Two of craft brewing's pioneers from the early 1980's combined one year ago, forming a key player in the fast growing craft beer industry in Oregon. Portland, OR (PRWEB) July 27, 2005 -- Pyramid Breweries and Portland Brewing celebrate their one year anniversary as a leader in craft beer. In existence from the early 1980's, the two brewing pioneers merged one year ago, forming a key player in the fast growing craft beer industry in Oregon. The craft brewing industry surfaced in the early 1980s in the Pacific Northwest when a group of beer loving entrepreneurs began opening small microbreweries across the region. The microbrewery brought much of the old-style tradition of smaller regional beer making in the U.S. back to life by using only natural ingredients and producing the brew in small, handcrafted batches which were far too expensive and time-consuming for giant commercial breweries to mimic. “Micro brewing emerged from the mainstream and struck a chord with people in the Northwest,” said Fred Bowman, co-founder of Portland Brewing Company. "We buy more draft beer here than they do in other parts of the country, probably because we spend more time indoors. We also get behind quality local products and embrace flavorful things like coffee, bread, and beer." Portland, more than any other city in the country, has taken its demand for great quality brews and instilled it into the city's culture. Pyramid Breweries, founded in 1984, is among America's original craft brewers and is best known for its award winning Hefe Weizen. Portland Brewing began in 1983 and is best known for its MacTarnahan's Ales, which have consistently been among Oregon's top beers. “It is exciting to see two of craft beer's pioneers combine forces,” said John Lennon, CEO of Pyramid Breweries. "Over the years we have been recognized as one of the leading brewers, earning 28 Great American Beer Festival awards, ranking us second overall. We are aggressively leveraging synergies in sales, production and marketing to more efficiently grow our collective business." As the largest independent Northwest-based craft brewer, Pyramid Breweries has been a key driver in the fast growing craft beer segment this past year - with retail consumption growth over 13 percent so far in 2005 - double the rate of craft beer. In fact, the U.S. Brewers Association Tigers List ranked Pyramid Breweries their #2 U.S. craft brewery in its 2005 Tiger List. Pyramid's flagship Hefe Weizen is leading the way as the #1 growing brand-style in 2005 in West Coast markets, and was recognized as the best tasting Hefe Weizen at the Great American Beer Festival in 2004. This annual festival has 1,600 Beers on Tap and 350 U.S. Breweries onsite, with 100 judges from four countries taking part in the Nation's largest beer festival. Recently, Pyramid Hefe Weizen also won an independent blind taste test among 1,000 Portlanders, beating its biggest local competitor by 2 1/2 times to 1. Pyramid is giving it's core brands a new look starting this summer, unveiling new packaging and advertising for Pyramid's Weizen line of unfiltered wheat beers and Mac's line of Celtic-inspired ales. John Lennon, CEO of Pyramid Breweries, explains it this way, “One of our objectives is to become a more consumer-focused organization. We are aiming for a new, more refreshing look to help accelerate growth among target consumers.” Design is a value generator. Pyramid is launching new brand communications for its core Weizen ales platform behind the “Refreshingly Unfiltered” positioning. The new packaging dramatically showcases the visual point of difference of the beer, while enhancing appetite appeal. Mac's is focusing on its contemporary "Celtic style" ales from the Rose City, reflecting upon its Portland heritage. Pyramid Breweries Inc. is a leading brewer of specialty, full-flavored beers and sodas produced under the Pyramid, MacTarnahan's and Thomas Kemper brands. The independent company operates five western breweries with adjoining Ale House restaurants in Seattle, Portland, Berkeley, Walnut Creek and Sacramento. More information about Pyramid Breweries is available at www.pyramidbrew.com. For more financial information contact: Jim Hilger, Chief Financial Officer Pyramid Breweries, Inc. (206) 682-8322 To schedule a tour, an interview or for high res images, inspiration or information contact: Kristina Wright In the Loop PR & Marketing (503) 612-1622