Tell Me Your Favorite Brewery/Brewpub in Portland

[TomOliver]

Hello HBT,

I'm planning a trip to Portland, OR for my birthday this August and I know there are a crazy number of breweries there! (Widmer Brothers, Deschutes, BridgePort, Full Sail, etc.) I have heard mixed reviews on a lot of different brewpubs and wanted to hear some opinions from people who actually know beer. Anyway, if you live in PDX or have visited enough to know the scene, help me out! I'll definitely be visiting those I listed but I'd like to maybe know more about some of the lesser known ones.

Thanks in advance!

Tom

 

[Jaysus]

I have rarely had anyone agree with me, but... Tugboat.

 

[BendBrewer]

I would avoid those bigger ones unless you like the feel of Disney and high prices. That Deschutes Pub doesn't even count. You need to go to Bend if bothering with Deschutes.

Try Lucky Lab, Hair of the Dog and Hopworks Urban Brewery.

 

[TomOliver]

Why doesn't the Deschutes pub count? Of all the big Portland brewers, I'm probably most interested in Deschutes. I wouldn't mind a little drive for a better experience in Bend though!

Tom

 

[Mongrel]

Was in the Portland area last week, but family issues kept me from my planned trip to Hopworks. Their menu looks great. Love Lucky Lab (on Hawthorne).

Tom, pretty much any bar you walk into will have great Oregon beer on tap, so pick a brewpub for dinner, then move on to Portland's other specialty, the titty bar.

 

[Mongrel]

Why doesn't the Deschutes pub count? Of all the big Portland brewers, I'm probably most interested in Deschutes. I wouldn't mind a little drive for a better experience in Bend though!

Tom

Deschutes is brewed in Bend, so not really a PDX experience. If you can make it out this way, there are lots of great spots in Central Oregon.

 

[TomOliver]

Deschutes is brewed in Bend, so not really a PDX experience. If you can make it out this way, there are lots of great spots in Central Oregon.

Oh okay, I see that now. Yeah, Bend is about 3.5 hours from where I'll be. Haha, might not be possible seeing as I won't have my own car. No big deal though, I don't think I'll go too thirsty!

 

[KellyK]

Rogue has a downtown Portland location that is pretty good, but Hair of the Dog is hands down my favorite if I only had to visit one. I get up there about once a year on business and I always make sure I stop.

 

[terrapinj]

even though it's not brewed in Portland I really dug the Deschutes brewpub

 

[dwarven_stout]

Full Sail is an hour away in Hood River. Pub is nice to visit if you happen to be driving by, though. Good, cheap food, and some pub-only beer specials that are far better (IMHO) than anything in their normal lineup.

If you like sours or wild ales, you absolutely must visit the Cascade Brewing Barrel House. They have 6-8 of their sours on tap, and Tuesday is the night that they bung a fresh barrel through the bar wall and serve it live!

If you like saisons, visit Upright Brewing. Hair of the Dog is awesome as well, as are Hopworks and Laurelwood.

Finally, if you want to bring bottles home, go to Belmont Station. 1000+ bottles, and they have 16 beers on tap to boot!

 

[Brak23]

I live in Portland, And while I have been to both Deschutes breweries in both Bend and Portland, I like em both. Its brewed in Bend, yes... But the Portland location is one of my favorite brew pub experiences. Excellent Food, great service, best beer in town, and the location is really nice and memorable.

Rogue Brewery
Descutes
Hopworks Urban Brewery
Lucky Lab
Widmer
Laurelwood

Personally my favorite three are Deschutes, Rogue, and Hopworks. All great beers, and great food to go with their food as well.

Also, Henry's Tavern (sounds gross, but actually quite classy) has a TON of beers from around the world on tap. They have over 100 different kinds of beers on tap all of the time (though not all from portland).

 

[step]

Check this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/visiting-portland-brewery-visit-first-207617/

 

[TomOliver]

Cool. Thanks everyone, I might check back closer to when I'm leaving!

Very excited!

 

[cjb]

A couple newer, smaller ones that should be on you radar (and also happen to be stumbling distance from my house)...

Migration Brewing (NE 29th & Glisan)
Coalition Brewing (NE 27th & Ankeny) - so named because they collaborate with homebrewers for some of their beers. If you're good enough, you can get the chance to brew a batch on their system.

And as previously mentioned ... Portland is a worldwide leader, per capita, in two types of establishments. Breweries are one

 

[Mongrel]

Portland is a worldwide leader, per capita, in two types of establishments. Breweries are one

I think I mentioned the other, and Bend is going to surpass Portland this year in brewing...now we just need the other

Since Tom didn't seem too receptive to the other, Tom, go historical. Hit BridgePort, have a pint of Mac's amber, get a Widmer Hef on tap (it tastes like ****e in the bottle), then hit everything else, and you'll be ready to head over to Mary's, Magic Garden, Union Jack's, The Acropolis, Dolphin, etc. Have a great b-day, you picked a great city for it.

Oh yeah, don't forget New Old Lompoc as part of the historical session. And there's always room for a pitcher of Terminator with a big ass pizza while watching an old movie at McMenamins.

 

[TomOliver]

Haha, yeah I think I'm gonna focus on the brewery attraction of Portland. Haha, sorry to disappoint anyone. Do most of the bigger breweries, such as Widmer or BridgePort usually have crazy long waits for a table? Or are they not brewpubs?

 

[pdxal]

My votes are for Cascade Barrel House for sour beers, Hair of the Dog, and Upright. The other brewpubs/breweries are great, but these ones are great and unique.

 

[Stout-n-Braggot]

Rogue, Lompoc, Lucky Lab, etc. all great

 

[shutupjojo]

Rogue, Lompoc, Lucky Lab, etc. all great

Yes sir indeed. TomOliver , they are all good. Just pick out a few and you wont go wrong. Getting to some of these places early is a good idea. Some can get a little crowded. There are so many pubs and butt loads of different styles. This is Portland!

 

[Brak23]

Haha, yeah I think I'm gonna focus on the brewery attraction of Portland. Haha, sorry to disappoint anyone. Do most of the bigger breweries, such as Widmer or BridgePort usually have crazy long waits for a table? Or are they not brewpubs?

Deschutes can be REALLY bad. Typical wait for prime-time dining (5pm-9pm) Can be 45 minutes to an hour wait. Bridgeport can be that way a bit too, but not usually as bad. But thats for the main dining, you can always just walk into the bar and sit down if you find a table.

 

[Chuginator]

Bend is a cool town, and there are plenty of microbreweries to wet your whistle! Six (well, counting Deschutes) within a relatively short radius! I went there for Thanksgiving a couple years ago to tour the breweries and it was a fantastic experience. I highly doubt you'd regret visiting Bend. I can't wait to go back.

 

[maager]

I live in Portland, And while I have been to both Deschutes breweries in both Bend and Portland, I like em both. Its brewed in Bend, yes... But the Portland location is one of my favorite brew pub experiences.

Actually, not 100% true. The Portland Pub brews *a lot* of beer that is only served there. Many of their staples, Mirror Pond, etc are actually never kegged and served directly to tap out of the bright tanks in back. You can't get fresher than that.

I also live in PDX and here is my list:

- Deschutes
- Baily's Tap Room (downtown), great tap selection
- Higgin's, restaurant and bar. One of the best restaurant's in Portland, and always has a good/great tap and bottle selection. More upscale dining though.
- Green Dragon
- HUB
- New Old Lompoc (awesome BLT, get it), great place to just hang out, super low key, great beer.

Have a great time!