BridgePort Ale House

BridgePort Ale HouseBridgePort Ale House
BridgePort Ale HouseBridgePort Ale House
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

3632 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, Oregon, 97214-5144
United States

// CLOSED //

Hours:
Sunday - Thursday 11:30am - 10:30pm
Friday and Saturday 11:30am - 11:30pm
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.9
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
11
pDev:
6.15%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by John_M:
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Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4.2/5  rDev +7.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Had not ventured into the Bridgeport Ale House in some years, but wanted to try the new bourbon barrel aged Old knucklehead, and figured this was a good place to do that.

As one walks in from SE Hawthorne Street, the first thing one sees is a good size wrap around bar in the center of the restaurant. The bar must seat close to 30 patrons and is a good place to hang and enjoy a beer. On either side of the bar there are more formal dining tables, and I'd guess there must be something like 10 to 12 of them all told. So the restuarant is moderate size, with a nice modern feel to it. There is a set of large mirrors on both sides of the dining area, giving one the impression that the restaurant is actually a bit larger then it really is.

As for the beers, they are all Bridgeport products and I believe they have the entire line-up available. On this particular day they had 10 different beers available, as well as 3 on cask out of the firkin. Personally, I'm not as big a fan of Bridgeport beers as I once was, finding them to be entirely too tame these days. However, the Old Knucklehead barleywine was quite good this day, and I was very impressed with the hop harvest IPA they made last fall (not on the current line-up).

I was here in the afternoon on a Monday and service was efficient, if just a bit slow. There was one employee working the kitchen, as well as a single bartender who was also working the tables. I guess this being a Monday the expectation was that the place would not be very crowded. While it wasn't what I would call crowded, there was still a decent size crowd (at least 20 customers I'd say), and it took a bit longer to get my beer and food then I would normally have expected.

As for the food, the quality surprised me. I got the blue plate special (served on a large blue plate of course), which this day consisted of half a reuben (excellent sandwich), a cup of roasted chicken and garbanzo bean soup (not bad) and a side of ceaser salad (can't remember the last time I had a ceaser this good at a restaurant - nice dressing with obviously fresh garlic in it).

All in all I had a nice time here.
Mar 04, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of yemenmocha
Reviewed by yemenmocha from Arizona

3.45/5  rDev -11.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4
Got a bad vibe from some of the staff here. Not sure why. It certainly wasn't service with a smile though.

Cool location with little shops & other restaurants in the area. Nice & open to the street for fresh air.

Beer selection was fairly good as far as brewpubs go, though there weren't as many atypical offerings like you'll find at Widmer (stuff you can't buy in stores). Sampler was reasonably priced, and no I didn't order one when it was busy. It was dead, at opening, which is why it doesn't make sense that the bartender was so miserable.

Nothing memorable from this brewery.
Aug 14, 2010
Photo of squaremile
Reviewed by squaremile from Oregon

3.86/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Hit this place on a nice sunny afternoon. We sat outside which is a nice vibe if you want to be part of the street scene on Hawthorne. Service was OK and could have been better but they were busy. The biggest annoyance was the live music that made it difficult to talk even sitting outside. Why do beer places do this? Are those bands really bringing anyone in? Beer selection is the Bridgeport stuff, which is always serviceable with the occasionally nice seasonal. If they had some TVs this could be an awesome place to check a game.
Jul 10, 2010
Photo of kdoc8
Reviewed by kdoc8 from Oregon

4.28/5  rDev +9.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I've been here a few times. It can vary how pleasant an experience it is based on the day - it can be very loud and crowded on a Friday evening, but is much more relaxed other days of the week. I've never had a problem walking in and getting a seat though. They have about 10-12 beers on tap at any given time. You should definitely try out their barleywine if they have it around. The menu is a little scant, but it's not your typical brew pub stuff - there are some surprising things on there. (I had butternut squash macaraoni and cheese, which was really good, and pear pizza in the past.) I would say it's very reasonable for being a short distance from downtown Portland.
Feb 08, 2008
Photo of jjboesen
Reviewed by jjboesen from Maryland

4.05/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
With the original location closed until February 2006, this remains the only Bridgeport establishment in operation. It offers a great selection of Bridgeport ales (6 taps/3 casks) served in a modern, open and well-lit bar area. During my sojourn, I enjoyed their mild Blue Heron Pale Ale, an ESB on cask and an excellent IPA, a delicious cask served at the correct temperature. BAH is also convenient (20-minute walk) from the Horse Brass Pub. Both are easily accessible by Portland's excellent public transit system; in this case Bus No. 15 from downtown.
Dec 26, 2005
Photo of beercollector
Reviewed by beercollector from Oregon

3.95/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
The Hawthorne district of Portland is a real re-vitalization success story. My wife is a teacher and she and her friends love to plan special meals. The Ale house is a great place to water down with a great IPA before you head west to find curry.

Or a place to go after a movie at the Bagdad. Or dinner.

It has a modern store front appearance. There are waits but the staff do make sure your beverage needs are taken care of while you wait. The menu has a number of selections and the food is better than average.
Mar 27, 2005
Photo of RedDiamond
Reviewed by RedDiamond from Oregon

3.83/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
The Bridgeport Ale House on Hawthorne Boulevard serves the full compliment of Bridgeport beers. All arrive from the downtown brewery on Marshall Street and none are brewed on premises. This usually means about seven regular beers, one or two (winter) seasonals, and one or two cask-conditioned ales pumped from a firkin. The cask-conditioned ales are often the most intriguing and are featured on Wednesday nights for just $2.75 for an imperial pint. Other house specials on $2.75 imperials include “Gold Medal Monday” for the IPA, “Blue Tuesday” for Blue Heron Pale, and “Ropewalk Thursday” for Ropewalk Amber.

The Ale House sits in the heart of the Hawthorne district, traditionally a funky neighborhood surviving in an improbable state of post-psychedelic bliss. Recent gentrified encroachments are evident in abundance of which the Ale House itself may be considered an outward sign. This is a casual family place and I’ve never failed to see children there. But it’s also very proper with full dinner and lunch menus as well as wood-fired pizzas. The atmosphere is one of informal elegance: lots of straight wooden lines, potted ferns, oil candles, and seasonal holiday lights. Good place to take your parents, a first date you’re not sure of, or your chummier high-tech business associates.

My favorite reason to come here is to have a pint or two prior to catching a movie across the street at the McMenamins Bagdad Theater. The Bagdad serves only McMenamins beers while the Bridgeport Ale House serves only Bridgeport. Their proximity is complimentary and contributes a welcome niche to the beer scene on Hawthorne Blvd. Bridgeport serves a number of top-notch beers. I’m a big fan of their Black Strap Stout, their IPA, and Old Knucklehead barleywine. If only they offered more frequent seasonal beers I’m sure I’d drop in more often.
Jan 01, 2005
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Reviewed by freed from Oregon

4.1/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
We stopped by for a late dinner on a Friday night last week. The place was bustling, and we had to wait for a seat. Luckily, like the main branch, there is a small collection of periodicals to choose from. Best of all, they have several copies of the most recent Celebrator.

The interior itself is very modern. Its Scandinavian modern looks suggests more that you're in Danish eatery or art gallery. But the art on the walls here is of beer and brewing. Small etching, large canvases of old advertising, and other Bridgeport specific decorations. Even the eatery is a series of squares. The outermost square of booths, the middle square of tables, and the inner square is formed by the bar.

The inner bar has a large display of what is on cask, which included Old Knucklehead 11, Fresh Hop Ale, and God's own pick, IPA. There are also several of their beers on tap and even wine available for those types. I've heard from several people, most recently from Thrasher, that their cask ales are served too cold. I too was surprised just how cold my barleywine was served. I had to palm the glass for some time before it started taking on the characteristics of a barelywine. I suppose the cold means they don't have to clean the lines as often...

The service was quite good. Even when we were waiting, the host engaged us, offered us drinks, and kept us up to date with the seating situation. Both the wait staff and the host kept on us almost to the point where it gets overbearing, but it didn't get there.

Like I said, we were there for a late bite, and the menu was quite nice. Very cosmo cuisine with beer pairings listed. The food was quite good though. The caesar salad is probably my wife's and my favorite in PDX, and this was not the exception.

I usually pick places based on having cask ales. That's one of the things I like about Bridgeport. They have a couple beers that really shine on cask. But the temperature is way off.

Update 1/30/05: Tried again last night and both cask ales were served near 50F and were both delicious so I've upped my Quality rating. Smashing!
Oct 03, 2004
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Reviewed by MuddyFeet from North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3
The interior has a kitschy design I am used to from back home. Everything seems like it is carbon cut. All clean lines. Nothing of particular uniqueness to the place.

But the beer was great because of BP's regular selection of brews and some cask conditioned ales also. They also seem to have daily specials on beers.

The food was better than average. My overall take on the place was that it is designed as a food place with beer than a beer place with food.

The service was pretty good. Bartender served me quick and didn't pester me with: "Is everything alright?" God place to people watch with the big front windows looking out at Hawthorne.
Mar 13, 2004
Photo of Thrasher
Reviewed by Thrasher from Oregon

3.58/5  rDev -8.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4
This is a modern-style interior with lots of sturdy blonde wood, very chic and sort of Scandinavian. Not really a pub environment but more like a hip new eatery. Electronic blips and bleeps pour forth from the sound system. It is all very trendy and you may want to tuck in your shirt and put on a nice pair of shoes before moseying in here. This is the antithesis of the sort of environment I want to be in when I wrap my hands around an imperial pint of cask-conditioned ale. It might work on a date though. While it's not the most inviting, it is a clean and gracious room. The ale is very good, Bridgeport you know makes quality beer despite the fact they are owned by Gambrinus. 3 handpumps. The cask beers are noticeably colder than real ales are traditionally served, but that might be a good way to encourage the neophyte who's ordinarily suspicious of warm, still beer. Nothing is brewed here at this satellite pub, despite what the review below me says (I think he meant to review Bridgeport's main location in NW). Service is just ok, food is kind of fancy but it is inventive and very well made. You have to appreciate the beer pairings listed on the menu. This isn't really a spot to grab a pint or few, but more of a destination to get dinner with a date. Although if you can tune out the lounge dance rhythms, it can be quite pleasant to sit solo at the window with a paper and watch Hawthorne walk by, or run by as I did during a recent hailstorm. On Weds, cask pints are $2.75. Similar specials throughout the week. Brunch on weekends. Do get whatever is on cask, especially the IPA and the absolutely phenomenal barley wine. This is BridgePort's only functioning pub during the 2005 renovation of their brewery/pub in the Pearl District.
Nov 20, 2003
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Reviewed by tfinn from Oregon

3.93/5  rDev +0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4.5
Atmosphere: high ceilings; beautiful wooden tables, bar, and paneling; wood-fired oven in the kitchen; giant clock on the back wall; non-smoking. slightly upscale, but relaxed and not snooty. shiny, new, clean.

Quality: good beer, especially the casks. entree quality and presentation is excellent.

Service: can get a little busy sometimes, but I've never had a bad server.

Selection: only bridgeport beer here, but at least they have three cask selections. beers and entrees change seasonally, so there's usually something new to try.

Food: it's a full-serve restaurant with appetizers, entrees, and desserts. fare ranges from wood-fired pizzas to burgers, pastas, and meats. the ale house salad is incredible. all entrees have a reccomended beer pairing.

in summary, it's a pleasant place to get a good meal when standard pub-fare just won't do it for you.
Oct 24, 2003
BridgePort Ale House in Portland, OR
Place rating: 3.9 out of 5 with 11 ratings