Mayoral proclamation names Salem Brewery District, six craft breweries in southeast Salem

On Monday, June 10, Mayor Chuck Bennett issued a proclamation designating a one-and-a-half mile area in southeast Salem the Salem Brewery District. 

It's a formal recognition of Salem's brewery explosion, a fact of which dedicated beer fans are already aware. The city now boasts 12 brewing operations, not including local cider producers: Bine Valley, Vagabond, Santiam, Gilgamesh, Ratchet, Salem Ale Works, Sparky's, b², Xicha, McMenamin's Thompson Brewery, RAM and nano-brewing operation at Hopheads. Recently opened restaurant Noble Wave, when it begins brewing, will represent number 13. 

Where is Salem Brewery District?

Salem Brewery District represents the mostly industrial area that stretches between 12th Street and 25th Street, from Mission to Madrona. 

Jake Bonham of Salem Ale Works and Jim Weinman and Donny Raisanen of Bine Valley Brewing spearheaded the project, soliciting the support of the established brewing community nearby. 

A few months ago, said Bonham, "it started as a casual conversation about growth in this area and collaboration and where we wanted to drive the craft beer industry in Salem."

They were inspired by brewery districts like the South Slope in Asheville, North Carolina, and the idea of building a structure to formalize what they characterize as an already supportive, collaborative environment.  

Annie Gorski, a city of Salem Economic Development Manager, helped the collective structure their idea into a draft proclamation. 

More:Surf's up, Noble Wave brewpub opens today

"We didn't want to go to city council without the support of every brewery," said Weinman. 

The district includes six breweries: Sparky's, Bine Valley, Salem Ale Works, Santiam, Ratchet, and Gilgamesh; as well as a mile-and-a-half long suggested footpath between them. 

"We wanted to create a geographic boundary that wasn't too large or too small," Bonham explained, "to be able to include future breweries, or other industry related business that might come into the area and be part of whatever this develops into."

Though the district includes only half of Salem's breweries, "we believe that even breweries not in the district will benefit," said Bonham. 

Increasing awareness of Salem's craft beer industry, the thinking goes, will help spread the word with both visitors and locals about breweries throughout the Salem area. 

Related:Test beers are in the works at Parallel 45 Brewing, a new brewery in Independence

What it does for Salem

Organizers hope that the formal recognition of a Salem Brewery District will help support access to all of the breweries within it and open up opportunities for further economic development in the area. 

"A big driver of this is pedestrian and bike-friendliness," said Bonham. "We want people to feel safe and be safe when they're walking or biking between locations." 

They plan to offer recommended routes from one brewery to the next, to print maps, and to post wayfaring signs to help those on foot navigate the area. On stretches of the mile-and-a-half-long route that lack sidewalks, he said, they plan to advocate for their installation. 

In turn, Salem Brewery District plans to support a federal grant application to help make improvements to the McGilchrist corridor. 

"Craft brewery development is a catalyst for further economic development," said Bonham. He believes that as the Salem Brewery District moves towards implementation it will make "this general area more attractive to other business, and that would be a cumulative effect that would drive economic development in this part of town."

Emily Teel is the Food & Drink Editor at the Statesman Journal. Contact her at eteel@statesmanjournal.com, Facebook, or Twitter. See what she's cooking and where she's eating this week on Instagram: @emily_teel