Max Tieger leaves Max's Fanno Creek Brewery
It was with great sadness to learn this week that Max Tieger, Brewmaster at Max's Fanno Creek Brew Pub is no longer part of their team. His great beer styles will continue under the watchful eye of owner, Marvin Bowen.
posted by PDXBeer at 2:21 PM
27 Comments:
WOW!
Any more details?
well thats a shock to hear. hopefully it was an amicable parting on both sides.
marvins a theif and a cheat
do not patronize max's at fanno creek, marvin stole it from max!!!!
how can he "steal" something he paid for, right?
one should keep ones mouth shut when one does not know what one is talking about. Know of what you say before putting your mouth in gear.
Not a shock, Max is a blowhard and and what goes around come around. Everyone knows his big mouth would get him in trouble someday
Max is not a blowhard, Max knows beer and is confident. Only a blowhard can claim to know something and not produce results, Max does not fall into that category. Marv is a cheating bastard, burn this place down.
Ahh, the anonymous post. The one communication device that trumps sarcasm.
This is rather sad news, incomplete as it may be.
Please, Max knows his stuff/ He asks other brewers for advice, instead of doing the research. He doesn't come from a family of brewers, that is a lie.
Max may make good beer (although I question how much he really knows), but he's an asshole. The place is better off without him. Hopefully they'll change the name.
Max treated the other people he worked with poorly. To be a brewer takes more than knowledge... it takes tact when dealing with others. He got 86'd from the joint with his name on it for christ sakes.
dumb fux
max is a beer god, the rest suck his dick!
Does your mommy know you've been playing on the computer? And she lets you stay up past 9:30?
Face it, little boy (or Max?), you're not exactly proving your point by posting brainless twaddle like that.
Max is a blowhard asshole who treats people badly. Evidently that appeals to pubescent types.
The main problem was that Marvin went into the project with unrealistic expectations and they picked a horrible location.
Marvin was enamored with Mas's personality when Max brewed at Tucks. However, as good as a brewer as Max is...He never had to deal with being in a brewery that had to make money and worry about an actual bottom line. Tuck's brewery was a lark for the owner of the Cider Mill. And Max was able top dump, blend, and sit on batches of beer until he deemed them suitable.
In a real brewpub setting, you have to get the beer in out and consumed for a profit.
Marvin paid for the business; the equipment; bought Max a company vehicle and gave him a generous salary. Then they started butting heads...Marvin the businessman and Max the beer perfectionist.
When Max got busted for DUI Marvin saw it as his opportunity to cut some losses and things got ugly.
Heres some advice from an outsider:
Max: Get over it and move on. It was a fantastic learning expereince and thank the berewing gods that you aren't tethered to that sinking ship.
Marvin: Change the name. Its disingenious to keep calling it Max's and bad karma....Rename it something that your base...the people of Tigard can relate to... like "Tigard Street Brewery" or something.
Realize that the people of Tigard are your base. Beer geeks and hippies will not trek crappy HWY 99and that bizarre little Main street to be regular customers. Tigard is a blue collar type town that wont support $5 Belgian Ales and $8 organic painted hills hamburgers.
Put up TV's so people can enjoy sports games. Get the NFL Sunday Ticket; develop a happy hour; get some guest taps like PBR and Coors Lite; Lower your food costs; serve a good greasy burger; a cheap breakfast if you do the NFL ticket;. Put in a video poker machine: People enjoy it and its free money.
Belgain Ales and fancy food is great...It a community that will embrace it. Quit jamming the square peg into the round hole.
Bummer. I know Max from his Louisiana days. I was wondering what was going on as I have not heard from him in a while. I bet He lands on his feet.
Only 1 DUI? Is two months jail time common on the first offence?
It is sad Max and his beers are gone, but it's hard to blame Marvin for making a change if his head brewer is behind bars for that long.
I stopped in yesterday. Some new beers are on tap. They are good. I'll keep checking in to see how they progress.
Oh Man....I hate to hear that. I am sure that this is very hard on his family. Max is a great guy at heart, I know He will get back on track.
Wow someone finally said it right, Square peg Round hole.
I like both Marvin and Max and the truth is that Max's Fanno Creek is in the wrong location for what it is.
I agree some TV's and Sunday Ticket makes more since. I would also add that a couple of pool tables will help. It's Tigard.
But the best improvement that Marvin can make would be to hire an experienced manager. The wait staff and bar tenders are slow, very slow. Each time I've gone in I've had to wait for the staff to socialize with each other and their non-purchasing friends before being asked what I wanted to order. Nothing kills me more than going into a half empty Brew Pub or bar and then waiting 5 to 10 minutes for a beer. An experienced manager would help speed things up and get them working. No body wants to spend half their night waiting on the staff especially after making the trek down to Max's.
I want Marvin to succeed but I don't see how with such slow service and missed market group.
I disagree with the changes anonymous suggests. The whole reason my husband and I like Max's is that it isn't your standard sports bar. It's more along the lines of a McMenamins, and maybe you haven't noticed, but McMenamins does very well in this area, even in "blue collar" Tigard.
Keep the menu, keep the beer - and spiff up the service a little. Tigard doesn't need yet another sports bar.
But you should probably change the name ...
Hey,
I used to be blue collar, and I still choose Tigard as my home.There is nothing wrong with a working class community. Could you afford a home in Bull Mountain? I have met Max when he was at Tuck's and he seemed like a decent guy, and a good brewer with a lot of ingenuity. Tigard needs a quality brewery as opposed to the cookie-cutter McMenamin's locations. I liked the IPA the last time we stopped at Max's, but I agree-Marvin should take a clue from the good, quick service at other competitors and offer some more affordable food options to draw from a larger cross-section of the community.
I'm an old friend of Max... he's a hell of a good guy, and the big mouth asshole factor is what they call having balls in Louisana.
Marita,
I'm Glad you and your husband like the place just the way it is. The fact is, however, the two of you are not going to cover the bills. They need to draw in larger crowds and that means that something has to change. Too many busines owners get stuck on their vision and find themselves hoping that things will turn around. Without making changes they soon find that waiting leads them into bankruptcy.
I am a friend of Marvins and have known him for years (before Max's). I want to see him succeed.
I am not saying the place should be changed 100% into a sports bar, instead that if they incorporate some aspects they may bring in more clients.
Also my major point was to work on the staff and wait time. This is key in any business. Improve your customer experience and people will tell there friends. Always remember customers tell more people about their poor experiences than they tell about their great experiences - business 101.
McMenamins is a different marketing vehicle all together. They have Name recognition in Oregon and Washington and have spent many years establishing themselves. They have become part of the NW culture. Not comparable.
ME
It's is not a shock that he is gone. He is not a people person and usually was quite rude. He has too many "bad days" and did not know how to keep it too himself. He should not force customers to "walk on egg shells" on those days.
Yes, Max knows a lot about making beer but there are so many better brewmeisters in the pdx area. Jamie is a better brewmeister and NICE too. The owner should change the name by dropping "Max" from it. Maybe people will come back.
I know Max really well. I've seen how he goes through people until bridges get burned. People eventually realize he's a blowhard who stubbornly only thinks about himself and his way of doing things. He's made some good beers, but that only carries you so far if your a jerk. Some mistakes were made w/ their business plan which unfortunately may prove fatal to Max's. I'm sorry Marvin didn't see the true Max sooner.
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