USA, OR: Thunder Island Brewing Co. breaks ground, offers virtual tour of its future location in Cascade Locks

More than 100 people got to tour a new brewery building coming to the main drag in Cascade Locks in 2020 — at least virtually, the Pamplin Media Group reported on August 23.

Using virtual reality glasses, visitors to the Thunder Island Brewing Co.'s groundbreaking ceremony, held at the future location at 601 WaNaPa St. in Cascade Locks, were able to explore the nooks and crannies of the future space. They walked into the expansive dining area, saw the improved brewing system that will offer even more adult beverages, and made their way up to the second floor balcony for an unparalleled view of the Columbia River and Cascade Mountain Range. Eventually, the roof will be open to visitors as well.

"It's finally happening — I'm really excited about the new building," said Dave Lipps, founder and co-owner of Thunder Island alongside his wife Caroline. "It's been a long, long road to get to this point. This is going to be great for not only business and staff, but also for our community of Cascade Locks."

The festivities took place Tuesday evening, Aug. 20, as neighbors and friends were invited to visit the future space of the brewery while enjoying food and beer from Thunder Island. There were merchandise giveaways featuring the new logo for the brewery, a raffle to win an "ultimate weekend" in Cascade Locks when construction is complete, and lots of information on what the space will offer.

"I am super stoked for us to evolve out of our little shoebox brewery to a purpose built facility," said Andrew Rosette, head brewer at Thunder Island.

Dave and Caroline moved to Cascade Locks 6 years ago looking to start a business in the small community. They opened Thunder Island in a space down by the river, 515 N.W. Portage Road, and quickly began to thrive.

"We fell in love with this sleepy town," Dave said.

But the space, owned by the Port of Cascade Locks, was never zoned to be a restaurant, so the couple started looking to see a space that made more sense with their plans to expand. With support from the city and port, they were able to earmark a vacant lot along the main drag through town.

Thunder Island partnered with ORANGEWALLStudios Architecture for the final design, and Yorke & Curtis Inc. on the buildout. The expectation is for the 10,000-square-foot brewery to be completed by the summer of 2020. During construction, the original Thunder Island location will remain open.

"I am so grateful you all are here to celebrate with us — this is so exciting," Caroline said.

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