder sandwich. Also offered are salads and appetizers like fried pickles, fried brussels sprouts, french fries, dirty fries and wings. The location has also added a kids menu.

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