Today I am leaving to take a fantastically long Amtrak ride up the coast to Portland, to enjoy the city and its beers. For the last few months, I have been jonesing to do some real traveling. And now its time to quit talking about it and actually get out of LA for a little while. Needless to say, I am superstoked.
There’s so much beer related stuff to do in Portland, brewery tours and whatnot, and I know I’m going to want to bike around and discover new bars and beers all day. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of material for the site.
Now I just need to figure out where to go.
When I ran into Hot Knives two weeks ago, they had recently returned from Portland. I told them I am really into a lot of Rogue’s beer (Dead Guy, American Amber, Chipotle Ale), and that if I don’t go to the brewery, I at least need to check out their public house. I asked for their input on where else to go, and they replied almost simultaneously, “Belmont Station.”
Damn straight I need to go to Belmont Station. Have you been to their blog? Speaking of which, I just checked over there right now, and in their last post, they’ve practically mapped out a potential route for me. Done. I have never even heard of Roots or Ninkasi, not to mention Max’s Fanno Creek. But now they are all on my radar.
What else should I keep in mind that is unique to Oregon? Obviously there’s Widmer (meh) and Pyramid (less meh). And then there’s Deschutes. We get Mirror Pond, Black Butte, and the occasional Inversion IPA down here, but I’m sure there’s more flavors to choose from. And I’ll be damned if I don’t try some Hair of the Dog while I’m up there.
Well, gotta go catch my train. Beervana here I come.
Go check out this great post: Portland – Every day is a beer fest.
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on Jun 26th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Jealous! I want to goto Portland and drink beer! I just bought a bottle of Rogue’s Chipotle beer myself. A couple of years ago I did go to a Rogue Brewery Bar in San Fran, and thoroughly enjoyed that.
on Jun 26th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
I’ve heard great things about Lucky Labrador brewing; I had some tastes of their beers last month and they were excellent.
on Jun 27th, 2007 at 8:31 am
May I offer some suggestions? Sometime, visit us during the Oregon Brewers Festival (always on the fourth weekend in July), not so much to spend an inordinate amount of time there (although that can be entertaining), but because the whole city parties hardy in July, and especially during the OBF. July is Oregon Beer Month.
Whenever you visit, do not pass up the chance to stop on your way up here at Newport, Oregon, a coastal town where you will be welcomed by a gracious staff (and possibly your future best friends) at the Rogue Brewery. Consider staying in one of the rooms above the Rogue Public House. In Portland, the Rogue Pub on 14th and Flanders is cool.
Other not-to-be-missed places: The New Old Lompoc in NW Portland; The Horse Brass Pub (a few blocks from Belmont Station), who recently celebrated their 30th anniversary with specialty beers from nearly every brewer in Oregon; the Basement Pub, not far from the Horse Brass; and most certainly the Pilsner Room on the waterfront, housing the Portland space for John Harris’ Full Sail Brewery … order the ahi tuna and coconut shrimp appetizers with a full line of Full Sail beers (full bar too). John’s Marketplace in SW Portland doesn’t employ full-time beer bloggers like Belmont Station must do, so there’s not much on the web about them, but they have many hard to find beers, many of which can no longer be found at Belmont Station. Roots Organic Brewing is great too, and please stop by the oldest brewery in Oregon, BridgePort. It’s been renovated and is on a gorgeous street near downtown. For a special supper, check out Higgins, renowned for their extensive beer list and excellent cuisine.
on Jun 27th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Amnesia Brewing on N Mississippi & Tugboat Brewing downtown are both worht a visit.
on Jun 27th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
I would give my left (maybe even right) arm to visit Deschute’s Pub.
on Jun 28th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Wow, thanks guys for all the suggestions. Just got into town last night and had some food at the Rogue, and had some Shakespeare Stout on nitro, followed by the chocolate stout. Tonight I’m actually meeting some people at Lucky Lab, so I’ll report back on that.
@speedy: Don’t think I’ll make it to Newport for the Rogue Brewery, but that would be awesome to stay at their inn some time. Thank you for the comprehensive list of bars! It took me a while, but I wrote them all down.
@Jim: my friend Chrisian also recommended Amnesia, I’ll try to make it.
@Steve: They’re way over in Bend, which would require it’s own field trip. But I did pick up a 6 pack of their Twilight Ale, a summer seasonal that I’ve never seen in LA. It’s light and a little bit citrusy. Yum.
on Aug 8th, 2008 at 1:19 am
Неплохой пост, очень интересно было почитать
on Aug 13th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Wow, my first non-English comment! (Is it Russian?)
Can anyone tell me what this says?