Level Beer:Balance in Beer and Life

Level Beer:
Balance in Beer and Life

Malteurop Celebrates Craft Breweries During American Craft Beer Week

The annual nationwide event of American Craft Beer Week, May 16-22, 2022, celebrates small and independent craft breweries throughout the U.S. Malteurop (MMC) is proud to highlight just a few of these remarkable breweries through their stories behind the beer. Let’s raise a glass to salute the resilient and extraordinary community that is craft beer!

About Level Beer

Many breweries in Oregon originate from the relationships started while working at Deschutes Brewery. And Level Beer in Portland was no different.

Level Beer is Shane Watterson, Jason Barbee, and Geoffrey Phillips, beer lovers and family men seeking balance between work and play.

Shane and Jason met at Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House where they both began their brewing careers. From there, Jason went on to brew at Ex Novo and Shane found himself hard at work brewing at Laurelwood.

But from when they first met at Deschutes, they both knew their ultimate goal was to open their own brewery together.

“We knew the brewing side of things, but not the business side of things.”

In comes Geoff, beer lover and entrepreneur. At the time they met, Geoff was the owner of the well recognized beer bar, Bailey’s Taproom (now closed). And it just so happened when the two of them met Geoff, he was looking at property to start up a new business. As they say, the timing was perfect!

So when Level Beer became a reality, the name had to resonate within the parameters set by the three partners. And with level so easily translating to balance, but also playing well with a generation of video game players from the 80s and 90s, Level Beer was born. Not only did it match what all three owners were seeking, but it became a cool marketing tactic to continuously play upon.

With Level Beer finding its home on a farm just outside of Portland within a renovated barn, you’ll experience both a nostalgic return to a time gone by alongside a natural setting that even includes an expansive greenhouse.

And the barn that houses Level Beer isn’t just any old barn, it holds memories for Oregon native, Shane Watterson.

“It used to be a produce barn and as kids, we used to get our pumpkins from here, and later as an adult, I would get my pickles from here.”

Now he gets his beer from here.

The Passion Behind the Beer

Talking with Shane more about his passion for brewing, we learned that it all started with his passion for fermentation. Fermenting anything really.

“I love fermentation in general. If I wasn’t doing beer, it would be something else in fermentation, like wine or spirits or cheese making or sausage making.”

But with his love of beer alongside fermentation, where else would he end up besides a brewery?

“I like drinking beer. I was surrounded by homebrewing growing up with my brother and buddies and my dad. After college, I went crazy about it. There’s something about the process. I like a good process. The whole process struck a chord with me.”

The Brewer Beers – Classic Styles to Drink After Work

Shane, Geoff, and Jason knew from day one that they wanted to focus on classic style, low ABV beers. And that is what Level Beer is known for. Keeping with the level theme, it’s these types of beers that are well balanced and made perfect for hanging with friends over a good beer.

Alongside the lighter beer styles, and playing on the level theme in an entirely different direction, Level Beer is also known for its creative nostalgic branding of the 80s and 90s era where the actual visit to the arcade was just as important as the video games themselves.

And while their focus is the after-work classic beer style, just like almost anyone, they can be known to get a little wild and crazy. They do have a barrel program, and will brew up some wild and sour beers, but their passion lies in lagers.

“Level Beer is a place where you can come out to drink lower ABV beers where you don’t have to think too much and just enjoy a couple of pints.”

Moving Forward with Support

Knowing Jesse Clark, Malteurop’s Western Craft Sales Manager, before working with Malteurop, it was an easy decision for Shane to go with Malteurop’s malts when Jesse transitioned there.

“When other vendors couldn’t provide us with the quality we needed, I reached out to Jesse and so began our relationship with Malteurop. I like having a good relationship with my suppliers. It’s important, having someone I can call and get support from. It’s a big value when you’re navigating all the options.”

Along with the relationship that has now been built between Level Beer and Malterurop, Shane is also happy with the quality and consistency of the malts coming from Malteurop.

“I like all of them. They turned out really well. I’m happy with what they are producing.”

Getting Personal with Beer

Knowing that Shane loves the lighter side of beer, and simply kicking back with friends to drink and not always analyze, we had to find out what his go-to-not-think-about-beer was. Without hesitation his answer was not surprising.

“Coors Original. There’s a six pack in my fridge almost constantly.”

And when faced with the question of who he is outside of beer, that answer wasn’t surprising either. After all, he is a family man.

“Family and beer is what it’s about.”

He did, however, go on to embellish that he also has a love for sports, the outdoors, and traveling. But after the past couple of years that the entire world has experienced, he really treasures the simple joy of hanging out with buddies over a beer or two.

And that beer or two that defines him? An English Summer Ale.

“I’ve always liked the styles and when I was at Laurelwood this was kind of the bastard beer of the brewery and my favorite beer at the time. A 5% golden ale with a malt backbone. Mellow and sessionable and a bit of bitterness. I can be a bit blunt.”

Thank You!

From Shane’s love of beer to family to travel, he knows that what is put out there has reverberations. Building a balance for beers and life is no easy feat, but when the brewing community gets together with the rest of the world…good things happen over beer.

“There was a community that was starved for community. So we brought that to them. You become a part of the community. And they become your champions.”

From beer and travel comes one last piece of advice. Sound advice, in our opinion.

“I think everyone should have to work in the service industry and visit a foreign country – where you don’t speak the language – and assimilate to that culture for a bit. You’ll be a better person for it.”