Ninkasi Brewing, long a part of the Whiteaker neighborhood, has been a local Eugene brewery for 20 years, known for its hoppy IPAs and other brews. On Oct. 14, Ninkasi soft-opened a second location right off the University of Oregon campus, called The Annex.
Where Ninkasi fosters the more millennial and Gen-X clientele of the Whiteaker, The Annex, which wears the slogan “Eat, Drink, Hang,” is geared towards college students and their game day and late-night needs.
The Annex is a two-minute walk from campus on Kincaid Street, right next to popular college bar Rennie’s Landing. It is also down the street from other large college haunts, Max’s Tavern and The Webfoot Bar and Grill. Bryan Nelson, Ninkasi’s director of hospitality, says that rather than Rennie’s being a competitor, he says that the setting for The Annex will be so “people can pre-game here before they party at Rennie’s.”
Nelson says that the new location will help expand Ninkasi’s capabilities. “Our current tasting room is pretty small and mostly outdoors,” Nelson says, so “this place gave us an opportunity to do more community engagement.”
Being one of the largest hubs in the UO nightlife scene at about 2,200 square feet, The Annex is more a college venue than it is a bar. The main dining room has a stage, which Nelson says will soon hold DJ nights, movie screenings, local bands and “eventually karaoke.” It also has couches, chairs and a 98-inch television for game days, a west-facing patio for Eugene sunsets and long tables with charging stations for studying and doing homework as well as a quieter seating area with a fireplace.
The Annex currently hosts three food trucks, Pizzeria DOP, Cheesy Phils (Philly cheesesteaks) and Easy Eats (pan-Asian food). Attached to The Annex is The Annex To-Go, a convenience store that focuses on selling local beers and wines. There are also currently plans to install a café in the establishment by 2026.
Nelson says that this project has been in the works since before COVID-19, but flew off the ground almost two years ago when the new building became available. “It was a really cool building with great bones,” Nelson says. The developers of the Flock 13 apartment building, a partner in The Annex project, reached out to him after using the location as a staging area. “We need something else for the community down on this block, because it’s really only Rennie’s here,” he says. The large building being transformed into a social hub is “such a great opportunity for people to gather,” Nelson says.
The Annex, the site of the former Wesley Center, fills a large gap in the area, as an all-ages venue within walking distance to campus that allows all students to participate in game day culture and nightlife, even if they’re under 21. Along with serving wine and beer across 18 taps, The Annex carries a growing non-alcoholic menu, including lemonades, seltzers, mocktails and coffees.
This is to cater towards patrons under 21, and also to accommodate the changing landscape surrounding alcohol. “So many people, including college students, just don’t drink at all anymore, which affects alcohol sales,” Nelson says. With the nonalcoholic menu, and the addition of drinks that have relatively low alcohol-by-volume, he says “We’re definitely adapting to that.”
“Ninkasi’s always been big on community. We wanted a place for the community to come to and we want to be a part of the college experience as well,” Nelson adds. The idea to bring Ninkasi to campus stems from wanting to bring their business and experience to this large sector of the Eugene community that lies outside of The Whiteaker.
“Being in the Whit, we get a little bit of campus traffic, but very little. They’re generally not going to travel that far,” Nelson says. He says when The Annex became a reality, it allowed the Ninkasi company “to be able to create memories with people going through a pivotal time in their life. It’s a great opportunity to start building memories and create positive experiences.” The Annex is open 11 am to 9 pm Tuesday through Thursday and 11 am to 10 pm Friday and Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 8 pm at 1236 Kincaid Street. Find it on Instagram as @AnnexEugene.