An interview with Karen Allen, owner, along with husband Stephen, of the Astoria Brewing Co. and the Wet Dog Café, 144 11th Street, Astoria.

Fine cuisine, award winning brew from Astoria’s oldest brewery, picture window views of storm squalls and Columbia River shipping are all part of the experience at The Wet Dog Café on the waterfront. Dance to Hip Hop or shoot pool in the evening. Coast residents and visitors from around the world flock to this establishment for the best of Astoria. It’s open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, call 325-6975

What would you like to tell us about the Wet Dog Café?

“This is a full-service restaurant with an on-site brewery. We are the North Coast’s first brewpub. We opened in 1995 and added the brewery, under the name Pacific Rim Brewery, in ’97. It started as a partnership. Steve bought out the partnership in ’97. In 2005, we changed the name to Astoria Brewing Company to commemorate Astoria’s First Brewing Company, established in 1872. We can seat 200, and easily move the seating around to accommodate banquets, parties and receptions.”

Do you offer anything new this year?

“Starting Friday, we will offer a raw seafood bar, from 5 p.m. through dinner during the summer. We will have fresh oysters, prawns and seafood that is in season. The seafood comes from Ocean Beauty here in Astoria. This summer we will offer beer sampling to go hand-in-hand with seafood. John Dalgren, our brew master, will be giving brewing classes here in the brewery, and we have added free internet service for customers. And we will offer the third annual Beer Maker’s Dinner in the fall.”

Tell us about your brewery.

“We have a four-barrel system that is kept busy producing over 400 barrels annually. We use only the finest ingredients to create our exceptional beers. The beer is handcrafted using a wide range of hops and grains, creating unique flavors. We have nine beers on tap. We sell home-brewing supplies such as hops, barley, malt, yeast and accessories. Our first brewing class is already filled up.”

Do you offer your brews outside of Astoria?

“It’s all we can do to keep up with our own demand. We do brew a custom porter for Baked Alaska. Our Imperial IPA, our most popular, was selected by Belmont Station in Portland to be offered on tap. They carry 750 beers but only a few on tap. We do lots of out-of-house brew festivals. On April 6 and 7, we will be at the Spring Beer and Wine Festival at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland.”

How much volume do you see here?

“We had over $1.2 million in sales last year and over a half million in payroll. Our catering business has grown a lot. Steve and I are very proud of what we have done and where it is going.”

Tell us about the food here?

“Everything is gourmet. Our burgers are our biggest seller. We have 17 burgers on the menu and will soon have over 24. We incorporate our beer in a lot of our products. Our annual Beer Maker’s Dinner is a seven-course meal, each course featuring a beer paired with the meal. This is also very much a family establishment. Children are welcome here until 10:30 p.m. We have a great children’s menu and the kids get a special “kids pack” to go with the meal.”

Do you have dancing here too?

“We have DJ dancing for 21 and older on Friday and Saturdays, from 10:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Roger Jaime is the D.J. It is mostly Hip-Hop, and top 40. We also have local musicians play at dinnertime on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 8. There is no cover charge for dinnertime, but there is a $3 cover for the DJ dancing.”