Norte Brewing opens Wilsonville taproom, aims for community-driven growth
Norte Brewing is staking its first brick-and-mortar on Wilsonville’s Vuela project, a taproom and food hall above 121 affordable homes. The site sits by the transit center and WES terminus.
Norte Brewing’s first brick-and-mortar is headed for 9699 SW Barber Street in Wilsonville, where the taproom will sit inside Vuela, a mixed-use project built around 121 affordable homes and a cluster of ground-floor community uses. The taproom will sit in a mini food hall next to Wilsonville Community Sharing’s food pantry and a SMART transit welcome center, with the Wilsonville Transit Center and the WES rail line terminus right nearby.
Cerveceria Norte launched in 2023, and Nick Velasquez and Alan Taylor brought the brand to life in 2024. Norte was meant to stand apart from Zoiglhaus’s German and American focus, with Velasquez drawing on his Hispanic background and a lineup built around traditional-style beers with a contemporary American craft-beer vision. Early beers included a Mexican-style lager and an IPA, a sharp signal that the brand was aiming at a broader local audience without leaving beer-first credibility behind. Zoiglhaus, founded in 2015 by Taylor and Chad Rennaker, later became part of the story’s break, pushing Norte toward a more independent structure and a partnership with Latino Network.
All 121 apartments in the building are income-restricted between 30% and 80% of area median income, and 35 are reserved for households at 30% AMI or below. Twenty homes are permanent supportive housing funded through the Metro Supportive Housing Services measure. The project received support from the Metro Affordable Housing Bond. Cerveceria Norte, Wilsonville Community Sharing and the SMART transit center are part of the building’s public-facing mix. Latino Network is providing outreach and resident services connected to the project.
The opening timeline has moved around, with Norte’s site pointing to spring 2026 and other local scheduling pointing to July 15.
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