Buoy Beer Co. has been sprucing up its new downtown Astoria digs over the winter, creating a unique double taproom for beer and spirits.
The brewery’s sister company, Pilot House Distilling, is now sharing the Duane Street space that had previously housed Reach Break Brewing and a cidery.
Pilot House didn’t have far to move. Its former tasting room was located across the street.
Probably the coolest part of the transformation is the return of a treasured piece of Buoy’s legacy: the curved, dark walnut bar crafted by a local artisan, Ed Overbay. The bar graced the 11-year-old brewery’s original waterfront taproom.
Salvaged from the devastating partial collapse of 2022, the long bar now serves as the centerpiece of the Pilot House-focused side of the Duane Street building.
“It’s nice,” said Jessyka Dart-Mclean, Buoy’s marketing director. “Part of the healing process.”
Filling the new Pilot House tasting room will be tables, also recovered from the collapse, with tops made from reclaimed wood from the original Buoy building, a former fish processing house and cannery.
Setting up the new bar required plumbing and electrical work, plus added refrigeration and an ice machine, Dart-Mclean said.
Booze and beer will flow in both areas, so the setup is really just an expansion, with additional seating.
A full cocktail menu is available. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Other changes, most of them cosmetic, are planned.
“It’s going to keep evolving, making things better,” Dart-Mclean said.
The old Reach Break brewhouse space, including a spacious basement, has been cleared out. Its future, however, remains unclear.
Buoy also salvaged its small-batch pilot brewing system from the collapsed building, keeping it in storage. While the brewery said earlier that it intends to bring that system to Duane Street, it requires a boiler and other improvements in order to operate.
Dart-Mclean said a final decision on that project hasn’t been made.
Since leaving its temporary Astoria Food Hub brewpub location at the end of the year, Buoy has been out of the food business. That’s not a problem at the new double taproom, though, since its spacious patio is ringed by four popular food trucks.
In good weather, the garage-style doors fronting both taprooms will be up, creating a fun, free-flowing vibe.
Buoy plans to take advantage. The brewery is holding its annual Lager Fest at the downtown space May 9-10.
