Coattails Brewing Bubbles Out of Historic Wine Family

NEWBERG, Ore.—Nestled in the heart of Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley wine country, Coattails Brewing is crafting its own path in the region’s bustling beverage scene. 

Created by Nathan Etzel, a member of the Etzel family known for their pioneering role in the Oregon wine industry with Beaux Frères, Sequitur Wines, and Coattails Wines, Coattails Brewing is a new venture combining a deep-rooted agricultural heritage with a passion for brewing.

“We’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” said Etzel. “I started homebrewing years ago. When you have a property like we have—where you’re growing crops, and you’ve been in the valley for a long time—there’s a natural pull toward doing something in this space.”

Coattails Brewing brewed its first batch on a five-barrel system—roughly 10 15.5 gallon kegs per batch—in December 2023 with an emphasis on both clean, malt-forward light lagers and hop-forward IPAs. 

“It’s what I like to drink,” he said. “It’s the best place to start brewing because you know what’s good about the style, so you work to create the best version of that.”

The Etzels are no strangers to entrepreneurship in the beverage world. Nathan’s father, Mike Etzel, co-founded Beaux Frères Winery in 1988, which has since become one of the most respected producers of Pinot Noir in the region. The success of Beaux Frères set a high bar for any new venture under the Etzel name, but Nathan saw an opportunity to build something new, not in competition with his family’s legacy but in harmony with it.

“Growing up in a winemaking family, you have an appreciation for the intricacies of flavor, the importance of ingredients, and the value of tradition,” said Etzel. “With brewing, there’s so much room to explore and innovate, but we still hold onto those core values that have always been important to us.”

Crafting a Brewing Style

Coattails Brewing’s approach to beer is rooted in balance and simplicity, with an emphasis on showcasing quality ingredients. Rather than pushing the boundaries of experimental brewing, Etzel focuses on refining the basics. Their brewing style leans toward approachable, classic styles, including lagers and pale ales.

“We’re not trying to be the next big hazy IPA brewer,” said Etzel. “We want to brew beers that are clean, drinkable, and really highlight the ingredients. Our focus is on simple, well-made beers that people want to drink again and again.”

The brewery’s flagship beer is a pilsner, which Etzel describes as “clean, crisp, and refreshing.” This beer exemplifies Coattails’ ethos of restraint and quality over flash.

“We could go wild and start throwing every ingredient we can find into a beer, but that’s not our style,” he said. “We want to make beers that have staying power, where people taste them and say, ‘I’ll have another.’”

That means finding and highlighting high-quality individual ingredients, including one that’s often overlooked in the broader beer industry: malt. 

Malted barley, commonly known as malt, is the base ingredient of beer; it is a huge contributor to a beer’s body, color, foamy head, and alcohol level. 

Malt has been largely standardized by large maltsters like Great Western and Briess, which produce hundreds of thousands of tons annually. However, there are craft maltsters around the country focused on malt with more interesting characteristics, which shines in lighter styles like pilsners and blonde ales.

“Some of the malt from those big maltsters—it gets stale,” Etzel said. “It’s sitting in warehouses for months—even years—before it makes it to the brewery. And you can taste that. But when you get fresh malt, it’s brighter and smells incredible. It brings a lot to the beer.”

Not to say Etzel is solely focused on malt. He said he’s trying some new hop products from both local and international hop sources. He harvested yeast from the winery’s chardonnay grapes to ferment a Belgian Blonde. The spirit of experimentation is alive around Coattails Brewing. 

“There’s room for both wine and beer here,” he said. “We’re proud of the wine heritage in the valley, and we think what we’re doing with beer fits right alongside it. When people come here for a wine-tasting weekend, they might want a beer in between. We’re filling that gap.”

A Family Legacy, Reimagined

While Coattails Brewing may be a new venture, the Etzel family’s influence—not only father Mike, but Coattails Wine owners and brothers Jared and Michael Jr.—on Oregon’s beverage landscape is undeniable. Nathan’s decision to step into brewing was informed by years of observing the dedication and passion his father brought to winemaking.

“Watching my dad build Beaux Frères from the ground up, you learn a lot about patience, hard work, and dedication,” said Etzel. “That’s something I’ve carried with me into Coattails. It’s about respecting the process and taking the time to do things the right way.”

That includes the agricultural side of creating a fermented beverage product. While his father and brothers tend to the vines, Etzel sees himself potentially tending to acres of barley in the field across from the production facility, which could one day end up in a Willamette Valley pint glass.

“We’re just getting started,” said Etzel. “It’s an exciting time, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds.”

Coattails Brewing is currently draft only with limited bottle distribution—likely no cans—in future plans. Etzel said he’s distributing beer to local bars and restaurants in the Willamette Valley and offers tastings by appointment at Sequitur Wine’s tasting room. 

As Coattails Brewing continues to grow, the legacy of the Etzel family, once synonymous solely with wine, is evolving to include a new chapter—one where hops and barley share the stage with grapes.

“We’re not trying to be the biggest brewery out there,” he said. “We just want to make good beer and be part of this amazing community.”