Summer is shaping up nicely, beer fans.
Astoria-based Buoy Beer Co. has announced that it will open a seasonal venue overlooking Youngs Bay, tentatively opening July 5 and serving beer with a view through September.
The vacant commercial building has a spacious deck at the water’s edge, rivaling Fort George Brewery’s popular summer Beer Pier, which extends into the Columbia River.
Buoy on the Bay will be on Astoria’s south side, at 1820 S.E. Front St. The building had previously been occupied by a pair of restaurants: Paradoxx Bistro and Tide Point.
Details are still being worked out, but Buoy hopes to have a guest food truck or two on the property in addition to beer taps. The location will be open on weekends.
The brewery said its brewpub in the Astoria Food Hub building will continue to operate on its regular schedule, offering a full food menu and cocktails.
Reaction to Buoy’s announcement on Instagram was swift – and giddy.
“SO EXCITING! I can’t wait for you guys to be on ‘my’ side of town,” one person wrote.
“Hell yeah!” wrote another.
Buoy has been lamenting the loss of its waterfront brewpub and taproom since the building’s June 2022 partial collapse into the Columbia. While the downtown Food Hub location is spacious and convenient, it simply can’t match the prior location’s stunning views and close encounters with sea lions.
Buoy on the Bay will help fill that void, offering views of Youngs Bay, the river and Saddle Mountain. The property is next to a private marina used by gillnetters, and herons and other wildlife are frequent visitors.
Asked what sparked the move, Buoy marketing manager Jessyka Dart-Mclean had a simple answer.
“We all just want to drink Buoy beers on the water again,” she said. “It’s got a gorgeous deck out there that will be pretty great.”
Dart-Mclean said the new location will help deal with summer crowds that can fill the downtown pub to capacity.
Buoy, which is leasing the space from the Van Dusen family, only intends to open a portion of the building. There won’t be a working kitchen on the premises, Dart-Mclean says.
It hasn’t been decided whether to offer cocktails as well as beer.
This story will be updated as further information becomes available.
