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Beer Drinking In Portland, Oregon
Shortcuts:Beer Festivals Beer Bars Bottle Shops Breweries and Brewpubs Drinking Laws It's going to be tough for me to be objective about Portland since I live here and love it, but I will give it a shot. Portland is the beer capital of the world. Oops.. Off to a bad start. But in all seriousness, Portland has more breweries than any city in the world, and the city is sometimes referred to as "Brewtopia" or "Beervana". In 2006, the city's official nickname was changed to "BeerTown". This is not surprising given the number of breweries and the fact that the region supplies beer ingredients such as hops and 2-row barley to brewers all over the world. We are very proud of our beer culture and our esteemed local beers. For that reason, they are very easy to find - you can get them just about anywhere whether it be a convenience store, chain supermarket, or just about any bar in town. Many of them are available nationwide. This information might cause one to think that Portland is one of the snobbiest beer cities in the world, however, it is also worth noting that Portland consumes more Pabst Blue Ribbon than anywhere else, and was a major reason for PBR's recent resurrection. In any event, Portland has a lot to offer the beer afficianado including a hopping night life, giant beer festivals, and tons of brewers. Read on for more information about these. For additional information about Portland, check out the Portland Travel Guide on our sister site. Beer Festivals: Spring Beer and Wine Fest - This annual fest touts itself as being "the nation's largest "Springtime" alcoholic event". Held at the Convention Center, this fest had over 50 American breweries and Wineries in attendance. Oregon Brewer's Festival - This summer festival celebrates American craft brewers and has been held at the Waterfront Park for the last 18 years. Over 70 U.S. breweries will be in attendance making this festival the largest of its kind. Portland International Beer Festival - This is a brand new event for Portland in 2005 and will be held in the Pearl District during July. This event will feature over 120 beers available from all over the world, many of which are rare. We will be reviewing this event in the forums. Beer Bars: Portland has a very active nightlife and it ranks 5th for the most bars and taverns per capita in the country and 1st for the most strip clubs (which are fully nude with alcohol). The city also offers an excellent live music scene with dozens of places to see local bands as well as big name acts. Unlike many cities, Portland's downtown is bustling at night (especially on weekends). There are tons of restaurants and bars, particularly in the Northwest and Pearl districts. We also have a number of brewpub movie theaters, most of which are owned by McMenamins, although Clinton Street Theater became such an establishment in 2006. Below are must visit bars & restaurants in Portland for beer lovers: 213 SW Broadway Portland, OR 97205 503-295-1004 This downtown bar offers 20 constantly rotating beers on tap and about 40 more in bottles. They sell growlers to go. 1522 SE 32nd Ave Portland, OR 97214 (503) 234-8888 Newer bar specializing in Belgian beer with 17 on tap. 3276 NE Killingsworth St Portland, OR 97211 503-282-2411 This bar offers 22 taps and over 150 bottled beers. Plenty of Belgian beers to be had here. 1329 NE Fremont St Portland, OR 97212 503-284-4805 This Irish-themed pub has 23 beers on tap. This bar doesn't stay open late and reportedly has kids present. 6821 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy Portland, OR 97225 503-297-2889 Dublin Pub boasts over 59 beers on tap, most of which are American microbrews. However, this place is a very crowded meat market on the weekends with cheezy live music and a cover charge. Best on weeknights. 1800 E Burnside Portland, OR 97214 503-236-2876 A good pub style restaurant/bar offering 16 rotating beers on tap. 10 NW 12th Ave. Portland, Oregon, 97209 503-227-5320 Located in the trendy Pearl District, Henry's has about 100 beers on tap. It tends to get crowded, so weeknights might be your best bet. 1239 SW Broadway Portland, Oregon, 97205 503-222-1244 In addition to their incredible food, Higgins offers 11 beers on tap and 100+ in bottles including a great selection of Belgian beers. This is the ONLY place you can get Hair of the Dog Greg, and only when in season. 1517 NE Brazee Portland, Oregon, 97212 New full bar specializing in Northwest hoppy beers. 24 on tap. 4111 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, Oregon, 97214 (503) 477-9619 Newer full bar specializing in Northwest hoppy beers. 24 on tap. 4534 SE Belmont Portland, Oregon 97215 503-232-2202 This English style pub is one of the best and most respected bars in Portland. The Horse Brass has over 50 American and European beers on tap as well as bottled varieties. If there is only one bar a beer lover should visit while in Portland, this is it. 2126 SW Halsey Street Troutdale, OR 503-669-8610 Outside the city, this place has tinges of a hippie commune mixed with old world luxury. There are several bars on the property, and if you play their par 3 golf course, you hit one of them every few holes. Great way to spend the day. 1411 NW Flanders St Portland, OR 97209 503-224-9019 Chain pizza restaurant offering 51 beers on tap as well as another 60+ in bottles. Just opened in the Pearl at the end of 2011. 2014 NE 42nd Ave Portland, Oregon 97213 503-288-7802 This British style pub offers a large selection of beers from around the world. Used to be one of the smokiest bars in Portland, until the non-smoking laws were passed. 719 SE Morrison St Portland, Oregon 97214 503-236-7080 This small bar has a big beer selection with around 5 on tap and 100 in bottles. Multiple locations Old Chicago is a semi-national chain that offers pizza and beer. Despite being a chain, they offer 110 beers from all over the world in their restaurants. 3402 SE Division Portland, OR 503-232-4407 Pix offers 36 bottled beers and killer desserts. The beers are mostly Belgian and some of them are fairly hard to find. They have added a new location near 39th and Hawthorne. 111 SW Fifth Avenue 30th Floor Portland, Oregon 97204 503-450-0030 Portland City Grill's lounge is located on the 30th floor of the U.S. Bank building and offers spectacular views of the city. They also have a pretty decent selection of microbrews and imports available. 204 S.E. Oak Portland, Oregon 503-232-8355 Produce Row offers good sandwiches, outdoor seating and a huge beer selection. They offer 29 beers on tap which are mostly local micros, but they also have 200 bottled beers available. 4107 S.E. 28th Portland, OR 97212 503-235-0969 This multi-level bar mostly caters to the college crowd, but they do have over 20 beers on tap. 3341 SE Belmont St Portland, OR 97214 503-595-0575 This jazz bar offers 12 micro/import taps and 57 bottled. 7995 S.E. Milwaukie Ave. Portland, OR 97202 503-731-6399 This semi-divey sports bar has 23 beers on tap and good bar food. 1914 N Killingsworth St Portland, OR 97217 503-954-3322 They have 5 taps and about 200 bottled beers that can be purchased to go. They also host beer tasting and beer and wine trivia nights. 3652 SE Division St Portland, OR 97202 503-236-8755 This beautiful bar has 6 beers on tap and 20+ in bottles. Their beer selection includes many hard to find items and they rotate the menu regularly. Bottle Shops: As previously mentioned, a wide selection of local and imported beer is available in most supermarkets. Shopping for beer in Portland is like going to a beer buffet, but we thought we would list the best specialty shops below. 935 SE 39th Ave Portland, Oregon 97214 (503) 234-1411 This place is just a small convenience store that claims to have 1,000 beers. That number should be more like several hundred if you don't count duplicates (i.e. same beer in different sizes or 6 pack). 4130 NE Fremont Portland, Oregon 97212 (503) 284-3032 This small community market has a walk-in beer cooler containing approximately 200 varieties of beer from all over the world. Prices are average, service is very friendly. 12th & Division Portland, Oregon 97206 This is a brand new beer store that opened on 9/5/09. They have close to 200 beers, lot of glassware, beer on tap, and are planning further expansion. Great prices and they are open daily from 11am-9pm. 4500 SE Stark St. Portland, Oregon 97215 503-232-8538 Previously located next to the Horse Brass pub, this store has moved into a larger space on Stark and offers more beers than before. 915 N. Shaver St. Portland, Oregon 97227 503-477-8763 This is a newer beer store in North Portland that has hundreds of local and international beers. 3805 SE Hawthorne Portland, Oregon 97214 (503) 872-3300 Not all Fred Meyers are created equal. This one was just remodelled and I have been told that it has more beer than any other in town. They claim to have 1,000 beers. Not sure if that is true, but 500+ seems very believable. Lot's of hard to find brews. 4735 SE Belmont St Portland, Oregon 97215 503-235-4428 Right by Belmont Station, this place has got to have more beers than any mini-mart anywhere. Probably over 200 with a wide range of styles and brewers. 3535 SW Multnomah Blvd Portland, Oregon, 97219 503-244-2617 This small market has a huge selection of microbrews and imports. Some of the beers are refridgerated and some are not - all are exposed to light. The prices are reasonable and this store is definitely worth a visit if you are on the west side. 275 Beavercreek Rd #C149 Oregon City, Oregon 97045 503-496-1942 Carries over 400 beers from all over the world. Now located in Oregon City. Multiple locations This upscale supermarket chain has a great beer selection that includes regional and international beers. Prices are reasonable. 3735 SE Hawthorne Blvd Portland, Oregon 97214 503-232-1010 This market offers everything the Mediterranean chef could want, but they also have a good beer selection. While not the largest, they do have some oddities that are hard to find elsewhere. There is also a location at 735 NW 21st Avenue. Brewers: Dare I try to list them all here? How about if we compromise and I list the names and you look them up in our Beer Database if you want more info. These brewers are all located in the Portland metropolitan area, which includes Vancouver, Washington. 4th Street Brewing Co - Brewery Alameda Brewhouse - Brewpub Ambacht Brewing - Brewery Amnesia Brewing - Brewpub Base Camp Brewing Company - Brewery Big Horn Brewing - Brewpub Breakside Brewery - Brewery BJ's Pizza, Grill, and Brewery - Brewpub BridgePort Brewing Company - Brewery BridgePort Ale House - Brewpub Buckman Brewery (Green Dragon) - Brewpub Burnside Brewing Company - Brewery Captured by Porches Brewing Company - Mobile Beer Trucks Cascade Brewing - Brewery/Brewpub Coalition Brewing - Brewery Columbia River Brewing Company - Brewery Deschutes Brewery & Public House - Brewpub Fearless Brewing Company & Tap House - Brewpub Fire Mountain Brew House - Brewery Fire on the Mountain Brewing - Brewpub Full Sail Brewing - Brewpub Gigantic Brewing Company - Brewpub Green Dragon Pub & Bistro - Brewpub Hair of the Dog Brewing - Brewery Harvester Brewing - Brewery Hazel Dell Brew Pub - Brewpub Hopworks Urban Brewery - Brewpub Laurelwood Public House & Brewery - Brewpub Long Brewing Company - Brewery Lucky Labrador Beer Hall - Brewpub Lucky Labrador Brew Pub - Brewpub Lucky Labrador Public House - Brewpub Lucky Labrador Tap Room - Brewpub MacTarnahan’s Taproom (Pyramid Breweries) - Brewery/Brewpub Mash Tun - Brewpub Max’s Fanno Creek Brew Pub - Brewpub Migration Brewing Company - Brewpub Mt Tabor Brewing - Brewery McMenamin's Cornelius Pass Roadhouse - Brewpub McMenamin's Crystal Brewery - Brewpub McMenamin's East Vancouver Brewery - Brewery McMenamin's Edgefield Brewery - Brewpub McMenamin's Fulton Brewery - Brewpub McMenamin's Highland Brewery - Brewpub McMenamin's Hillsdale Brewery - Brewpub McMenamin's John Barleycorn's Brewery - Brewpub McMenamin's Kennedy School - Brewpub McMenamin's Murray Brewery - Brewpub McMenamin's Oak Hills Brewery - Brewpub McMenamins on the Columbia - Brewery McMenamin's West Linn Brewery - Brewpub Migration Brewing Company - Brewery Natian Brewery - Brewery New Old Lompoc Brewery - Brewery/Brewpub New Old Lompoc 5th Quadrant - Brewpub Occidental Brewing - Brewery Off the Rail Brewery - Brewery Old Chicago Brewery and Pub - Brewpub Old Market Pub and Brewery - Brewpub Old Town Brewing - Brewpub Openmars Brewing Co - Brewery Philadelphia's Steaks and Hoagies - Brewpub Pints Brewing Company - Brewpub Rock Bottom Brewery - Brewpub Rogue Public House - Brewpub Salmon Creek Brewery and Pub - Brewpub Sasquatch Brewing Company - Brewpub The Commons Brewery - Brewery Tugboat Brewpub and Cafe - Brewpub Two Kilts Brewing Company - Brewery Upright Brewing - Brewery Vertigo Brewing - Brewery Widmer Brothers Brewing - Brewery/Brewpub Drinking Laws: The drinking age in Oregon is 21. The drunk driving limit is 0.08. You can purchase beer and wine to go in convenience stores, supermarkets, and some bars, however, all liquor must be purchased at a liquor store (which do not carry beer). You cannot purchase alcohol in a bar or store between the hours of 2:30am - 6am. Oregon Liquor Control Commission |
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