Portland holds a near and dear place in my heart and stomach. Mostly stomach. If you haven’t gotten a chance to visit the City of Roses, Portland is the land of the food carts. This isn’t like your normal gathering of food trucks that you see in many cities nowadays. It’s really an entire culture here. I highly encourage you go out and explore a few main spots for food carts, but that’s not what I am here to talk to you about today. Today, we are going to talk beer.
Oregon is home to a couple heavy hitting not-so-microbreweries like Widmer Brothers Brewing and Deschutes Brewery (Bend) that decided to take on the American Beer Goliaths – Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors. Aside from these national brands, Portland has spawned a real passion for microbrewing and unique flavors. The culture really provides a great opportunity to expand your palette and learn more about beer.
Today I have three breweries that the seasoned beer drinker will surely enjoy and provide the tenderfoot with a way to get out of the comfort zone and try something different.
Cascade Brewing Barrel House [icon name=’google-maps’ size=’small’]
Sours
I’ve been on a sour kick the last year (yeah, yeah, I jumped on the hipster train) and while in Portland last February, I discovered this gem. Cascade Brewing Barrel House is easily my favorite brewery in Portland. I had never heard of Cascade until I had stumbled across it online and asked my beer-loving boss about it. His eyes widened and he immediately started telling me how much he loved their sours. I was sold.
If you haven’t been introduced to the world of sours, then this is the perfect venue to expand your beer knowledge. Sours are not like typical beers. When you think of beer, tasting notes like bitter, hoppy, and malty tend to come to mind. Sours are quite literally sour and have tasting notes across the fruit board; expect flavors like cherry, citrus, and fig. Many people I have been with when trying sours for the first time often say they are reminiscent of ciders.
My recommendation is you and those you are with each place an order for tasting flight and organize a huge sampling. There are a ton of brews to pick from and honestly, almost every beer I tried was awesome. My favorite absolute favorite was the Sang Noir but the brew year does influence the taste since they are a small operation.
Hair of the Dog [icon name=’google-maps’ size=’small’]
Barrel Aged and Bottle-Conditioned
I found Hair of the Dog on a whim, searching the web for Portland’s highest-rated breweries after walking out of another brewery slightly buzzed. Luckily, it was within stumbling distance 😉 They boast an unusual beer selection for the beer lovers, so I figured why not try it.
Most of their “unusual” beers are either part of their “from the wood” barrel aged beers or bottle condition beers. Now if you thought sours are different, these are a completely different game. Unless you are an enthusiast, chances are these beers are going to deliver on the promise of being “unusual” and will be very different from any beer you’ve ever tried. The easiest way I describe these beers is having a more wine-like, vinegary, and pungent taste.
If you are looking to expand your palette with a barrel aged beer, their most popular beer is Adam From The Wood. I particularly enjoyed Bourbon Fred From The Wood, but I am not a huge barrel aged fan in general. Even if you are unsure if you will like these beers, I encourage you to at least try one. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the spectrum of beers out there.
Green Dragon [icon name=’google-maps’ size=’small’]
Craft Beer & Education
I haven’t been to this pub yet, but I love the mission behind it. The Green Dragon is dedicated to the education & appreciation of craft beer, so it perfectly complements this article. They have 56 rotating taps to enjoy and offer flights for tasting.
Every Wednesday, they release a new brew into the rotation and every Thursday they host a brewer from local and regional breweries. Even if you can’t make it on either of those days, I can tell from their site that whoever is pouring your pint is going to be able to educate you on your brew.
All in all, you have a very large selection of breweries and bars to check out in Portland. It is going to be tempting to stay around Pearl District and Downtown, but I urge you to go out and explore. You can find a lot of great breweries and places in general if you cross the river and will find some hidden local gems off Hawthorne street.
Honestly, I could go on and list many more breweries to visit. So I will list a few before I go 🙂
- Rogue – Not as well known as Widmer or Deschutes, but on the rise. Lots of interesting brews
- BridgePort Brewery & Brewpub – Good location to hang out, drink, and eat
- Bailey’s Taproom – Doesn’t produce it’s own beer, but has a great selection accompanied by an awesome electronic tap system
My final advice is a tangent, but I found very helpful on my trips: download the TriMet App. You can use the app to purchase public transit tickets on your smart phone, so no more carrying around change! The MAX (Portland’s Street Car system) is pretty nice and in combination with the buses, you can get most places easily.
Good luck on your trip and drink up!
Cheers
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