The story of Oak Union Brewing is a born and bred Oregonian story, not something you hear as often in the Portland craft beer industry these days. Even more extraordinary has been the constant evolution of this unique brewery into one of Oregon’s most promising brands today.
The story of Oak Union Brewing is effectively one in the same as that of Trevor Lauman and his wife Brittany Lauman over the past eight years. Trevor, the brewery’s co-founder, head brewer, and present owner, was born and raised in the small Portland suburb of Oak Grove. He pursued and earned a degree in Fermentation Sciences from Oregon State University in 2015 and during that time he got the opportunity to take on a summer internship at Ninkasi Brewing.
Following graduation, Trevor returned back to the Portland area, taking on the role of head brewer at the brand new Ancestry Brewing production brewery in Tualatin. It was a great way to get his feet wet in the industry and learn the ropes of how to run a brewery program which included the creation of various IPAs, as well as classic English and Belgian styles.
Shortly after leaving Ancestry in 2017 he began planning and fundraising to open his own brewery, then called Oakenbräu (now the name of Oak Union’s German Pilsner). The initial hurdle was attempting to find a location in Milwaukie, but the ultimate game changer was the onset of the pandemic in 2020.
Instead, Trevor once again turned to brewing at others’ breweries, this time working as lead shift brewer at Zoiglhaus Brewing in Lents, Portland. Here he continued to build his knowledge and hone his brewing skills, especially within the realm of Lager, a style rarely seen during his tenure at Ancestry.
In February of 2023, Oak Union finally came into being in the form of their first public releases at Beer Store Milwaukie including Hel’s Garten Helles and Green Idol West Coast Pilsner. Alongside Trevor at that time was co-founder/co-owner Jules Domingue, the primary sales and delivery person for Oak Union. Jules left Oak Union in October 2024 to pursue a new career outside of the beer industry.
The first rounds of Oak Union beers were brewed at the former Conspirator Beverages location in Clackamas, then briefly switching over to Occidental Brewing in North Portland before ultimately settling at Zoiglhaus to contract brew via an alternating proprietorship in 2024.The first year of submitting beers for the Oregon Beer Awards saw the brewery take home 2 medals, silver for the Fresh Hop version Green Idol and a bronze for Giltine Baltic Porter, plus a number of others that reached the final round of judging. In late October of 2024, Oak Union Brewing began it’s partnership with Day One Distribution.
Over the past two years, Oak Union has created 25 distinct beers and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. With an even larger number of beers submitted this year for the Oregon Beer Awards and a continued pursuit in finding a permanent brewery/taproom location in the Milwaukie area, the future is bright for this formidable and accomplished brand.
If you’ve not tried their beers on draft or haven’t met the Laumans, you can do just that this Friday as part of Freeman BarrelHouse’s (just down the street from Breakside’s Milwaukie production brewery) month-long Oak Union takeover. The apex of the takeover happens at the event this Friday which will feature five of their beers, most (if not all) of which have been submitted to this year’s OBAs. The event will also feature live music by Jackson Warner, Freeman BarrelHouse’s signature cocktails, plus charcuterie boards, Thai food, and sushi.
On draft you’ll find some fresh batches of their most acclaimed brews including Shinbatsu Japanese Rice Lager, Oakenbräu German-style Pilsner, Giltine Baltic Porter, plus two West Coast IPAs, Nox Fatum and Artio. We look forward to seeing you there!
Day One Distribution 