Portland is an amazing city for a number of reasons – its eclectic population, its beautiful surroundings, and its pure awesomeness. But what really won my heart over during my visit to Portland, was all of the delicious craft beer that the city had to offer. Being based in San Diego, I am already a bit of beer snob and I consider beer tasting a definite hobby of mine. For the past couple of years, San Diego and Portland have been competing for the title of the “#1 Beer City in America”. Currently, Portland prevails. And I have to agree, Portland brews some tasty beer. Having only a couple of days in Portland, I dedicated one of them to exploring “Beervana” via bicycle. My husband and I booked a cozy cottage (on AirBnB) in the Southeast side of Portland and mapped out several breweries that were all within biking distance. Portland is very bike-friendly and it’s a great way to explore the city in a more intimate way.
Our Route [*plus a couple more, for the ambitious]
Our first stop was Lucky Labrador Brew Pub. It had a spacious layout with a bit of a woodsy, cabin-like feel to it. The beer was pretty good; the rye beer and red ale were my two favorites! Both had very unique flavors to them.
I’ve been to Portland twice now, and both times I have failed to visit this brewery! It was on my list this last trip, but unfortunately they are not open on Mondays. I’ve heard great things about the place and hopefully one of these days I will get to try their beer. Third time’s a charm right?
Cascade was the first sour brewery that I have ever been to. I didn’t even know they existed! The menu was overwhelming [in a good way] because they had so many unique choices that I had never heard of before – blackberry, apricot, elderberry, gingersnap, and a dozen more flavors. If you’re looking for a change of pace from your go-to IPA, then this a cool spot to check out.
One of my favorite breweries in Portland! I love the scene, the vibe, and of course the beer! They have an indoor taproom along with a super chill outdoor patio. Their adventurous backpacking theme is a definite win in my book. Base Camp has also partnered up with two food trucks that you can conveniently order their delicious food from in the taproom or at the food truck itself.
Only open Fridays-Sundays, we were unable to visit this brewery. But, if you are feeling ambitious and are brew hopping on a weekend, then this brewery is great midpoint from Base Camp to Migration!
This brewery turned out to be a very pleasant surprise! It was the furthest one away and we were unsure if it would be worth the long trek over there. I’m happy to say that it definitely was and it was my favorite stop of the day. The beer was amazing – cold, crisp, and full of flavor – and their taster pours were HUGE. Cheers!
DriftBound 