PORTLAND | Portland’s Craft Beer scene is one of the best in the USA, and has been going strong since the 1980s. Drawing up a list of the best places for a brew in this city is no easy task, as even places that don’t advertise themselves as craft beer venues can be home to great craft beer lists. Everyone has their favourite spots, as do we – in this list we’ve tried to give you a good overview of some of the best places for craft beer in Portland. What’s your favourite craft beer venue in Portland? What is your favourite Oregonian brewery? Let us know in the comments selection below.
Cascade Brewing Barrel House
Cascade Brewing Barrel House in Portland’s Buckman District is all about tart, barrel aged beers. In fact, Cascade (which was founded in 1998) is considered to be one of the pioneers of the North West style sour beer movement. The Cascade Barrel Brewing House features 24 rotating taps and several bottles of the barrel aged and blended sour beers. If you’re unsure about sour beers, Cascade is a great place to try beers that range from mildly sour gateway beers to supremely tart extreme concoctions.
Cascade Brewing Barrel House
939 SE Belmont Street
Portland
Oregon 97214
United States
BridgePort Brewing Company
BridgePort Brewing Company is Portland’s oldest craft beer brewery and have been producing great beer since 1984, when it was established by local winemakers Richard and Nancy Ponzi. They are best known for their fantasic IPA as well as their Blue Heron Pale Ale, which highlights Northwest ingredients.
The brewpub is located in a brick and timber building dating back over a century and contains the complete range of year-round beers on tap along with a few seasonal offerings. Food consists of a number of pub favourites, many of which incorporate the beers or philosophies behind the beers.
BridgePort Brewing Company
1318 NW Northrup Street
Portland
Oregon 97209
United States
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company is one of Portland’s smaller breweries and is known for its unusual and rare beers that are produced using traditional brewing methods. The family owned and operated brewery has developed a cult following over the years, with people visiting to get a taste of brewers Denver Bon and Alan Sprint’s high alcohol, bottle conditioned, aged beers from the source.
The brewpub features a menu that contains a wide range of beers ranging from the affordable to the expensive. Keep and eye out for the “Doggy Claws” and the “Cherry Adam From The Wood”. For those looking for a feed, a range of pub friendly food options and a decent sandwich selection is available. All food uses locally sourced fresh produce and meats.
Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
61 SE Yamhill Street
Portland
Oregon 97214
United States
Hopworks Urban Brewery
Hopworks Urban Brewery is an eco-friendly brewery that focuses on sustainability and, of course, great tasting beer. The brewery is made using reconstituted materials and is a net zero energy facility. The bike themed brewpub is a fun, family friendly space with great tunes and consists of 4 spaces – a kids play area, the vibrant bicycle bar, banquet room and outdoor beer-garden.
The 100% organic certified beer on tap spans a variety of styles, with a number of year-round and seasonal beers. Try the popular Organic Hopworks IPA, and keep an eye out for the Gear Up IPA with tropical mango and guava hop flavours. Food wise its all about pub classics done well, using only organic ingredients of course.
Hopworks Urban Brewery
2944 SE Powell Blvd
Oregon 97202
United States
Ex Novo Brewing Co
Not-for-profit Ex Novo Brewing Co is housed in a 1940s barn-like building with a high exposed barrel truss roof and space to eat and drink downstairs and upstairs on a mezzanine level. Beers on tap span a range of styles and contain a mixture of classics along with more experimental offerings, including some great sour and barrel-aged beers. Favourites include the “Vanporter”, a smooth coconut vanilla porter and “Cactus Wins The Lottery”, a classic Berliner Weiss with prickly pear.
Food wise, it’s all about casual pub food using fresh, local, seasonal ingredients.
Ex Novo Brewing Co
2326 N Flint Avenue
Portland
Oregon 97227
United States
10 Barrel Brewing Co
10 Barrel Brewing Co is a Bend based brewery that has set up a brewpub in the Pearl District. It’s a large space with enough seating for 175 people inside and a rooftop bar which seats up to 80 people and 8 more at the bar.
Across the 20 taps you can find the year round core range, along with one-off and seasonal beers. Some of the one offs are brewed at 10 Barrel’s Bend and Boise locations while some are brewed on-site at the Pearl District brewpub. All the beers are available on taps both inside and upstairs. Try the Apocalypse IPA, a fantastic example of a West Coast IPA.
On the food front it’s all about “elevated pub food” – classics like pizza, burgers and salads created using locally sourced ingredients.
10 Barrel Brewing Co
1411 NW Flanders Street
Portland
Oregon 97209
United States
The BeerMongers
The BeerMongers is a favourite amongst locals looking for good craft beer in Portland because of the passion that’s evident when you walk into the venue and speak to owner Sean Campbell or any of the other staff. Not only are there 8 rotating taps of rare, carefully sourced beers on offer at any given time, but there are also over 600 bottles of beers and ciders from around the world. If you know exactly what you want or are looking to try something new and want some help guiding your palate, The BeerMongers is the place to visit.
The BeerMongers
1125 SE Division Street
Portland
Oregon 97202
United States
Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House
Deschutes Brewery & Public House is the Portland outpost of the Bend-based family run brewery. The space is large, open, vibrant, and very popular.
There are 26 taps which feature beers ranging from Deschutes core beers through to seasonal beers and one-offs, including beers brewed on-site that can only be found at the Portland brewpub. Try the Mirror Pond Pale Ale featuring Cascade hops or the deliciously juicy Fresh Squeezed IPA, which uses Citra and Mosaic hops for a fresh, citrus/grapefruit hop flavour.
Food is classic pub fare cooked using locally sourced ingredients and ranges from bar snacks through to share plates and more substantial dishes.
Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House
210 NW 11th Ave
Portland
Oregon 97209
United States
Rogue Distillery & Public House
Probably the best known of the Oregon brewery, Newport brewers Rogue has been brewing beers since 1988 and has built a reputation for their great core range beers and interesting and experimental brews. The Rogue Distillery & Public House in Portland offers and enticing range Rogue spirits and beers, distillery tours, outside seating, and pizza & beer delivery. For those who are just interested in the beer, there are 38 taps that include a selection of unique limited-release beers that are only available at this venue.
With so much on offer, we recommend that you take a look at the tap list and choose a selection to sample as a tasting flight. Highly recommended are the Hazelnut Brown Nectar Ale, which is one of the best brown ales we’ve tried anywhere along with the Dead Guy Ale and the Mocha Porter.
Rogue Distillery & Public House
1339NW Flanders Street
Portland
Oregon 97209
United States
Belmont Station
If the sound of Belmont Station’s bottleshop that contains over 1,200 carefully selected craft beers, ciders and meads that have been stored and rotated with optimal precision doesn’t get your attention, perhaps word of the adjacent Biercafe which consists of 20 rotating (and often rare) taps will. From a sheer variety point of view, Belmont Station is one of the best places to get craft beer in Portland and you are free to enjoy your beer inside, as well as in the covered patio out back.
Keep an eye out for the free tastings, which are held almost every week with a range of breweries big and small.
Belmont Station
4500 SE Stark Street
Portland
Oregon 97215
United States
Henry’s 12th Street Tavern
Henry’s 12th Street Tavern offers an enticing offering to craft beer drinkers – over 100 local, regional and international beers and ciders on tap, including many beers that are hard to find in Portland. For those looking for a feed, the bar menu offers a range of tasty bar friendly options which become even more enticing during happy hour. If it’s a more substantial offering you’re after, the restaurant offers a full menu featuring a range of tavern fare prepared using fresh, local ingredients.
Henry’s 12th Street Tavern
10 NW 12th Avenue
Portland
Oregon 97209
United States
Loyal Legion
Originally home to the International Organization Of Oddfellows, and from the 1950s the Portland Police Athletic Association, this historic building today houses Loyal Legion, a self described 99 tap beer hall. Loyal Legion prides itself on serving “the best selection of Oregon beers in the nation” and each of the 99 taps contains beers from across the state. The state of the art tap and line cleaning system means that the quality of the beer here is fantastic too – dual coolers means that each beer is chilled to exactly the correct temperature.
The space doesn’t quite reflect that beer halls of Munich, but it’s a fun, vibrant, historical and cool spot which hits all the right notes. The food has a mixture of American and German bar favourites, including some great Olympia Provisions bratwursts, frankfurters, and Käsekrainers.
Loyal Legion
710 SE 6th Avenue
Portland
Oregon 97214
United States
Bailey’s Taproom
Bailey’s Taproom is a casual spot that offers one of the best craft beer selections in town. Across 25 taps you’ll find a rotating selection of craft beers and ciders that span a wide variety of beer styles. The focus is on beers from Oregon, but other states to get a look in, especially when it comes to beers that are hard to find in Portland. If somehow there’s nothing on the taps that takes your fancy, you can also choose from the bottle list which contains around 100 beers at any given time to take away or drink in. There’s no kitchen, but you can order in Mexican food from Santeria next door.
Bailey’s Taproom
213 SW Broadway
Portland
Oregon 97205
United States
Produce Row Cafe
Produce Row Cafe is an institution, having been in operation for over 40 years and the main attraction is the craft beer list – the tap and bottle list is amongst the city’s best and the fact that there’s a spacious beer garden out the back doesn’t hurt either. On the 24 taps you’ll find beers from Oregon and other states, including some hard to find brews from breweries such as Russian River, Barley Brown’s, Crux and Dogfish Head. Produce Row’s boilermakers also feature – that is considered whisky and beer pairings. The food is casual gastropub fare, with a focus on high quality, local produce, simple items, customer favourites and American comfort food.
Produce Row Cafe
204 SE Oak Street
Portland
Oregon 97214
United States
Burnside Brewing Company
Burnside Brewing Company is housed in a 1927 heritage building and is the brainchild of owners Jay Gilbert and Jason McAdam, who take an “alchemist approach” to enhance the craft beer and culinary experience. Along with the core range of beers, there are also a number of rotating seasonal beers. Try the year-round Too Sticky To Roll India Red Ale or the Lime Kolsch which pops up often during the warmer months.
The food menu is designed to match the beers and rotates often, drawing inspiration from, and using where possible, local ingredients and produce. The impressive selection of cured meats, charcuterie and pickled items is definitely worth checking out.
Burnside Brewing Company
701 E Burnside Street
Portland
Oregon 97214
United States