1477598880-beer_small.jpg
Courtesy Saraveza

Now that the government is open—for three whole weeks—maybe the fellas behind Shine Distillery & Grill, the first-of-its-kind restaurant-distillery, or restillery (sorry), can finally open up their operation up on N Williams. According to Willamette Week, Shine’s partners had sunk a lot of years and dollars into their idea, only to be delayed because the unstaffed Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau can’t sign off on their liquor recipes and the loans they’re relying on to open the business.

Other than that, this week’s biggest local news revolved around Portland’s local beer scene.

The Oregonian reported that sustainable brewery Hopworks has opened a new pub in the Portland International Airport in the old Laurelhurst Pub space at concourse E. Expect pizza and, naturally, plenty of pre-flight suds.

The New School reported that the Sarah Pederson’s pasty-serving, Packers-adoring, Wisconsin-inspired beer tavern, Seraveza, is being sold to Jermey Lewis and Quyen Ly, who own, among other restaurant-bars, Roscoe’s out in Montavilla. Don’t worry though: According to New School, the bar will pretty much stay the same, so that old school paraphernalia and those vintage green beer coolers ain’t going anywhere.

Finally, Willamette Week was the first outlet to pick up on the Facebook announcement from Widmer Brothers that the brewery has closed its N Russell pub, citing low profits and increased competition. The brewery, itself, will still continue to roll out Drop Tops and hefeweizens.

Speaking of closures…

Eater reported that Verde Cocina, the health-forward Mexican mini-chain, will shutter its N Mississippi storefront on January 27. Its three remaining restaurants in Sylvan Heights, Hillsdale, and the Pearl will continue serving lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The website also hat-tipped the podcast Right at the Fork, which this week dropped an interview with Tanuki’s Janice Martin, who said she’s closing, for good, her seafood-centric izakaya after learning that she’d slowly developed an allergy to shellfish. Pour one out for her (and you), Portland.

On the plus side, the O reported that Blue Star Donuts has opened a new shop out in Multnomah village, and Eater had news that Patrick McKee, the chef who ran the burners at the recently shuttered Perlot (née, Southfork), is launching Estes, a “pop-up dinner series rooted in family cooking, his years at Paley’s Place and Perlot, and travels through Spain and Italy.” Stay tuned on when and where that’ll all get going.