Trask Brewery & Public House

The Trask Brewery and Public House is a relatively new addition to Cascadia, having opened for business in 2003. This makes for a total of three brewpubs in McMinnville, a town of 28,000 located in the heart of Oregon wine country. Not only do all three brewpubs feature exceptional craft beers and fine food, they are also within easy walking distance of one another, making McMinnville one of the best small beer towns in the state.

Trask resides in an old storefront on NE Third St., McMinnville’s main downtown thoroughfare. The interior is open and spacious with the appearance of a refurbished warehouse. Weathered redbrick, warm wooden floors, and exposed truss rafters create a stylish yet relaxed atmosphere, while recessed streetfront windows allow outdoor dining and great people watching.

At the rear of the restaurant, a modern renovation extends outwards from the main building. Inside is a contemporary and immaculate 15 bbl brewing system with bright copper kettles. Trask features five house beers on tap with an emphasis on traditional British session ales. I saw no seasonal offerings, no nitro, and no growlers, but they do offer some very smart guest taps such as Hair of the Dog and their list of locally produced wines is impressive. Not many restaurants are positioned to offer such an abundant selection of fine wines produced within a twenty-mile radius.

Trask has many things going for it that I like to see in a brewpub – a slender woman on a sofa with a glass of wine, for example. Also there’s a pool table and darts, model airplanes suspended from the ceiling, and large servings of good bistro food. Live music can be heard on weekends (no cover).

This is a terrific place to relax and have a good time. Recommended.