Shoug’s Draft House to open in Washougal

Rod Edwards launched Shoug Brewing Company in 2016 as a small-scale post-retirement project. He slowly expanded his distribution network over the next 10 years to provide his beers to restaurants and bars throughout Southwest Washington.

Edwards wanted to open a brewery and taproom of his own, and almost did in 2019 until an agreement to lease space in uptown Vancouver fell through. His vision finally crystallized in 2024, when he brought in longtime friends and food service employees Jon Borth and Jess Cantrell as partners.

Two years later, Shoug’s Draft House is set to open on E Street in Washougal, offering wood-fired pizza and other handmade food items, Shoug Brewing Company beers and a family-friendly atmosphere in a renovated historic building. The restaurant and taproom is targeting a soft opening in the first half of March, Edwards said.

“I’m excited about it because it’s been something that I’ve wanted to do ever since I started and just never had the opportunity, or the timing wasn’t right, or I didn’t have the knowledge,” said Edwards, who began home brewing in his garage in 1994.

A suitable location eluded Edwards, Borth and Cantrell until the owner of the 85-year-old building that formerly housed Neder’s Cafe and Auto Service asked them if they’d be interested in it. The auto shop closed in 2011, followed by the cafe two years later.

Cantrell had the building “on her map for a long time,” Edwards said.

“The building was really important because I was a big believer that Shoug Brewing needed to stay in Washougal,” Cantrell said. “There weren’t a lot of opportunities in Washougal, so I think this location became really important.”

The trio organized an extensive remodeling project that included the construction of a reinforcing inner wall, Edwards said. Community members, fearing demolition, have reacted positively to the building’s rehabilitation, Borth said.

“This was where a lot of people had breakfasts and lunches with their families,” Borth said. “There’s a lot of memories for this community in this building. Now they get to come back as adults with their aging grandparents or their kids and start the cycle all over again.”

Tap list

The brewery’s tap list features a wide variety of beers including a Czech pilsner, hazy and West Coast India pale ales, a lager, a brown ale and a blackberry hefeweizen.

“If we’re going to have to have our own taproom, we have to have something for everybody,” said Edwards, who retired from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office in 2019. “I think we have a pretty well-rounded beer list.”

Borth previously served as the general manager of Smokehouse Provisions in Vancouver and The Hammond in Camas. Cantrell previously worked as a banquet chef at ilani in Ridgefield and the general manager of the Acorn & The Oak in Camas.

“I’m excited to share our passion with the community,” Borth said. “All three of us have a passion for food and beverage, and I’m excited to share Jess’ talents in the kitchen and Rod’s talents with the beer, and bring it to life with all of us working together.”

The food menu includes a variety of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and wood-fired pizzas made with from-scratch ingredients.

“The menu is pretty varied, but the main focus is pizza,” Borth said. “The pizza oven will be the workhorse. We’ll use it as much as we possibly can, just because that is the concept.”