Not all who quit wandering are lost: 'Park it on the couch and drink your beer'
EUGENE, Ore. -- The Sumerian people went from being nomads to living an agrarian lifestyle.
“If you look at it another way," said James Book with Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, "you don’t have to be nomadic; you could park it on the couch and drink your beer.”
Ninkasi, the brewing company launched in 2006 by Jamie Floyd and Nikos Ridge, is named for the Sumerian god of fermentation.
“We like to think that (beer) is linked to the beings of civilized culture,” said Book, the marketing director for Ninkasi.
“We are technically in our third year professional but really it’s been longer, about four years," Book said. "Jamie Floyd, one of our owners and masterbrewers, and Nikos Ridge, the other one, they just brewed for fun."
That fun exploded into a booming business.
“We’re going really fast," Book said, "and we can make way more beer.”
The brewery has recently begun construction on a new brewery next to the old one, and opened a tasting room this past November.
Ninkasi started off as a local brewery that the people of Eugene took to right from the start. Ninkasi soon after began serving the people of Portland and Seattle.
Ninkasi will be in "Idaho, Alaska and California for next spring. We’ve been traveling around setting up events,” said Book.
One of these events is their Last Band Standing competition. The winning band wins a record deal with Ninkasi’s record label.
Ninkasi is at 272 Van Buren St. in Eugene and its tasting room is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
