Madras hopes to attract brewery

Madras is hoping a brewery or brewpub of its own will be on tap soon. The city has hired a marketing firm to help attract a potential match.

The city does not have a designated site, but it is looking to reinvigorate the downtown area.

Employees at several businesses in the area said it’s hard to stay afloat, and they would welcome a brewpub that might help draw a crowd.

“You know, we have a downtown shop here,” Gerald Kaloi said Monday. “So I think anything that would bring people downtown so they’re walking around (would be good).

“If they have a reason to browse, they have a reason to buy. It’s going to be good for our economy,” he said.

There are nearly 40 breweries in Central Oregon, but none are in Madras. The city is hoping to give the thousands who pass through town a reason to stop.

“I think it would probably be fun,” said resident Brenda Lebegern. “I don’t know if it would attract outsiders so much, but we need food. So if it included food, that would be good.”

Seth Klann is a farmer, maltster and owner of Mecca Grade Estate Malt in Madras. He said the area is unique, because a brewpub could use completely locally sourced ingredients.

“If you think of all the agriculture and ranching here, we could supply a pub with all the produce they need — beef, pork, pretty much everything is here because we are a farming community,” he said.

Klann said he hopes the marketing campaign attracts someone who really wants to invest in the community.