When the picture showed up on Instagram (above) yesterday, it was shocking and a bit horrifying. Thankfully, nobody was hurt when part of the building in Astoria, Oregon that houses Buoy Beer Company collapsed, as the picture above shows. Below, I share the statement released today by the company.
Among other things, the company says that the damage will not currently impact the distribution of the beer. The damaged part of the building housed the restaurant, a pilot brewery, some brite tanks, some lagering tanks, and the canning line. It did not impact the entirety of the operation.
Located along the Columbia River in Astoria, Oregon, part of the Buoy Beer Company operation occupies a 90-year-old building built on pylons over the river. The building previously housed a seafood processing business. It seems logical to assume that the Columbia River’s current high-water conditions may have contributed to the structural damage, though that is not confirmed.
A source familiar with the situation says that the building’s failure did not come as a total surprise and Buoy Beer had already made changes to address the possibility. In fact, the restaurant at the brewery has been closed since September, when the issue was first discovered. That helps explain the very, very good news that nobody was hurt when the damage occurred.
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Jessyka Dart-McLean, Buoy Beer’s marketing manager, told The Astorian that the affected part of the building had been closed off to both employees and the public. “The structural issue was known,” she said. “… that part of the building was closed.”
According to the report, City Manager Brett Estes said that a building assessment to determine the structure’s stability was being conducted.
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Buoy Beer Company has expressed gratitude for the outpouring of goodwill, adding that it does not know what happens next. In the meantime, it is doing its best to keep employees working and continue shipping beer.
From the company – Statement regarding the damage at Buoy Beer Company, Astoria Oregon
Last night a portion of the original Buoy building suffered significant damage. The most important thing is that no one was injured or around the area that was affected.
This building houses our restaurant, small batch brewery, brite tanks, lager tanks, and canning line. The entire original Buoy building is closed to everyone until further notice. We have secured the area with fencing so that no one can enter. We will continue to work with the City of Astoria
officials and other professionals to inspect things more thoroughly as we figure out the next steps. Until we’re able to consult with those people, we unfortunately do not have more details to share, which will likely take some time to figure out.
We are working on plans to keep our entire team working and figure out ways to get back to brewing, as our brewhouse and fermentation facility has not been affected. Our sister companies, Pilot House Distilling and River Barrel Distribution are also unaffected and will continue to operate
as normal.
We are humbled by the overwhelming support from our local community as well as our industry friends. We feel lucky to live and work in this place and in an industry like ours. Thank you for all your kindness while we navigate this situation.
David Kroening
President, Buoy Beer Company
