Louder Records by Baerlic Brewing

Louder Records by Baerlic Brewing puts a small vinyl shop inside Baerlic's Portland beer world. The connection makes sense for a brewery that describes itself as stubbornly independent and punk rock: records, beer, pizza, and Friday energy all live in the same room.

Interview with Louder Records by Baerlic Brewing

Baerlic's been stubbornly independent since Ben and Rik started it back in 2014, and the whole identity leans punk rock — right down to beers like Punk Rock Time IPA and the anniversary "Louder" Double IPA. Where does that punk-rock thread run from?

Well you nailed it, stubbornly independent is a huge part of our approach to every element in our operation. Punk Rock represents us down to the DIY work ethic, a passion for being creative and authentic, and not being afraid to speak up for what we believe in.

The "Louder Records" name ties the vinyl right to that anniversary beer — how did records end up woven into the Baerlic world in the first place?

Back in 2021 we had a buddy doing little pop-ups in our SE Taproom, and he called his shop Craft Service. He had lots of fun, collectible type things including a great selection of records. He eventually opened up a large shop inside the taproom, and when he decided his run was over with the shop, we wanted to keep the records around cause it was so rad. So, we took a shot at it and Louder Records was born. About 3+ years and running now.

You share the SE Portland pie hall with Ranch Pizza and run a big indoor beer garden — how does music, and vinyl specifically, live inside that space day to day?

Quite seamlessly! Ranch operates its own business totally separate from us. It works out really well letting them do what they do well, and letting us focus on what we do well. As far as the music side of things, we run our music through a tablet/music app and let our bartenders curate the mood. We have had Dj's in and host record swaps here and there. Always trying to do fun things when we can!

When there's a record on and the room's full over square pizza and a beer — what tends to be spinning?

Is there a Baerlic sound? We don't spin during service, although like I said we do have Djs come in sometimes and do their thing. We like to keep it eclectic even though we lean toward the louder things in life. Each bartender has their own style each day, whatever they can do to keep it interesting and on point!

Portland's a serious record town — Music Millennium, the whole scene. How does a brewery-and-vinyl spot fit into that world rather than compete with it?

Just like the brewery ops, we do things our own way and stay in our lane. With only around 150 titles in the store at any given time, the selection is extrememly thoughtful, and reflects the customer base that typically love our beer. Always trying to put titles in there that you MUST HAVE and to add that experience to hanging out at a brewery proves to be pretty fun for folks.

Beer and records both reward the obsessive — do you see the same kind of soul geeking out over both?

There are definitely those types that have vast amounts of experience collecting records, some that have been to 100+ breweries in their life. Sometimes those paths collide, sometimes they run separate. But at the end of the day, people enjoy quality, and they want to have fun. Thats what its all about.

If someone wandered into the taproom for the first time, beer in hand and no idea about the vinyl side, what's the one thing you'd want them to clock?

We love the reaction of our guests that are just so stoked to see the record shop, and even more stoked when we see them walk away with a record they had when they were younger, or pulls at their nostalgic heart strings.

What's the record — or the night with a record playing — that best captures what Baerlic's trying to be?

Well we have a theme to our Fridays around here called Denim Vest Friday. So anything that gets you to break out the vest, put your fist in the air, and rock out like today is the best day of your life. That's the spirit we are looking for.

David Belcher- General Manager 2235 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR www.baerlicbrewing.com

musicalley@infoblvd.net Music Alley

FAQ

Where is Louder Records located?

Louder Records lives inside Baerlic Brewing's SE Portland space with Ranch Pizza.

Is Louder Records a full-size record store?

No. David describes it as a small, curated record shop woven into the taproom experience.

Last updated: 2026-08-12

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