The New Old Lompoc

The New Old LompocThe New Old Lompoc
The New Old LompocThe New Old Lompoc
Brewery, Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

1620 NW 23rd Ave
Portland, Oregon, 97210
United States

// CLOSED //

All brewing operations have been moved to the 5th Quadrant location. A request has been made to move all beer data here: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/12951 as the reopened location on NW 23rd will only have a bar and eatery, no brewery.

Open daily, 11:00am - 2:00am

Beers are brewed at / by another brewery.
BEER STATS
Average:
3.71
Beers:
60
Ratings:
714
Master Beer Listing
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.71
Reviews:
35
Ratings:
45
pDev:
12.4%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by wolffman17:
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Reviewed by wolffman17 from Texas

3.3/5  rDev -11.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3
New Old Lompoc, a dive brewpub, so to speak, is a good place to drop in for a quick drink. But the tiny bar and somewhat dirty and dingy feel to the place gave us little reason to spend a large amount of time here. Probably a better stop when you've already had a decent fill from elsewhere.

Available to drink is their regular lineup plus a couple seasonals. The beer was good with C-Note being worth the visit. Nothing fantastic to write home about, though. The Sockeye Cream Stout seemed a little sour, and the Summer Sunset Saison was a good "Americanized" Saision. Super cheap, $1 off pints on Sunday.

Service was ok...the bartender almost assuredly was nursing a hangover.

Not a bad place, but this location of New Old Lompoc falls slightly short of the high bar set for Portland beer joints.
Oct 01, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of flexabull
Reviewed by flexabull from California

3.86/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4 | food: 3.75
First stop from a recent PDX trip.

Nice new building, not a ton of charm, but it's relaxing and pleasant enough.

Quality is solid. I had a Pale Ale that was easily a 4, tried another that was also tasty. They also had a nice selection of about a dozen beers.

Service was fine, the girl that served us was friendly enough, helpful, and was patient answering questions.

Food was good. Not great, but certainly better than average.

Overall, a worthy spot. Not a destination per say, but we were in the area, and I'm glad we checked it out.
Nov 19, 2015
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Rated by Dcbelkot from Washington

3.99/5  rDev +7.5%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4.25
The old place was great! new spot is to trendy,no kids allowed either.
May 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by Donkster46 from Washington

Jan 03, 2015
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Rated by RHVC59 from Oregon

4.25/5  rDev +14.6%
Great Lamb Burger and fries.
Paired with a Jolly Bock, and an 8 Malty Nights.
Nice atmosphere.
Great food and excellent Beer!
Dec 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by gurumojo from Oregon

Dec 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by HopHead84 from California

Nov 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by dshansen1184 from Washington

Sep 22, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by DrMindbender from South Carolina

Jul 18, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by jackmax from Washington

Jul 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by halvbeerson from Oregon

Jan 09, 2014
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Reviewed by fitius5150 from Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +4.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 4.5
Great beers, great food, great new facility, great value, great happy hours. Service varies from acceptable to downright horrible. If I were the owner I'd can half the hipster douchebags who I've seen there. They're more concerned with making the next gig with their crappy band or macking on the cute girl at the bar to give a damn about the customers. Then again, if I could get away with it, those would probably be my priorities, too. Go for the great beers, superb food (wings, mole pulled pork soft tacos, fish and chips, and truffle fries come to mind) and deal with the PDX too-cool-for-school servers the best you can.
Dec 02, 2013
Photo of loren01
Reviewed by loren01 from Washington

3.49/5  rDev -5.9%
vibe: 2.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
This review is for the newly rebuilt Lompoc tavern not the old one...the old location was way better.
Was excited to check out the opening of the new Lompoc Tavern. Its in the same location as the New Old Lompoc on 23rd. I loved the old place, I guess because I'm a big fan of divey places with character. The new one sadly has a corporate feel to it....reminded me of a Famous Daves or Rock Bottom kind of. The other thing thats a bummer is they no longer have their patio which was in my opinion the best place to sit outside and drink good beer in the city. They now have like 2 or 3 tables outside but its right on the busy sidewalk by 23rd. Food and beers are of course still pretty decent, just not all that impressed with the new place. Glad they have other locations in town.
Nov 19, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by kbrown from Ohio

Oct 28, 2013
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Reviewed by msubulldog25 from Oregon

3.8/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
It's with sadness and sentimentality that I review a place that's about to be demolished. In mere days (following the blowout sendoff 'Lompoc-alypse'), the walls will come crashing down on this archaic, but altogether lovable, gem of a brewpub.

While New Old Lompoc has been around only since the late 1990s, its fairly shabby, notably leaning wood-framed building towards the north end of NW 23rd has been around since the early 20th century. Creaking and sloped wooden floors, walkways that are far too narrow, a snug little bar at its core and restrooms that are laughably antiquated lend to a charm that will be next to impossible to replace. Lompoc's demise has been known for a while locally (with brewing operations moving almost entirely to the sister 5th Quadrant location in 2011) so we've had ample time to say 'goodbye', but that doesn't make the loss of the pub any easier to accept. She will be missed.

So it's with some remorse that I admit to having visited NOL only a handful of times during its headier days; of recent note, there was a fun PIB wrap-up party in the shade of the outdoor patio last July. Of late, I've tried to squeeze in a couple visits a month (working closer helps a lot), taking in the sun-soaked picnic tables on nicer days and holing up in a cozier nook on the overcast ones. Walls are covered in vintage advertising, historic photos, homages to 'bald guys' and the like. During baseball season, Red Sox games dominate the tube. Quaint, yes... kitschy, not at all.

Beer selection is good, usually between 8-10 NOL beers, with some perrenial standards like C-Note or LSD or Condor Pale and rotating seasonals like their fresh-hopped gems or the recently enjoyed Baltic Porter. Prices are around $4.50/pint, but drop to a paltry $2.50 on 'Miser Mondays'.

Although I've been at least a half dozen times in the last 3 months (and will probably visit another time or two before Saturday's closing), I can't say I've sampled too much of the menu over the years: Frankly, I just order the new England clam chowder almost every time and am never disappointed.

Service has always been a touch above 'OK', sometimes harried and inattentive, sometimes cheerful and generous with sample pours and conversation. Kind of a crap shoot, but that's fine.

Sorry to see the place go (but the promise is that NOL will be back in some form in Summer 2013). Cheers & best wishes, NOL crew!
Apr 25, 2012
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Reviewed by gkunkle from Oregon

3.48/5  rDev -6.2%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
Met up with a friend here last week, she was unfortunately late, but the wait staff didn't seem too bothered by me taking up a table for a while, so I appreciated their patience. It seems that there had just been some sort of incident that caused the staff to throw somebody out... something about the lotto machines. I didn't see them myself, but having lotto machines really decreases hy interest in a place, they're pretty un-classy. The interior is sort of similar to the horsebrass, but not as nice. Overall the place seems a little run down. The beer was decent, I can't recall what I ordered, I think it was an ESB, and my friend had a golden ale. The service was generally pretty quick, and the staff was nice. The food is pretty generic pub food, but they served it well, so nothing to complain about. Overall, this is an interesting place to go, but considering the variety of places in portland to check out, I don't know that I'll go again.
Feb 27, 2012
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Reviewed by cbarrett4 from Oregon

3.89/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5
Okay the service is bad. Not rude (which would preclude me from ever returning). Just inept. I now almost always sit at the bar with the often friendly and helpful bartenders. It seems like the regular waitstaff just doesn't care.

Anyway, the best thing is the very, very fair pinball machine. I love pinball but hate the machines that are rigged to eat the ball every 30 seconds. This one is very fun! Beer + pinball = HAPPY!

The beer is always amazing. I have never once tasted a Lompoc beer that I didn't think was very good (at least a B on the Beer Advocate system). The brewers seem to really take care in producing each beer and tweaking even the experimental brews for maximum pleasure and drinkability.

Since I'm vegetarian (mostly vegan) I rarely eat at brewpubs (owing to the lavish use of butter) so I cannot comment on the food, but friends tell me they like it better than most brewpub fare.

These guys always have a few rare and limited beers on hand, but the stars are the C-Note, Son of C (when available), and LSD. But pretty much everything they make is worthy of a taste.

Go for the beer. Go for the pinball.

* Of note: the back patio allows smoking (at least they did last time I went) and that is a big minus in my opinion... especially when it wafts into the pub and into the bar area.
Aug 28, 2011
Photo of jdense
Reviewed by jdense from Oregon

2.98/5  rDev -19.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 1 | selection: 3.5
Visited 8.12.2010.

I pride myself on providing truthful and accurate reviews of the beers and beer places I have sampled. I can honestly say I have never been so infuriated as I was on my first visit to this seminal Lompoc outpost.

I have very much enjoyed the Sidebar, the Hedge House, and have found the bar help and esp. the brewers pleasant and informative, easy to talk to and always willing to offer up a sample of their latest wares. Unfortunately, this locale's help takes on the ambience of the neighborhood-aloof, unfriendly and uncaring. I stood at the bar for over 5 minutes waiting to order up a pint, had multiple servers and the bartender walk by me several times without a nod of recognition, a hello- and this was at a late afternoon juncture where I'd estimate they were at about 15% capacity. I walked out once, and said to myself, I enjoy the beers here and went back in, and the same thing happened. One of the brewers was sitting at the bar and he noticed this whole episode, and the look on his face said he was very embarrassed.

While I really like Lompoc's beers (the C-Note and LSD are usually in my fridge) I found the service at this location deplorable at best and inexcusable at worst. That being said, there's a nice covered patio in the back, the main bar and restaurant area has a nice well worn in feel, and the food is above average. However, the use of a chalkboard to indicate what the seasonal beers are would have been nice, the menu said ask your server, but given the lack of service I walked out and vowed I will never come in here again. The bartender in particular should be ashamed, worst service in town. I'm looking forward to going back to the Hedge House and the Sidebar, but I will NEVER go back here again. An all-time low for lack of service.
Aug 14, 2010
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Reviewed by shivtim from Georgia

3.66/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
I stopped in here for a quick drink in the late afternoon. It's easy to get to using the Streetcar.
It's kind of a weird eclectic bar. Low-key with a random mix of locals. It's a cramped feeling space, with a low ceiling and no real open spaces. The bar is pretty small, and almost like a box, but has a couple of stools on several sides.

The selection was good. Eight of theirs on tap, plus four guest brews. However, Bud Light was one of the guest brews. Good quality on their brews.
The bartender was efficient.
Jul 03, 2010
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Reviewed by djbreezy from Washington

4.2/5  rDev +13.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Updated 5/18...had a chance to enjoy a seat on the patio and this drastically improved my experience. All of the beers were on tap and I enjoyed a taster. Not a bad spot, not a bad spot at all.

--

The atmosphere in this place is like that of an old pub. It's fine, but nothing special. There isn't a ton of space inside, but it works.

I really like some of Lompoc's beers but their entire selection is not for me.

The time that I went here with a friend was our first visit. The server was pretty average and didn't return to the table much. The beer was good. The food didn't really deliver, but the menu looked decent.

Not sure if I'd go back...the Sidebar looks much cooler, but this one is close to where I live. Hmm.
Mar 12, 2010
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Reviewed by barleywinefiend from Washington

4/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped in here on a Sunday night after we ditched the 5th Quadrant for crappy service. Walkied in with a seating area to the left and the bigger area to the right. Apparently there is a lrage patio outside as well. Grabbed a seat, service was attentive and I never had an empty glass. Selection was about 7 standards and 5 to seasonals including a very good porter, Imp Stout and of course, Old Tavern Rate. I opted for LSD, Old TR and C Note. All beers were average to very damn good.Food was ok and prices are very reasonable. Beer to go in the Mason jar or by bottle.
Mar 01, 2010
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Reviewed by mtnbiknma from Oregon

3.38/5  rDev -8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3
My wife & I have visited this place numerous times since moving here in July. The pros are the atmosphere (seriously) including the hop-vine covered back porch, the water closet & yes even the surly & dismissive waitstaff. The NW 23rd location of New Old Lompoc is a ray of sunshine in this all too trendy stretch of expensive boutiques & cafe's.
The atmosphere is dumpy to be sure, but it keeps a lot of people out of the place who would invade if it started to look more like the Bridgeport Brewery down the street in the Pearl District. Like many places in the neighborhood, the porch is the gem of this bar. Nothing fancy, but it's cool during the hot PDX summer.
The quality of the beer is good, the c-note being the pinnalce for my pallet. It has the aromas and malt backbone that I tend to lean towards in an ipa. I also enjoy the Lompoc Strong Draft (LSD) which is always a safe bet as long as you are not in the mood for something with a stronger hop profile.
Service, is never quite friendly, no small talk or even a "how's everything" that I can recall, but they always seem to be around when your food or beer is running out, which really is all I need when I'm at the pub.
Selection: There is always something new to try, (recently a "monster mash" purported to be a strong porter, and some fresh hop brews) but happy hour restrictions on the seasonals (always check the big board for pricing info!) always push me to my standbys.
Food is standard bar food. Again we are always pleased with the Happy Hour portions of what we get. The calamari isn't half bad either.
Value: Did I mention happy hour? God I love Oregon. Beers are cheap during happy hour & one day a week beers are $2.50 all day. These are real pints too, another pleasant change from McMenamins & Laurelwood which are both nearby.
I will continue to visit this bar as long as I live nearby and will look forward to visiting when I move away.
Oct 16, 2009
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Reviewed by morebeergood from Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -16.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5
Day 1 & Stop 5 of the Portland Pub Crawl. We tried a few of these beers at the Seattle International Beerfest the weekend before, so we were eager to try more. Almost walked past this place, as it looks like a dive from the outside. Didn't get much better inside, as it's borderline dumpy. Maybe that's its tagline, I don't know, but it didn't impress. Grabbed seats at an old diner looking booth. Waitress took her time to come over, and when I asked about the special beers on draft, she said the chalkboard with the info is right over there and walked away. OK. So I got up and walked all the way across the bar to read it. When she finally came back, I ordered a snifter of the Belgian stout, and my wife got the LSD. Both fairly good and not too pricey. Since I found out that you can buy this beer elsewhere, nothing here would really entice me to ever visit again.
Jul 18, 2009
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Reviewed by Floydster from California

4/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
We walked up to this old yellow building on our second day in Portland after a brief stop at Laurelwood up the street, we see a neon Budweiser sign and some other macro ones as well, that did not look very promising but I was sure wrong, do not be fooled by the looks of this place, right when you walk in, you realize that there is a lot of history in here, walk into the bathroom and it reminded me of an old European toilet, it was pretty packed inside when we arrived around noon full of Manchester United fans rooting on their team during the championship, very cool old school pub atmosphere, some interesting old bottles along the wall, we tried a lot of beers here and even went a second day to made sure we tried all ten, C-Note and two of their seasonals, the Brussels Stout and Le Chat Noir were the favorites, completely ignored their guest taps but they seemed to have around a dozen, all their beers were so good that there was no point of exploring others, we had chips and salsa here and they were pretty awesome, although a little expensive at four dollars for a medium sized plate, beers were pretty cheap, think three dollars and change for a pint, also their sampler sets were only $7.50, awesome place in a cool neighborhood, would definitely go back next time I am in Portland, recommended
Jun 08, 2009
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Reviewed by theconductor from California

2.17/5  rDev -41.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 1 | selection: 2
I was really excited to try this place out. I had read and heard great things about the c-note IPA. When we got to the place it looked a little roun-down, no big deal, I love a good dive bar. We went inside and a couple of bartenders (or servers) glared at us from behind the bar as we tried to figure out where we could sit. Finally after absolutely no help from the staff that was staring at us we picked a cramped booth near the door. After waiting about 20 min someone finally was bothered enough by our presence to come over and take our order... Lucky us... I said< "Give me a C-note!" but, alas they were out.... I settled for a (I'm told) similar C-son's Greetings. The beer was rough at first, but after a few minutes it opened up and became quite tasty.

When the waiter finally came back to take our food order we had already decided that we were going to leave and find a place that wanted the business.

I wouldn't recommend a visit there to anyone. Find the beer in the local bottleshop and stay away from the pretentious hipsters that are far too good to serve mediocre beer to the common man.
Mar 03, 2009
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Reviewed by Osiris9588 from Ohio

3.86/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
This place has the unpretentious, slightly slovenly, feeling of a neighborhood bar--a neighborhood bar that also just happens to brew some killer beer. It also provides board games to play while quaffing some brew. Our game of Trivial Pursuit is still being debated by the parties involved, as we'd all had a few pints before play.

As far as the beers, the Sauzilla was solid and the LSD resplendent--if I my dare to use such an adjective. The selection was solid, 26 beers on tap, though I didn't really check out the guest taps--more concerned with the house beers.

The service--the beer got to us, which was all we required. My friend is lucky to have this place as his neighborhood brewpub.
Nov 21, 2008
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Reviewed by apfactor from Illinois

4.08/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
"Die hipster, Die" painted on the toilet in big white letters. Well ok, if you say so.

This place is really cool. It has somewhat of a frontier saloon feel to it. Small bar area dead center with old wooden booths and tables on both sides. Kind of a mixed crowd... I really liked the atmosphere. Unpretentious yet oddly complex. Giant moosehead mounted on the wall? (affirmative)

The service was average, but the beer was outstanding. Order the sampler to taste the range. Their HG beers were very good. My favorite was the LSD. I was impressed. I had the halibut and I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing I could not figure out was why it was so dead in there for a Friday. (less then 20 people at 1030) I guess portland has more cool bars then they can fill? A good problem for a city to have.
Aug 12, 2008
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Reviewed by jjboesen from Maryland

3.68/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4
New Old Lompoc is a laid back hipster hangout situated in the Nob Hill portion of the city. It is also close to Lucky Lab Quimby and a block over from a McMenamin's. Just look for the glowing string of Christmas lights outside.

If you're going by Trimet, the public transit system, take the 15 bus - the same route that goes past Horse Brass.

It's a small joint: upon entry is a tiny bar, to the left are a few booths and a couple of tables by the window. On the right is another room with booths - a rather intimate environment.

New Old Lompoc offers 8 taps of reasonably priced micros. A pint is $4.25 on your average night. If you arrive on "Miser Monday" a pint is $2.50 - not a bad deal for the great unwashed.

I'd assume the bartender was knowledegable on the beer, but her lack of social skills made this judgement difficult. Let's leave it at that; this is Portland after all.

Anyways, grab a table by the window, order a few pints and stare out at the world passing by.

Update: Returned a second time for the C-Note Imperial IPA. My thung schtill cand muv...
Jul 26, 2008
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Reviewed by BeerZack from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +7.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Small and homey cafe feel in this cozy shack. We were here pretty early, so it was quiet and the bartender seemed to be the only server on. The food was good and so was the price. The beer was very good also. The Munich dunkel they had was a nice change from the ordinary, bigger and richer flavors that was one of the stand outs. The C-Note IPA (100 IBUs from a bunch of C-hops, Centennial, Cascade, etc.) was okay. Several house styles to choose from and two seasonal while we were there. Would recommend.
Mar 25, 2008
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Reviewed by slander from New York

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Or I gone out for the brewers festival again. Either way, today's the play day for exploration, we'll visit the kind beer store, see the bar scene, maybe a brewpub or four. They're everywhere; you can't help but run into them. I think there's a brewpub nestled somewhere into most banks and pharmacies. And it's one thing to have a lot of brewpubs in town, it's quite another for there to be clusters of them in certain areas of town, all in walking distance of one another...

Divey old time bar with macro neon signs in the front windows. Supposedly, when they moved in, they were already there and they just left them up. The bar sits up front as you enter with a great hop vine mosaic tile piece above and around the bar; seating for 3 here, another 5 around the side from the adjacent room, and open on the third side for service. Shelved booze above and to both sides of a long center panel on the bar back showing 27 taps, a row of 14 over 13, although at least a dozen of them weren't in use. Hanging glassware on a rack and a pair of handpumps, not currently in use but lying in wait for Winter cask barleywine time.

The side room holds 7 booths running an "L" along the far wall and below the front windows, and 4 tables in the middle of the room. Old wood plank floors, drop glass lamps with green & red bulbs, beige stucco and paneling throughout. TV's in all corners, a mounted elk head, a random boat oar, old framed magazine ads (Chesterfield, Schlitz, Milky Way, Lucky Stripe), brewery mirrors & signage, a 1903 school composite photo, an Oregon flood of '94 print, strung red Xmas lighting around the windows, and shelves above the windows, side seating and to the rear loaded up and lined with beer cans, growlers, bottles (I see you Alexander Rodenbach!), trophies, planters, and other pieces. A small gaming room to the rear holds video lottery, video poker and Phil's Golf Game (complete) for all your degenerate gambler needs. Moving around to the other side of the bar, you'll notice the photo display of bald headed brewers in the front area (it's exactly what it sounds like). 5 booths & tables on the far side spread across the small area along side the bar and in the front corner. Ancient Heidelberg Brewery prints and more framed vintage ads (Ovaltine, Campbell's Soup, Listerine, Pabst's Blue Ribbon). To the rear here, a doorway to the beer garden; a dozen picnic tables under an awning lined with holiday lighting and covered with grape vines above and twisty vines wrapping around the uprights, plus another 9 tables in an exposed raised side area. Very cool.

We parked ourselves in the side room and ordered up a few beers. They have 7 house beers on and 7 guest taps, some regional micros (Caldera Pils & Dry Hop Orange, Widmer Hefe), and the rest macros and a coder. Naturally, I shared some sampler Trouble. The taster tray offered up 8 beers; we caught 7 house beers and a guest tap (Caldera Dry Hop Orange). The Fool's Golden Ale had a slight maltiness, and some biscuit; the Condor Pale Ale a little sweet; the Centennial IPA, 6%, nice bitterness; the C-Note, 6.9%, 100 IBU's, Crystal, Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Challenger, Cluster & Columbus hop madness; the Proletariat Red, 6.4%, a great malt bomb; the LSD (Lompac Stong Draft), 6.9%, a nice strong ale; and the Sockeye Cream Stout (nitro), creamy, roasty, coffee, very nice. I liked the Red & the Stout the most. Beers available in 8 ounce, 16 ounce, and 32 ounce pitchers, as well as 32 ounce mason jars to go.

A little lunch to help it along. Had a salad with lemon basil vinagrette and I split a French dip with gorgonzola cheese & port caramelized onions. Service was friendly and attentive. Good start on the day.
Sep 23, 2007
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Reviewed by HardTarget from Texas

2.79/5  rDev -24.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3
Well, I really wanted to like this place.
Atmosphere is a bit nouveau-dive, building is a bit older and run down a bit, but the back yard patio is nice and comfortable. Place was quietly humming on a weekday afternoon and their hop plants were over the tall wall and cones aplenty. There were a lot of tables of 2 girls, I don't know what that meant.
The one beer I had was in good shape (C-note), I never got to try the food, which brings me to service. Waiter showed up, we talked over our options, we order... and about 20 minutes later we decide that we really need to get going, so we call him over to cancel our order to get "oh, that's right, you did order!". He made it right by comping my beer, but they still take the hit for service.
Selection wasn't bad or outstanding.
All in all, I think I'd take a pass given there are so many other options in Portland.
Aug 23, 2007
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Reviewed by dedrinker from Kansas

3.64/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Nice atmosphere and staff was friendly. Easy to get situated in this smallish venue. Mostly tables, and the bar area is much smaller than it ought to be. I think ithere were only six stools. The beers were typcal Pacific Northwest styles, which is to say they remind me of a lot of the beers on the east coast. I no longer consider Oregon and Washington to be a part of the "west coast" style beers we hear so much about these days. That leaves only California. They should just call them California style IPA, or California style amber ale etc. I'm on a bus tonight back to Cali, for the best of the west.
Jul 19, 2007
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Reviewed by DaPeculierDane from Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
The New Old Lompoc is my kind of joint – divey and unpretentious but with kick butt beer.

After an entire afternoon of clean, cozy, and dull McMen clones I am ready for something different when I walk into the joint. Something different I have most assuredly found.

NOL proudly boasts signs like “No Crap on Tap” and “Shit Hole” behind the bar. I notice some mosaic and start worrying that I’m accidentally stumbled through a worm hole and back in to a McMen bar (they all seem to have lots of mosaic) so I double check, yep, this place is still dirty and full of drunk, working man type smokers. No way this is one of the McMen bars on 23rd.

I order a Sockeye Cream Stout on Nitro and also take a stab at the C-note IPA. I think we fit an LSD in there somewhere too. All are winners. I notice a few guest taps some from Caldera, which I’m not familiar with, as well as High Life. I notice a sign decreeing NOL AOL’s 2005 brew pub of the year for Portland but attention is quickly refocused on a bust of a bald guy on the wall. I think it’s Lennon and above him is this Uncle Sam poster proclaiming something about bald brewers. I glimpse a dozen photos of various bald brewers and think of all the brewers back in Madison at the Ale Asylum (bald and goat-teed, each and every one of em) – they would fit in here.

On my left are 1960s era red cafeteria tables. That in combination with the dozens of German minikegs lining the walls reminds me a lot of Riesi’s Bier Stuba in Chicago. The bar itself is a large old wooden structure, aged by cigarette smoke, but still remaining the focus of the room. I take note of one cask and one nitro pump while chatting with the staff and some other patrons. Pints are really cheap here, even for happy hour. This is a great place and a nice change of pace compared to the cleaner and fancier joints down the block.
Jun 01, 2007
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Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -0.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 2
This place is more old and dingy neighborhood dive bar then yuppie brew pub, weather or not that is good or bad atmosphere is obviously very subjective! I sat out back in the enclosed patio, so it was nice to have outdoor seating on a beautiful Portland afternoon, surrounded by grape vines, with some classic rock radio playing. However, it was pretty dumpy looking out there, and the seating was just basic picnic tables, which are not very comfy.
The beer is pretty good, with a nice selection, and not to pricey. Try the C-Note.
The staff was friendly.
The food was questionable. I had bbq pork sandwich, which was pretty good. But my wife's burger sucked. Frozen patty with raw fatty bacon, this thing just gushed grease. The fries were super greasy little and thin. I'll be back for the beer and patio, but not in a huge hurry to try more food.
May 30, 2007
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Reviewed by Maerzen from Minnesota

3.95/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5
My wife and I stopped in during our trip to Portland and I have to say it was our favorite stop. It was a slow night and the Red Sox were on. Note: If you're a Yankee fan be careful as it's a self proclaimed Red Sox house. Great little "dive" which I mean only in the best way. The back patio was open but it was a cold, rainy night and we elected to stay in the bar.

My wife had a very nice french dip and I had a tangy bbq pork sandwich. My favorite tasting was a seasonal dark belgian ale called Le Chat Noir. We also tried the Nitro Porter and the Golden Ale.
May 11, 2007
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Reviewed by GreatNorthwest from Oregon

4.15/5  rDev +11.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
I love this place. You cannot beat the patio any time of year, but when the sun comes out and it warms up a bit, there is no place I would rather be in the world.

I feel that the beer's are phenomenal, though at times they are served at what seems to be room temperature. Either way, halfway through your first pint, you forget anyways.

The C-Note and LSD (Lompoc Stong Draft) are the winners. Very strong, very hoppy beers. I know it has become cliche to be over the top with the hops. But they successfully do this without too much malts.

The food is pretty damn good pub grub. They have a lot of their own aioli's, sauces, mustards, etc. I recommend their salads, the barbeque (if its early in the day or evening and the smoker is going out back), the portobello mushroom burger and the fish and chips.

I cannot recall their happy hours and prices all week, but they are great. $2 pints frequently, I believe all M and T. $2.99 appetizers. They even have trivia on Monday's, a must.

The crowd is very mixed. You have young, old, local, ugly, beautiful, fat all there. I am about as normal of a person as they come and I have never felt awkward or uneasy there. I also encounter a lot of table-to-table friendly talk as the night goes on. This is an indication of the patrons and atmosphere.

It is basically an old house, that looks like it hasnt been kept up in a while. Which is not necessarily a bad thing at all. It is certainly not a dump, yet still has that character that says "neighborhood hangout".
Feb 09, 2007
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Reviewed by mashmstr2 from Oregon

4.35/5  rDev +17.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
Two words can describe this place: Cool and Funky.

This place has a tarnished old world charm, right down to the antquie high bowl toilet with the chain! Sheek, slick, posh, trendy... Absolutely not! Old, grudgy and well seasoned.... YES!

Placed in an old wooden building on the outskirts of yuppie, posh Pearl district... I hope they change Nothing to accomodate the influx of turned up nose crowd! The main room is square and dank. There's a SQUARE bar in the middle of the room with seats for maybe 10 people. Old jukebox in one corner and a helter skelter of aged wall art. Outside, a rustic deck and a cover deck area. I love it!

The beer is always top notch and interesting.... I've had everything from Bocks to Barleywines, never, "NEVER" been dissapointed! Want and good Northwestern Hop blast? Try the C-note! Want old world beer with some warmth and hint of smokiness? Try the LSD Ale! (Lompoc Spiecal Dark) Also, available are either 1 or 2 casked beers and a Nitro tap.... Just give me the real thing and pour a cask!

The food is premier pub grub that utilizes their beer.... We need more places like this! tastey inventive sandwiches and the like.... How about a smoked chicken breast with pale ale mustard, pepper jack and covered in Stout caramalized onions or smoked pulled pork with a LSD infused BBQ sauce??!!! Oh! I'm drooling!

Can't give enough praise! Check it out! Don't be surprised when you walk in and think it looks like an old dive!!! ;-}
Dec 08, 2006
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Reviewed by joedon from Minnesota

3.78/5  rDev +1.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Stopped here on a rainy Monday night after leaving the Lucky Labrador.
Very crowded, smoky and dark. Kind of a dive but maybe just all the smoke that obscured my vision of the place. Stuffed caribou head hanging over the entrance. Old beer ads/pictures etc. on the walls. Seem like the place is trying hard to be different from the neighborhood it's in.

Service was sort of spotty. Pretty crowded around dinner time but we were served in a reasonable time.

Good selection of craft beers; about 12 on tap. I had the C-Note which was a very good IPA and the LSD: "Lompoc Strong Draught" which I didn't care for. The LSD was heavy on the smoked malt which dominated the whole taste. I should have read the menu description a bit closer since I was expecting something more like a Belgian strong.

The food was decent, mostly sandwich type stuff. I had the French dip sandwich which was quite respectable. My friends had the burger and a pulled pork BBQ which they also recommended.

Good value for the money here. They also had a Miser Monday deal for cheap beer but it had expired by the time we arrived.
Nov 08, 2006
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Reviewed by charlatan from Scotland

3.23/5  rDev -12.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5
I swing through this place once every few weeks, and have become quite fond of it. The atmosphere is wildly variable. I only drink after dark (except in emergencies!) so I can't vouch for the daylight hours, but I would steer clear of Friday and Saturday evenings unless you are into the out of town prepster crowd and tacky music. Sundays and other weekdays are a different matter with the atmosphere and quality of music being played seemingly inversely proportional to how busy the place is. It goes from intimate to obnoxious if 50 people walk through the door. If you see a cop car outside don't fret: one of the local cops likes to use the place to do his paperwork, so there probably isn't a ruck going on.

The beer is pretty decent, and cheap during happy hour. C-Note (hoppy IPA) and LSD (strong ale) are my favourites. Somehow it often seems to be happy hour, perhaps because the Lompoc beers are particularly cheap on Sundays. They do have a tendency to close when they get bored rather than when I expect them to, and are rather scruplous about removing people from the beer garden an hour or so before they close. Both traits are annoying. Service seems to vary from downright rude to relatively friendly.

I have never tried the food, and can't even picture it. One imagines that this isn't a place to go to unless you are into beer in which case it is a worthwhile but not necessary stop on the grand Portland brewpub tour.
Sep 18, 2005
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Reviewed by Crotor from California

3.25/5  rDev -12.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
There's not too much to set this small, dirty, and almost seedy establishment apart from the kind of independant coffee shop that's frequented by patchouli-wearing trustafarians. Not classy, but at least it was comfortable.

The service was eager, helpful, and friendly, but there was no indication of beer knowledge.

The selection was rather good for an establishment of this size - more than five house beers plus at least three guest taps from Caldera from down in Ashland. Mostly PNW ales, but I suppose that's what you get in Portland...

The food was rather grubbin', and that salad did wonders for my travel and beer-addled stomach.

Overall beer quality was quite good, but the pours were plagued by the typical problems - little to no head, and too cold. Why the hell can these little brewpubs at least serve their beers at the proper temp?
Mar 27, 2005
The New Old Lompoc in Portland, OR
Brewery rating: 3.71 out of 5 with 714 ratings