Going to Oregon, what breweries to hit?

[coolharry]

Were gonna be headed out west to Oregon this month, coming from Wisconsin. Anyone have any suggestions as to what breweries to hit, or beers to seek out while I'm there?
We're planning on spending a bit of time in Portland, Salem, and Eugene while were there and there's so many choices I'm a bit overwhelmed. The only one I have on my visit list for sure is Ninkasi.
Where else should I try to get to?

 

[Beernik]

Newport is a great town on the coast and Rogue is on the south shore of the bay right next to the aquarium. I've never toured the brewery but they do have a pub in the historic district on the north side of the bay.

 

[brandonhagen1]

Hop valley, man cave,and oakshire are all good ones in eugene

 

[aprichman]

Block 15 - Corvallis, Oregon (in between Salem and Eugene)

 

[kaisetti]

I'd add Burnside, Hair of the Dog, Hopworks, and Breakside to the list in Portland. Bailey's Taproom downtown is a pretty rad taproom, next to Mary's Club, a PDX institution. In Salem try Salem Ale Works, Gilgamesh, and head to Seven Brides in Silverton. Check out oregoncraftbeer.org for brewery maps and more information. Enjoy your trip!

 

[medicmike63]

I would make a run to Newport and hit Rogue Brewery, not too much of a drive from Salem or Eugene. They have a tasting room/restaurant that you go through the brewery to access, kind of a self-guided tour and pretty cool. The drive and the coast are beautiful too.

If you happen to get down to the Medford area Apocalypse and Southern Oregon Brewing is worth a visit.

Enjoy your trip, it is a beautiful state!

 

[coolharry]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.
I'm looking at Rouges website right now and it looks like they have a bar in the airport. Does this mean I can get a growler filled there and bring it home on the plane? Cause thats awesome.

 

[toolboxales]

And all the ones you could hit in MT too.... What a trip!

 

[Schenkel]

Amnesia Brewing. It is just across the border from Portland in Washington. Lived there for 2 years and they used to have a location in Portland before expanding their operation. Desolation IPA is the one beer I would have everyday for the rest of my life, given the opportunity.

 

[aprichman]

Heathen Brewing in Vancouver, Washington is also really good.

 

[lightjt]

Falling Sky and Ninkasi in Eugene, his HUB in Portland off of Powell. I love all 3 for where you're going, and I am from Eugene, my sister lives walking distance from HUB, great beer and great food! If you get to Newport Rogue is an awesome experience! I was there in May!

 

[afro_lou]

If you like sours at all, you can't miss Cascade Brewing. And if it turns out you DON'T like sours, Green Dragon is right across the street.

 

[johnmac22]

If you can...driver over the pass in Eugene to Bend...There are a pile of awesome breweries there. Boneyard, Crux, Cascade Lakes, Deschutes, Bend Brewing, Worthy... hit some growler stations in Portland as they will have most of these beers. Also, keep an eye out for Barley Browns. They are in Baker City...damn near in Idaho. But they have possibly the best beer I've ever had.

 

[David_Trucks]

I would make a run to Newport and hit Rogue Brewery, not too much of a drive from Salem or Eugene. They have a tasting room/restaurant that you go through the brewery to access, kind of a self-guided tour and pretty cool. The drive and the coast are beautiful too.



If you happen to get down to the Medford area Apocalypse and Southern Oregon Brewing is worth a visit.



Enjoy your trip, it is a beautiful state!

Agree with this, but Apocalypse is now called "Opposition". You can thank 10 Barrel for that...

 

[pdxal]

The Commons, Cascade Barrel House, HUB, Gigantic, and Laurelwood are worth hitting in Portland.
There are quite a few threads on the Oregon forum too:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=186

 

[coolharry]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, some of these places look amazing. I still have no idea what to plan, but I'm sure I'll be referencing this thread a lot while we're there. I'm not a huge fan of sours, but I've enjoyed a few of them I've tried. I usually go for something hoppy (which I'm sure there's no shortage of in the Portland area) but lately I've been really enjoying some English and German styles. Altbier is probably one of my favorites, along with oatmeal stouts, porters, hefeweizens and ESB's. I have a feeling I am going to thoroughly punish my liver on this trip!

 

[Denny]

Were gonna be headed out west to Oregon this month, coming from Wisconsin. Anyone have any suggestions as to what breweries to hit, or beers to seek out while I'm there?
We're planning on spending a bit of time in Portland, Salem, and Eugene while were there and there's so many choices I'm a bit overwhelmed. The only one I have on my visit list for sure is Ninkasi.
Where else should I try to get to?

IMO, Ninkasi's OK, but there are better. Oakshire for one.

 

[soulsuit]

If you like Hefeweizens, Occidental (in North Portland) has a great one. There are almost too many breweries to list that are worth visiting and you certainly can't see them all in one trip. Eugene is convenient in that a lot of them are accessible in a small area -- Hop Valley, Falling Sky, Oakshire, and Ninkasi are all super close to each other. Viking Braggot and Mancave are also worth a visit. Also, even though it's not a brewery, I highly recommend checking out the Bier Stein while in town.

 

[Denny]

Falling Sky and Ninkasi in Eugene, his HUB in Portland off of Powell. I love all 3 for where you're going, and I am from Eugene, my sister lives walking distance from HUB, great beer and great food! If you get to Newport Rogue is an awesome experience! I was there in May!

Falling Sky is quite hit or miss...miss most often.

 

[Denny]

Hop valley, man cave,and oakshire are all good ones in eugene

Man Cave? I've never had anything approaching a decent beer from them. They're like bad homebrewers.

 

[Denny]

Block 15 - Corvallis, Oregon (in between Salem and Eugene)

VERY much so!

 

[soulsuit]

VERY much so!

Agree with Block 15. Between their food and beer, it's one of my favorite places.

 

[LayerUp]

Flat tail brewing in corvallis is my personal go to, but two towns in corvallis is interesting too, it's a cider house, but in the tap room you are able to sample some of their more expensive /rare varieties, which is fun.

If you want to see an interesting, but incredibly tiny brewery, old world deli on 2nd Street in corvallis has a brewery that probably isn't much bigger than your bedroom, and it's been in use for a long time.

Block 15 is a bit overrated I think, but everyone out who comes from out of town seems to need to visit it, so maybe I'm wrong.

If for some reason you find yourself in astoria, you can hit fort george, which is the brewery that I think has the best all around ipa line up in oregon.

Bends Deschutes and boneyard are good places too.

 

[Jcruse]

Breakside and Laurelwood are the 2 most consistently good breweries in Portland I've experienced. Someone else mentioned Burnside and Hopworks. I think Burnside is pretty sub-par, and Hopworks has some good beers and a bunch of ho-hum ones. But we go to Hopworks a lot, because they're so kid-friendly and the food's decent.

Base Camp is also great (their in-tents IPL is one of our favs), and if you want great food with your beer, Sasquatch in the Southwest is a must-visit.

I'll also second Barley Browns if you'll be over by the Idaho border. They make some amazing stuff. Fort George on the coast in Astoria is also another favorite.

 

[Sailingeric]

Widmer Gasthaus on Interstate Ave under the Fremont Bridge has good eats and lot of beers on tap that you cannot get in the stores. You could a brewery tour too, they charge $5 but you get plenty of beer and a sampler glass at the end.

 

[pdxal]

Widmer Gasthaus on Interstate Ave under the Fremont Bridge has good eats and lot of beers on tap that you cannot get in the stores. You could a brewery tour too, they charge $5 but you get plenty of beer and a sampler glass at the end.

If Alts are what you like, Widmer also has their Alt on tap all the time, which isn't distributed. Occidental also makes a really good Alt, available in cans all around.

 

[Singletrack]

I don't know many places in OR, but I had a fantastic time at Block 15 in Corvallis last summer. Had a couple good beers from Flat Tail, and enjoyed the hospitality there. Love that town. Enjoy your trip. Trees!

 

[kaisetti]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, some of these places look amazing. I still have no idea what to plan, but I'm sure I'll be referencing this thread a lot while we're there. I'm not a huge fan of sours, but I've enjoyed a few of them I've tried. I usually go for something hoppy (which I'm sure there's no shortage of in the Portland area) but lately I've been really enjoying some English and German styles. Altbier is probably one of my favorites, along with oatmeal stouts, porters, hefeweizens and ESB's. I have a feeling I am going to thoroughly punish my liver on this trip!

If altbier and lagers are your thing, then hit up Occidental. Basecamp has an IPL worth trying (and a s'mores porter as well).

 

[kaisetti]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, some of these places look amazing. I still have no idea what to plan, but I'm sure I'll be referencing this thread a lot while we're there. I'm not a huge fan of sours, but I've enjoyed a few of them I've tried. I usually go for something hoppy (which I'm sure there's no shortage of in the Portland area) but lately I've been really enjoying some English and German styles. Altbier is probably one of my favorites, along with oatmeal stouts, porters, hefeweizens and ESB's. I have a feeling I am going to thoroughly punish my liver on this trip!

If altbier and lagers are your thing, then hit up Occidental. Basecamp has an IPL worth trying (and a s'mores porter as well).

 

[PhinneyWoodBrews]

I suggest you add the Horse Brass Pub to your list in PDX. I consider it a must-do both for it's tap-list and it's place in craft beer history. You'll find many oregon brews on tap, maybe even some Pliny or Consecration. Try the scotch egg(Hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage and deep fried). Enjoy your trip!

 

[SevenOaks]

If you make it to Bend (and I highly recommend that you do) my favorite of the 20+ breweries in the area is Rat Hole Brew Pub.

 

[coolharry]

We tossed around the idea of doing bend, mostly because well be there during bend brewfest, but swmbo isn't a beer drinker, so small bursts work much better than one giant day of beer.
Occidental and widmer I'm gonna have to do if they've got good alts. I've had widmers okto festival ale, I was under the impression that was their alt, is that not so?

 

[coolharry]

Since it was mentioned, where do I have the best chance at finding some pliny? It's been on my list for a long time.

 

[aprichman]

Horse Brass, Belmont Station, and Roscoe's would be good places to start. It's not out of the question to see kegs of Pliny but it's not super common either and the kegs usually go pretty fast.

 

[kaisetti]

Since it was mentioned, where do I have the best chance at finding some pliny? It's been on my list for a long time.

The only place I know that usually has Pliny either on tap or bottles is a wine bar at Pacific City on the coast. The owner is the sister of the owner of RR. But while you're at Pacific City you could also visit Pelican Brewery, which is literally on the beach. Can't go wrong there.

 

[pdxal]

Belmont Station almost always has bottles of Pliny.
I also know a place on the Oregon Coast that always has it on tap...
Widmer's Okto is not their Alt. The Alt doesn't get bottled and isn't even listed on their website. It was an original and now is pub only, though I think there was a special version released as part of their 30 Beers for 30 Years celebration/promotion.

 

[pdxal]

The only place I know that usually has Pliny either on tap or bottles is a wine bar at Pacific City on the coast. The owner is the sister of the owner of RR. But while you're at Pacific City you could also visit Pelican Brewery, which is literally on the beach. Can't go wrong there.

Twist, Vinnie Cilurzo's sister.

 

[aprichman]

Belmont Station almost always has bottles of Pliny.
I also know a place on the Oregon Coast that always has it on tap...
Widmer's Okto is not their Alt. The Alt doesn't get bottled and isn't even listed on their website. It was an original and now is pub only, though I think there was a special version released as part of their 30 Beers for 30 Years celebration/promotion.

Planning on opening this up tomorrow

 

[coolharry]

The very first bar we stopped at in Portland, hop and vine, had pliney on tap. Talk about luck. That is one amazing beer. Found some alt from occidental and ninkasis IPA as well. Great first day!

 

[johnmac22]

Since it was mentioned, where do I have the best chance at finding some pliny? It's been on my list for a long time.

Try Broken Top Bottle Shop. I've gotten it there multiple times but you have to ask if they have it. In my experience, they dont just toss them on the shelves. The last few times I was in town no one has had it and says it's even harder to come by in bottles now than it used to be.