The Travel Chica

Live Simple. Consume Less. Experience More.

Portland is Brewvana

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I have a lot of friends who are into craft beer.

When I told them I was going to Portland, their eyes got big, and they told me at least one brewery I MUST visit.

The more research I did, the more excited I got.  I wanted to experience a LOT of different beers, so I started looking for tours.

Experience Brewvana

Portland’s nickname is Brewvana, and many consider this city to be the beer capital of the United States.

I still have quite a few places to visit on this planet, but I believe Portland may be the beer capital of the world.

If you love good beer, you must visit Portland.

And you MUST take a tour with Experience Brewvana.

 

First of all, the company is run by this awesome chick named Ashley who LOVES beer and really KNOWS beer.  Yes, she knows the technical/ sciency stuff, but she also knows the beer culture, which to me is what really makes Portland a beer-lover’s city.

What’s the tour like?

Ashley is incredibly professional, yet still keeps things light and fun.

You get to ride around in this cool bus.

You get this pretzel necklace to cleanse your palate between beers.

And you have a delicious and massive late lunch.

You visit four breweries and drink plenty of beer in five hours.

Remember to pace yourself and drink lots of water because if you puke on the bus, you pay a fine and clean it up yourself.

What are the beers and breweries like?

In two words…

Awesome and unique.

 

Ashley has managed to pick breweries that have something different to showcase.

We visited Buckman Botanical (owned by Rogue).


I love hoppy beers, so I was not sure how I would feel about a low to no hop brewery.  I was surprised to discover that I really enjoyed the Ginger Pale Ale and Black Saison.

I also learned an interesting fact.

Once the IBU of a beer is over 100, our taste buds cannot register the additional hops.

We visited the impressive large-scale facilities of Widmer.

Started by brothers more than two decades ago, they now produce 10,000 barrels A WEEK!

Producing beer of this quality on that grand of a scale is impressive.

I enjoyed their IPA (with a refreshing hint of grapefruit) and the Drifter Pale Ale.

We visited the cozy brewpub Laurelwood.

The beer is going directly from the tanks to the bar.

This was my favorite stop of the tour.  I loved their Portlandia Pilsner, Organic Free Range Red, and Workhorse IPA.

All of the brewmasters we met were just regular guys with a love for beer.

I love that the brewmaster of Laurelwood is doing his job… with a beer in his hand.

They were happy to tell us what makes their beers unique and quick to praise their competitors.  In fact, it doesn’t seem like there is really competition between the breweries.

They are passionate about beer.  They all support each other.  They collaborate.  And there are enough beer lovers in Portland to support them all.

Why is the beer in Portland so good and so cheap?

All of the basic ingredients you need for beer (water, barley, hops, yeast) are nearby and of high quality.  The equipment to produce beer is also manufactured nearby.

Perhaps I need to live nearby :-)

My Beer Mission

After this incredible beer tour, I knew I had to try as many more beers as possible during my short stay in Portland.  There are about 28 breweries within the city of Portland (with new ones popping up frequently).

Four down… 24 more to go.

I decided to visit one that Ashley spoke highly of and another recommended by one of the brewmasters on the tour.

Hopworks Urban Brewery

This organic brewery is located in the Northeast neighborhood.  The staff is super-friendly.  The décor inside is bright and colorful, and I love the bicycle theme.

And the beer sampler is huge, cheap, and fun!

My favorite beers of the 10 I tried are:

  • IPX Cascade (a single hop IPA)
  • Velvet ESB (surprising because English Session Beer is not a style I usually like)
  • Seven Grain Stout (an espresso stout, another surprise)
  • Bike Beer Kolsch

Hair of the Dog

I love the look and casual style of this place.  It was busy on a Sunday afternoon.

The options to choose from for a sampler or a taste are plentiful and unique.

My favorite beers of the 6 I tried are:

  • Lila (maibock)
  • Blue Dot (double IPA)

Portland, I will be back to visit the other 22 breweries.

What’s your favorite Portland brewery? 

Comments

  8. Nice rundown on all the beers. Such a cool town as Portland I would expect many fine breweries. Looks like you found one of the good ones here.

  14. I just went to Portland for the first time and it was a little last minute. I stayed at the “Friendly Bike Guest House” (NE) and it was just a couple of doors down from a HUB location. But instead of one board of 10 beers, now they have 2 boards and about 17+ beers.

    I don’t remember which beer I had (sorry), but I wanted to mention that they also have a “Late Night Happy Hour” with food specials from ~9pm-close. (12am?)

    I also saw a Bike Beer Tour (with one of those contraptions where ~16 people peddle at a table and it goes around the city) get off at a place called “Old Town Brewing Company” (est. 2012) and wandered in there. It felt a little “saloon-y” but fun. And smack dab in the middle of the Old Town (SW) area.

    Like you, I’m going to have to go back, if not move there. The beer, the biking, the “what Austin USED to be” vibe mixed with the feel of an old mining town are things that I really like in a city. I’m not going to pierce anything or get a tattoo (or start wearing black socks with shorts), but Portland’s got buena onda.

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