ALBANY — Why would a former schoolteacher and software programmer with a degree in English buy a microbrewery?

Mark Martin doesn’t hesitate a second when asked why he and his wife, Laura Bryngelson, purchased the Oregon Trader Brewing Co. at 140 Hill St. S.E.

“I’ve always wanted to run my own bar,” Martin said. “It was the right time for us.”

Although the couple made the leap into business ownership just three weeks ago, Martin has been learning the art of brewing since March. Former owner Eugene Gregg has been his mentor.

With the new owners also comes a new name, Calapooia Brewing Co.

Martin isn’t completely new to the pub trade. He worked in bars while earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Oregon State University. In recent years, he worked for a beer distributor.

Bryngelson once managed a Woodstock’s Pizza restaurant and said buying the business has been “a great learning experience.”

The couple’s immediate goal is to get their beer into more area restaurants and bars. In the short term, they’d like to have 30 handles (taps) pouring at establishments in the mid-valley. Currently, there are eight.

“Right now, the Bombs Away in Corvallis is our largest seller, with three to four handles,” Martin said. “But we hope to get commitments from several others this week.”

Calapooia Brewing Co.’s top seller is called Yankee Clipper IPA, but the microbrewery also offers an amber, a stout, a pale ale and a wheat beer.

There’s even one made with green chilis. “It’s really good,” Bryngelson said.

Brewing beer in the right quantity is a challenge, Martin said, because the operation has a limited amount of fermenting tank capacity. It takes from two weeks to two months to ferment a batch of microbrew.

“It’s a serious juggling act,” Martin said. “We have to think months ahead, plus we do seasonal brews, and that has to be figured in as well. We try to keep at least 70 kegs ready to go.” A keg holds about 16 gallons.

The microbrewery phenomenon started in the Northwest about three decades ago.

“Now there are about 90 microbreweries in the Pacific Northwest,” Martin said. “There is a huge demand for quality beer. Like Oregon’s pinot noir wine, people here take pride in drinking beer made in small batches, local beers.”

Calapooia’s best seller, the Yankee Clipper IPA, “definitely has the taste of hops, a nice bitterness and a floral scent,” Martin said. “It is crisp and clean.”

Another goal of the new owners is to raise Calapooia Brewing Co.’s profile.

“This is the only microbrewery in Albany, and few people know about it,” Martin said. “There are several microbreweries in Eugene, a few in Salem and many in Portland, but we’re the only one in Albany.”

In addition to expanding their microbrew production, Martin and Bryngelson plan to add a full kitchen to expand the pub’s menu for both lunch and dinner.

“Right now, we have a very limited menu of things like nachos and chicken strips,” Martin said.

The pub’s clientele ranges from blue-collar workers to professionals, twenty-

somethings to retirees.

“It’s surprisingly diverse,” Martin said. “What is common is there is a great loyalty.”

Martin and Bryngelson are joined by only one part-time employee. A couple of volunteers help with chores such as washing empty beer kegs.

Calapooia Brewing Co. is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 3 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

What’s in your beer?

Beer is composed primarily of water, malted barley, hops and yeast. Other ingredients include sugar, as well as starch, which during the mashing process converts to sugars that increase the alcohol content.

Water: The source of water is important, because beer can take on some of the characteristics of the water used in brewing. The amount of minerals in the water can affect the taste of the final product.

Malt: Malting occurs when grain is soaked in water until it germinates. The germinated grain is then dried. Malting assists the converting of starch into sugar. Barley is most widely used, in part because it contains an enzyme that aids the breakdown of starch into sugars. Other unmalted grains used in brewing include wheat, rice, oats and rye.

Hops: Hops are used as a bittering agent to balance the sweetness of malts. They also add aroma to beer. Oregon is the second-largest hop-producing state in the United States, and the main growing region is the Willamette Valley. The valley’s moderate temperatures are especially favorable for producing aromatic hops.

Yeast: Yeast facilitates fermentation. Yeast metabolizes sugars extracted from grains to produce alcohol.

Alex Paul can be reached at alex.paul@lee.net or 812-6076.