Note: This summer, we'll be making our 3rd trip to Portland as part of our biennial mother-daughter vacation (in addition to Portland, we'll also be making stops in Seattle and Vancouver).
The first trip to Portland in October
2010 was my idea (Jen). I came across and article that mentioned
Portland had more breweries per capita than any other city in the
world. Portland had just surpassed Munich for this title, apparently.
With this information in hand, we were prepared to explore a city
that neither of us had ever been to, let alone the state of Oregon.
We stayed in the Northwest District at the Inn at Northrup Station (2025 Northwest Northrup Street, Portland, OR 97209).
We highly recommend this boutique hotel. The rooms were huge and the
staff was extremely friendly. For those traveling with a car, they
have parking on-site, which we believe is free, but double check
that before you go. We decided, however, that public transport was
going to be our main mode of transportation. Their Max Light Rail
line will take you from the airport to many of the main spots in the
city and is very easy to navigate (and cheap!). From there we took
the trolley to the Northwest District, which dropped us off right in
front of the hotel. There is plenty to do in the Northwest District in terms of shopping and nightlife, but we were on a mission for beer.
After getting settled in, our real adventure began. We started with lunch at Laurelwood, which was a cute restaurant that like so many places in Portland, also brews their own beer. (When we went back to Portland in 2011, this particular Laurelwood location was no more, but you can still visit the flagship location at 5115 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97213). Laurelwood had a very neighborhood vibe and it was clear they focused on quality with both food and beer. Their beer lineup is fairly small by most standards but several beers have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and/or World Beer Cup (WBC).
We then journeyed to New Old Lompoc (1616 Northwest 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97210), where we tasted 12 different brews (when in doubt, we almost always order a beer sampler) and talked to some locals. It being our first time in Portland, we were glad to have met both locals and non-locals alike who shared equally in their affection for the Rose City.
After getting settled in, our real adventure began. We started with lunch at Laurelwood, which was a cute restaurant that like so many places in Portland, also brews their own beer. (When we went back to Portland in 2011, this particular Laurelwood location was no more, but you can still visit the flagship location at 5115 NE Sandy Blvd Portland, OR 97213). Laurelwood had a very neighborhood vibe and it was clear they focused on quality with both food and beer. Their beer lineup is fairly small by most standards but several beers have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and/or World Beer Cup (WBC).
We then journeyed to New Old Lompoc (1616 Northwest 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR 97210), where we tasted 12 different brews (when in doubt, we almost always order a beer sampler) and talked to some locals. It being our first time in Portland, we were glad to have met both locals and non-locals alike who shared equally in their affection for the Rose City.
Our last stop for the daytime adventure
was The Lucky Labrador Beer Hall (1945 NW Quimby,
Portland, OR 97255). This place really is a giant beer hall with plenty of seating, and an outdoor patio. Since we were there fairly early, on a Friday afternoon, it wasn't too busy, but we could see it being a cool place when it is more full. We each tried a few more beer samples, and then headed back to our hotel for a short nap. After all, it was going to be a long weekend!
The first night, we went to dinner and then out to try more beer. We ended up going to about 10 different bars, trying something new at each place. After a while it became difficult to discern our handwriting, but eventually we may trace back all the places we went.
Portland, OR 97255). This place really is a giant beer hall with plenty of seating, and an outdoor patio. Since we were there fairly early, on a Friday afternoon, it wasn't too busy, but we could see it being a cool place when it is more full. We each tried a few more beer samples, and then headed back to our hotel for a short nap. After all, it was going to be a long weekend!
The first night, we went to dinner and then out to try more beer. We ended up going to about 10 different bars, trying something new at each place. After a while it became difficult to discern our handwriting, but eventually we may trace back all the places we went.
The next day we got a late start (we'll leave it at that). Our first stop was the Bridgeport BrewPub (1318 Northwest Northrup Street, Portland, OR). Bridgeport has the claim of being “Oregon's oldest craft brewery,” so we were both excited to visit. I (Jen) had even seen some of their beer being sold at my local Target, so I knew they had to be fairly big. And, big they are – the BrewPub space anyways. More of a sports bar vibe, but not dominated by as many TV's as you'd think. The upstairs area seemed more reserved for sports watching. We once again had a few samples, grabbed a bite to eat, and moved on.
After Bridgeport, we lucked out by
finding the best cab driver in the city who took us to the remainder
of our stops for the day. First was the infamous VooDoo Doughnut (1501 N.E. Davis St, Portland Oregon). If
you've seen any of the TV episodes on the Food Network featuring
VooDoo Doughnut, or if you've read about it, it's better than you can
imagine! On this stop, I (Megan) only tried the original VooDoo, but
we also got a Maple Bacon Bar for the cabbie as a token of
appreciation. Word of advice - the original VooDoo Doughnuts location on 3rd Avenue almost always has a line, but you may have better luck getting in and out at the Davis Street location.
On his own recommendation, our driver took us to the east side of the bridge and gave us a list of places to try. We were dropped off at Cascade Brewing (939 Southeast Belmont Street, Portland, OR 97214) which had literally just opened within the last two weeks, and they specialize in sour/barrel aged beers. We were both immediately intrigued, though we had never experienced this style of beer. We loved everything that we tried, and made a pact to seek out sour beers immediately when we got home.
On his own recommendation, our driver took us to the east side of the bridge and gave us a list of places to try. We were dropped off at Cascade Brewing (939 Southeast Belmont Street, Portland, OR 97214) which had literally just opened within the last two weeks, and they specialize in sour/barrel aged beers. We were both immediately intrigued, though we had never experienced this style of beer. We loved everything that we tried, and made a pact to seek out sour beers immediately when we got home.
From there we walked just a short ways
to the Green Dragon. They bring in brews from all over the
city/country and have too many to try on tap (about 50 taps at any
given time). This is a good place to get a taste of the city as a
whole and meet more people who are willing to suggest a new place to
stop.
We then walked to APEX (1216 Southeast Division Street, Portland, OR 97202), which was quite
a haul (I'd recommend a cab or bus), but we were used to walking.
This place was a little different than what we expected. It was just
a different crowd of people - not a bad crowd - just different from
many of the other places. We would put them in a category of a dive
bar (again, not a bad thing in our books), and had more of a punk
rock/metal vibe, but with 20-25 solid taps. APEX was small, and at
the time, not super busy, so we didn't spend a whole lot of time
there, just one beer and onto our next location. Our favorite cab
driver picked us up and took us once again, on recommendation, to
Hopworks Urban Brewing (2944 Southeast Powell Boulevard, Portland, OR 97202). This was another place with awesome food and
lots of beer to choose from. Hopworks kind of reminded us of what
Buffalo Wild Wings would be if they made their own (good) beer. It
was loud and seemed to attract a wide array of people, including
families, but their beer stood on its own. In addition, they clearly had a
cycling theme, so all of you biking enthusiasts should check this
place out! If we recall, they had organized group rides meeting at
or ending up at the brewery on certain nights of the week, and had
plenty of space for anyone else who biked it there to lock up your
ride.
The last stop of the night was the Rogue Distillery & Public House (1339 NW Flanders,
Portland, OR 97209). Rogue is what we would probably consider the most widely known (for better or worse) Oregon beer export. You can find many styles of their beer at any good liquor store. There is plenty of seating at Rogue, and is a popular spot in the downtown area of the city. It was a great place to finish the days tour and try a few special brews that you can't find in the store. Definitely worth a stop.
The last day of the trip, Sunday, we had a fairly early flight, so we went for some pizza and the first part of the Bears game before heading to the airport. We had our last beer at the airport and headed home. It was a long weekend, but well worth the trip. We both knew that Portland was going to be a destination that we would return to because of the great atmosphere in the city and the knowledge that there were so many more beers left to try.
The last stop of the night was the Rogue Distillery & Public House (1339 NW Flanders,
Portland, OR 97209). Rogue is what we would probably consider the most widely known (for better or worse) Oregon beer export. You can find many styles of their beer at any good liquor store. There is plenty of seating at Rogue, and is a popular spot in the downtown area of the city. It was a great place to finish the days tour and try a few special brews that you can't find in the store. Definitely worth a stop.
The last day of the trip, Sunday, we had a fairly early flight, so we went for some pizza and the first part of the Bears game before heading to the airport. We had our last beer at the airport and headed home. It was a long weekend, but well worth the trip. We both knew that Portland was going to be a destination that we would return to because of the great atmosphere in the city and the knowledge that there were so many more beers left to try.
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