Baker City’s new brewery will open Saturday, June 26 as Kevin Multop’s North Seven Brewing Co. starts serving a variety of ales on the first weekend of summer.

North Seven Brewing will have an invitation-only grand opening Friday with a ribbon-cutting.

The brewery and taproom, in the Pythian Castle at 1935 First St., will be open Saturday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. It will also be open Wednesday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Minors are welcome in the establishment, which is closed Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Multop has been working on this project for the past couple of years, and he’s more than ready to officially open the doors to the public.

This weekend also happens to be the Baker City Cycling Classic, although Multop said it is only a coincidence that the grand opening coincides with the annual biking event.

“I think it’s great that it happens to be on that weekend,” Multop said. “My brother-in-law is racing.”

He’s in the process of building up inventory, with four of his seven brews being available this weekend. Customers will be able to choose from the Wiley Dry Stout on Nitro, Slow Rye’d Pale Ale, The Precipice IPA and Hoppy Hefe.

Although Multop said choosing his favorite brew is like choosing his favorite child, he personally is most proud of the Wiley Dry Stout on Nitro. This Irish Dry Stout is the perfect option for those who enjoy dark beers, but not necessarily hoppy ones.

Multop describes the Slow Rye’d Pale Ale as a “pretty easy drinker” due to the rye malts from Baker City’s own Gold Rush Malt, a malting business owned by Tom Hutchison. The Precipice IPA isn’t too strong, but has some bitterness to it. Multop’s wife, Jessica, prefers the Hoppy Hefe, which Multop says “meets the needs of both worlds” with fresh hops from Hop Heaven, owned by Ted and Jodi Hausotter of Baker City, and a mild wheatiness to make for a cool, refreshing drink on a hot day.

With Baker City expected to reach temperatures of nearly 100 degrees this weekend, it’s probably for the best that this option is on tap.

North Seven Brewing will also have on tap a cider from Baker City’s Rain Barrel Ciderworks, owned by Mark Crowder.

Wine and soft drinks are available, as well.

In addition to beverages, North Seven Brewing offers snacks including a party mix, nuts, kettle chips, popcorn and pretzels.

Multop also invites people to bring takeout meals from Baker City restaurants, or have food delivered to the taproom, to enjoy with an ale or other beverage.

The bright and modern interior space, at the corner of First Street and Washington Avenue, has olive green walls and mustard yellow chairs. The sleek silver and black bar area showcases a chalkboard menu with details about each brew. There are board games, posters and plenty of merchandise with the N7 logo.

Multop’s mother-in-law designed the whole thing from her home in Bellingham, Washington. She will be traveling to Baker City for the grand opening.

The brewery goes along with the “seven” theme, with seven chairs around one table and soon-to-be seven brews on tap, which will rotate once N7 has been up and running for a while.

The brewery’s name was inspired by Multop’s favorite stretch of highway —Highway 7 going north from Austin Junction to Baker City. He and his wife have always thought of Baker City as their favorite vacation spot in Oregon, and they moved here from Bend in the summer of 2019 to start the brewery.

Multop had originally been shooting to open on Memorial Day, but the Oregon Liquor Control Commission approval took longer than he expected.

The extra time allowed him to continue honing his brews and develop deeper connections with locals. He has spent the pandemic experimenting with brews in his garage, calling on friends and family for taste tests and opinions.

Barley Brown’s Brewery owner Tyler Brown especially helped Multop get his feet off the ground, providing advice for the business and the barley malts and hops for the brews.

“There never is a perfect brew, but we are striving for the perfect brew,” Multop said. “I’ve never made one, but maybe some brewer out there has. So we’ll always be trying to make tweaks to our recipes to make it as best as it can be.”

More information about North Seven Brewing, including the option of signing up for a weekly newsletter, can be found at www.north7brewing.com.

“There never is a perfect brew, but we are striving for the perfect brew. So we’ll always be trying to make tweaks to our recipes to make it as best as it can be.”

— Kevin Multop, owner, North Seven Brewing Co.