Stumptown Taps Opens in Newberg

On Wednesday, October 4, Stumptown Taps quietly opened to friends and family as owner Graham Brown ironed out a few final kinks in preparation for welcoming Newberg residents to his new taphouse on Elliott Rd. in Newberg. With no major hitches, Brown said he’s ready to officially open the doors.

This Wednesday, October 11, Stumptown Taps is celebrating its grand opening in the former Syndicate Wine Bar space in Newberg, Oregon. The taphouse sports 21 taps, three televisions, and a soccer scarf selection that would make any footie fan jealous.

“I noticed there was a need in Newberg for a few things,” he said. “A place for community games, such as trivia and bingo, a spot to support your favorite local sports teams, specifically women’s sports like the Portland Thorns, and a local beer bar that focuses on supporting small breweries.”

Brown started Stumptown Trivia & Bingo, which hosts game nights with Portland-metro bars and restaurants in 2016. His company became a fixture in the westside bar scene, hosting consistent games at a collection of watering holes like Three Mermaids Pub in Tigard, Oregon; Cascade Brewing Barrel House in Portland, Oregon; Nebulous Taproom in Beaverton, Oregon; and the business that formerly occupied Stumptown Taps’s space, Syndicate Wine Bar‘s Beaverton, Oregon location, which vacated their Newberg location in June 2023.

“As we learned about Stumptown Trivia, we started holding themed trivia and then bingo as well, monthly at our Beaverton location, hosted through his company,” said Syndicate Wine Bar co-owner David Anderson. “It has become some of our busiest nights each month, and we see many regulars return each time for an evening of fun.”

David said he and his wife Angela met Brown when they were first opening the Newberg location when he came in to sell beer from smaller, local breweries. In the following months, they brought Stumptown Trivia in to host themed trivia and bingo at both the Newberg and Beaverton locations (the latter is still in operation). Over the course of working together, they became friends.

“We have nothing but the best and most positive outlook for Stumptown Taps as a new business in Newberg,” David said. “The values Graham upholds are those you can’t find just anywhere. He is a loyal, honest business owner and friend who is always looking out for others and doing what he can to support causes and people through his business.”

Stumptown Taps is a culmination of his experience and relationships in and around the Portland-area bar, brewery, and restaurant scene, Brown said. With 15 years in the craft beer and bar scene, Brown has done everything from serving to selling local craft beer, working as a distributor, and even brewing.

“The beer community is nothing new to me,” he said, “and it has molded me into the passionate and community-driven person I am today.”

To that end, Brown intentionally sources beer from smaller producers in the area. As a former salesman and distributor for small-scale breweries, Brown knows how difficult it can be competing with the state’s largest distributors.

“I’ve dedicated half my beer lines to supporting small local breweries that self-distribute,” Brown said. “Just because they can’t afford to pay a major distributor doesn’t mean their beer is any less worthy of making it to the general public.”

One beer Brown is particularly excited about is the P.O.G. Hazy IPA from Three Mugs Brewing in Hillsboro, Oregon. The 6.9% IPA is far more fruit-forward than traditional IPAs, he said, which is why it’s named after the classic pineapple, orange, and guava juice drink.

“That one was an immediate best seller,” he said. “Of course, hazy IPAs are popular right now, but that one is going fast.”

With his background hosting bar games around the Willamette Valley, Brown is excited to start weekly games at Stumptown Taps, beginning with two of Stumptown Trivia & Bingo’s greatest hits: trivia on Tuesdays and bingo on Wednesdays. Not to mention, Brown hopes to become one of the area’s top Portland Timbers and Thorns watch party bars.

The taphouse will also have two non-alcoholic options on tap and in bottles or cans, as well as wine, cider, coffee, and alternative alcohol options like hard tea. The taphouse will have small bites and snacks on-site and allows outside food into the taphouse. Brown recommends hungry patrons visit the surrounding restaurants— Fuego Mexican Grill, Odd Moe’s Pizza, and Sushi Hunter Izakaya.

Stumptown Taps is open seven days a week, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays, 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.