McMenamins

McMenamins has a full-time historian on staff. He collects stories, photos, anecdotes and more about McMenamins spots, past and present. The Kennedy School Theater was rated one of the Top Ten That Do It Right by Entertainment Magazine. Huzzah! The Ancient Greeks recommended raw cabbage to aid in curing a hangover. Urp. “Give me a woman who truly loves beer and I will conquer the world.” – Kaiser Wilhelm II Which brewery is a former girls’ lavatory? Kennedy School’s Concordia Brewery! Does each McMenamins pub brew beer? Nope – only our brewpubs and breweries do. They supply our other spots. According to Norse legend, wine is for gods, beer is for mortals, and mead is for the dead. Glass of pinot, anyone? How many McMenamins are there in the Seattle area? Four – Mill Creek, Six Arms, Dad Watsons and Queen Anne. The art of brewing is over 6,000 years old! And only gettin’ better… Citysearch.com rated Edgefield one of the top ten most haunted hotels in the U.S. Spooky. What is “the hair of the dog”? It likely originated from a time when the best medicine for preventing infection was alcohol. The drinking kind. “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” – FDR, upon signing the New Deal Feeling a bit rough after a night out? Some say bananas, loaded with magnesium, will help. What’s the name of the Kennedy brewery? The Concordia Brewery, named for the surrounding neighborhood. At the Grand Lodge, the mosaics in the basement hallways were inspired by the work of Spanish artist Antonio Gaudi. “Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson In Europe around 1200, beer was used to baptize babies — its alcohol content inhibited the growth of bacteria. Golfing at Edgefield? Head to the 2nd floor north balcony and rub the overhead light fixture for good luck. “Beer…a high and mighty liquor.” – Julius Caesar. (Hail, Caesar!) “We borrowed golf from Scotland as we borrowed whiskey. Not because it is Scottish, but because it is good.” -- Horace Hutchinson “Wine is bottled poetry.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson When at Edgefield, ask where the Five Ladies are. And then figure out what happened to the missing earring… What’s a pipe face? Why, it’s a face painted on a pipe. When visiting McMenamins hotels, keep an eye out for ‘em above. Legend has it that St. Bridget, who worked with lepers in Belgium around 500, answered their pleas to turn her bathwater into beer. Cool trick. In Ancient Rome, eating fried canaries was just the thing to banish a hangover. The Centzon-Totochtin (“Infinite Rabbits”) was an Aztec group that represented the ways humans are affected by intoxication. Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII, was said to be able to drink any man under the table. You show ‘em, Betsy! When at McMenamins, check out the light bulbs. Why use plain ol’ white ones when you can have pink, red, orange, blue, yellow…? What was the very first McMenamins pub, opened by Mike and Brian McMenamin? The Barley Mill on SE Hawthorne in Portland. Give it up for St. Arnold, the patron saint of brewers! His miracle was a tankard of ale that never ran dry… Put him on the invite list.