Portland, Oregon

Portland’s craft breweries probably produce more good beer per capita than any other city in the country. And if you’re coming to this damp town in America’s upper left-hand corner, you might as well drink what they’re making. Even if you’re not planning to make it out here, I highly suggest you think about it. In any case, here’s a quick roundup of where you’ll find Stumptown’s better beers.

The McMenamin brothers’ empire is hard to avoid in Portland, so start at Kennedy School. This former elementary school, redone in a sort of Deadhead-Disney mashup, includes a movie theater, live music venues, a cigar room, outdoor soaking pool and overnight accommodations complete with blackboards. Oh, and there’s beer. Lots of beer.

While Oregonians started making beer the minute they got off the eponymous trail, 1984-era BridgePort and Widmer Brothers vie for the title of Oregon’s oldest craft brewery, although BridgePort actually has the term trademarked. Both have long since gone corporate. BridgePort was acquired by Gambrinus, the Texas firm that made Corona ubiquitous, and nearly a third of Widmer is owned by Anheuser-Busch.

BridgePort’s brewery and pub occupy a former rope factory in what was once a crumbling industrial area. Now it’s called the Pearl District, and the once-funky brewpub has been tarted up to match the swanky condos popping up around it like mushrooms in the rain. Still, there are three rotating cask taps as well as eight or nine more offerings, and there’s an espresso bar and bakery if you need a little caffeine before you start in on your session.

5th Quadrant, Widmer Brewery & Gasthaus, Roots Brewing and Lucky Labrador Brew Pub

The Widmer complex covers several blocks across the river in an as-yet-ungentrified industrial area. The capacity’s already over 250,000 barrels and construction crews are building away just outside the swanky Gasthaus. Twelve taps offer plenty of choice, and the menu includes bratwurst and fondue—hat-tips to Rob and Kurt Widmer’s Teutonic heritage.

The term “family-friendly brewpub” might be an oxymoron elsewhere, but not in Portland. The Laurelwood Public House and Brewery features a play area and menu to keep the kids happy while Mom and Dad quaff the award-winning ales. The Alameda Brewhouse doesn’t pander quite so shamelessly, but like most Portland bars, it’s smoke free. And house pints are a dollar off during happy hours—3pm-6pm, Monday through Friday.

Laurelwood Public House and Brewery, Rogue Ales Portland Pub and BridgePort Brewery

Even though Rogue Ales are brewed over on the Oregon coast, you can sample all of their brews at their Portland pub. On one of the few Pearl District blocks that doesn’t have a new condo tower under construction, the pub includes a mind-boggling 36 taps. If you can’t get enough while you’re there, cases of bottled beer line the walls. Plus, perched above the bar is a pair of shiny pot stills for making Rogue’s own rum, available in light, dark and hazelnut spice. With the feel of a small-town tavern, the New Old Lompoc offers its handcrafted beers without any pretense. The same can’t be said for much of the rest of the neighborhood, a relentless strip of boutiques known locally as “Northwest Trendythird Avenue.” The same brews are available on the east side at the Lompoc spinoff, The 5th Quadrant, named for an insider reference to Portland’s geographical quirkiness that results in streets prefixed NW, SW, SE, NE and N.

The term “family-friendly brewpub” might be an oxymoron elsewhere, but not in Portland.

The Lucky Labrador Brew Pub wisely caters to its dog-loving patrons with a vast, covered and heated outdoor space. The furry four-legged crowd sniffs tail while their masters enjoy the moderate-but-misty Oregon weather, which, I should add, is highly conducive to Strong Ales. It’s not bad indoors, either, where the former sheet metal shop provides an expansive space crowned with massive wooden trusses made from the old-growth fir that once covered a good part of the state.

One of a handful of brewpubs still worthy of the microbrew moniker, Tugboat occupies an old watch repair shop on a downtown block best known for its historic strip club. The snug space feels more like somebody’s living room, with bookshelves lining the walls and a piano in the corner. The feeling extends to the attitude, too. Enjoy some local jazz, read a book or have a conversation. Just don’t expect to let your beer freak flag fly.

Horse Brass Pub, Tugboat Brewing Company and New Old Lompoc

The Mash Tun, a new microbrewery in the terminally hip Alberta neighborhood, offers a glimpse of the classic Portland paradox: Socially conscious vegans rest their American Spirit smokes in ashtrays while they bite into the BLATO, a BLT with avocado, onion and faux bacon. At least the big roll-up door is often open to vent the place, and the formidable jukebox is free.

All-organic Roots Organic Brewery [closed] exudes a Rasta-meets-surfer vibe, but the cozy little brewpub is a good place to hunker down. A few picnic tables and bar stools provide the only seating, but the regulars don’t bite.

Finally, it doesn’t brew its own, but the Horse Brass Pub offers a huge selection of local craft beers. There’s always at least one tap dedicated to beer from Hair of the Dog, considered by some locals to be the best brewery in the universe, and publican Don Younger’s 30 years behind the bar means he usually gets first pick of the region’s specialty brews. While everything’s yellowed with a patina of cigarette smoke (even the menu smells like an ashtray), this is the place to find Beervana. ■