Australian beer? Drop Bear Brewery brings beer from Down Under to Eugene

From the beginning of the pandemic, Dave and Lorraine Lehane found they "couldn't sit still." Instead of picking up skills to make sourdough or go hiking, Lorraine posed the question of opening their own brewery. From there, the couple began putting together plans to open Drop Bear Brewery, which offers Australian, European and American beers.

At Drop Bear, the Lehanes hope folks will find a gathering place that many missed during the pandemic. The bar and brewery is planning a grand opening for Halloween, with specials and activities.

The Lehanes, who are not originally from the U.S., said they're happy to offer a new beer experience than most folks are used to.

The two acquired the building keys in early 2022 and opened in June of that year. They are still renovating the space, which was formerly Turtles Bar & Grill. The front has been refreshed but the back is still being worked on to eventually house the brewery operation. Until then, everything is brewed off-site.

Australian beer?

The name of their bar and brewery is an homage to their Australian roots.

The Australian couple's brewery is named after the Australian tall-tale about a koala-like creature that ambushes by dropping out of trees onto unsuspecting prey.

"It's an Australian thing — if you know, you know," the couple said with a wink.

Most of the brews are European style, with English, German and Scottish ales typically on tap along with American and Australian beers. The Australian varieties are predominantly pale ales, plus lagers, and Dave brews them using bitters from Australia.

Of the beers on tap, the Aussie ones include 3.0 Doctor, Bondi Babe Haze hazy IPA and Fair Dinkum Australian Hazy.

The Lehanes are trying to build out the brewery's selections, but it's been difficult since the bulk of the operation is still done only by the couple. They have a new beer that comes out between every two weeks to a month depending on batch size. Dave said he's constantly coming up with "crazy ideas" for new brews. He said one is potentially a beer with Vegemite, a classic Australian food spread made out of brewers' yeast, which he said could be good as a porter for the colder months.

Drop Bear also distributes cans available at Market of Choice and also offers kegs and growlers.

Besides beer, there are plenty of other alcoholic and nonalcoholic options including wine, cocktails and nonalcoholic hop water. Yes, hop water is exactly as it sounds: it's hops brewed like tea, enjoyed like tea and has the flavors of hops. The flavor is shockingly similar to light grassy teas, and is extremely mild.

Brewing in Eugene

The couple has traveled around the world, from Australia to Africa, Russia and more. The two decided to settle down in Eugene to stay close to their son and daughter-in-law, who grew up in Pleasant Hill.

"The reception has been awesome. Before we officially opened we invited fellow brewers and other industry folks and they were really welcoming. It's a great community of brewers out here," Dave said.

Brewing beer began as a hobby for Dave. He semi-retired in 2018, and with that increased his brewing. The couple's friends and neighbors loved Dave's beer, and said they couldn't go to other breweries because it couldn't compare, Lorraine said.

Inside the bar

The space has seen a major facelift. Lorraine said that included refinishing the furniture, replacing the flooring and lightening up the space. The bar is pet and family-friendly and has outdoor seating.

On the walls is art from local artists, which is rotated on a monthly basis and is also for sale.

There are also shuffleboard tables, trivia on Wednesday evenings, live music on Friday nights and board games. More events and activity evenings are planned and will be announced on Drop Bear's social media pages.

To get more info on the grand opening event, check out Drop Bear Brewery's website, dropbearbrewery.com, Facebook and Instagram page, @dropbearbrewery.

Hours: 3 - 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9 p.m. Sunday

Address: 2690 Willamette St., Eugene

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Drop Bear Brewery brings beer from Australia to Eugene