Kurt Huffman Opening Beer Hall with World's Largest Oregon Beer Selection

Kurt Huffman of ChefStable wants to have the world's largest selection of Oregon beers on tap. And he plans to achieve that goal by April.

The Oregonian reports that Huffman plans to open The Loyal Legion in the former Portland Police Athletic Association building, located at SE 6th and Alder in the burgeoning Central Eastside Industrial District.

Named after an old logger's union employment agency, it'll have 99 taps (why not an even 100?) flowing with only Oregon-made beer, including some on cask, nitro, or served at extra-cool temperatures. The menu will feature sausages from Olympic Provisions, including some varieties created specifically for the restaurant. A vegan option is in the works. Breads and pretzels will come from Philippe's Bread, another ChefStable project.

"We don't want it to be pretend English or Irish or German," Huffman tells The Oregonian's Michael Russell. "We're looking for something much more rooted in Portland's past. A lot of the work we're doing now (is asking), what does it mean be an Oregon craft beer hall?"

The space is situated in the ground floor of the building and will feature a circular bar with about 120 seats.

As for the upstairs portion of the building, the founders of Union/Pine event space have nabbed the top floors, and are in the process of transforming the 7,000-foot, 1905 ballroom into another event space.