In a region spilling over with craft beers, one Hood River brewery is earning world-class status. It’s been Josh Pfriem’s (MHS ’99) vision for nearly 20 years and began with a batch of homebrew in college. “That really set the wheels in motion,” he said. “I knew this was my thing.”
Pfriem was a business major at Western Washington University and, like a lot of Pacific Northwest students, enjoyed good beer and an outdoor lifestyle. He took winter semesters off to snowboard most days and met his wife Annie when they were both mountaineering guides. Fitting, then, that they chose Hood River, Oregon as their home and since 2012 have built pFriem Family Brewers into an award-winning business.
Pfriem learned the food and beverage industry working his way through college. He managed high-end restaurants in Bellingham and Salt Lake City and honed the art of beer making at notable breweries like Wasatch, Chuckanut Brewery and Full Sail. In his determination to “bring great beer to the world,” he biked across Belgium to learn trade secrets of European brewmasters.
Pfriem is one of a trio of entrepreneurs behind pFriem Family Brewers. He met his partners Ken Whiteman and Rudy Kellner at his daughter’s co-op preschool. But it was at a backyard barbecue and “six or seven business plans later” that they launched their venture. Since opening to the public, the company has become a thriving regional business and a favorite of craft beer connoisseurs.
It's been included in Forbes Magazine’s Road Map to the Top 15 Craft Breweries. In 2018, it won Best Mid-Sized Brewery of the Year at The Great American Beer Festival where 4,000 breweries compete for honors. The list of medals and accolades is long.
Later this summer, pFriem Family Brewers celebrates its 7th anniversary. After several years of 40 percent growth, the company is set for a major expansion to increase production and distribution of its 130 different beers.
“We’ve set ambitious goals and have met them,” said Pfriem. “We feel honored that people are excited about what we’re doing and want them to experience the lifestyle and passion that we bring to it.”
