Visiting Portland (2019)

Discussion in 'Northwest' started by guajolote, Jan 5, 2019.

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  1. sharpski

    sharpski Grand Pooh-Bah (3,100) Oct 11, 2010 Oregon
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    We don't see a lot of Ruse stuff in Bend so take this with a grain of salt, but I've dug Culmination's hazy IPAs more than Ruse's. Given that Ruse kinda grew out of Culmination, maybe I find whatever tweaks made to differentiate Ruse recipes post-Culmination to be gilding the lily?
     
    #281 sharpski, Dec 29, 2019
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  2. DefenCorps

    DefenCorps Grand Pooh-Bah (4,838) Jan 18, 2007 Oregon
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    You might be right. I'm not a huge aficionado of the style, so my recommendation was simply based on buzz on the interwebs and volume of releases.
     
    #282 DefenCorps, Dec 29, 2019
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  3. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Apizza Scholls.
     
    #283 BBThunderbolt, Dec 29, 2019
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  4. sharpski

    sharpski Grand Pooh-Bah (3,100) Oct 11, 2010 Oregon
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    That wasn't really directed at you personally, the comment just got me thinking. Your recommendation is in line with the consensus I've observed; I seem to have a slightly -rDev opinion of them.
     
    #284 sharpski, Dec 29, 2019
  5. Ma9573

    Ma9573 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2017 California
    Trader

    DC, did you end up making your trip? I'm basically doing the quick Portland stopover right now, as I have a 5 hour layover this afternoon/evening.

    So far I've hit Ex Novo, Ruse, GN, MT, and Hair of the Dog. I'd personally skip HOTD , I've rarely had worse hops (like, seriously they were garbage) or more overrated dark beers. Maybe it's just that I dislike Cherry in my aged beers, but I'd never recommend this place to anyone.

    Was also very disappointed in Ruse. The hoppy beers are definitely drinkable, but completely lacking in complexity and flavor. The stouts were forgettable.

    Ex Novo was worth a visit for the hops IMO.

    Great Notion was worth the trip just for the Ripe draft Pour and Over Ripe cans. JUMBO was fun too
    Did you ever up making the trip? I actually had a 5 hour layover in Portland today and hit up a bunch of spots in the hopes I'll just pass out on my red-eye to JFK lol
     
    #285 Ma9573, Dec 30, 2019
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  6. dcgunman

    dcgunman Pooh-Bah (2,682) Jul 1, 2009 California
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    No. Looking at this coming weekend. But now my plans may change. I might have 2 nights in Portland starting Friday.
     
    #286 dcgunman, Dec 30, 2019
  7. afrokaze

    afrokaze Pooh-Bah (1,962) Jun 12, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If you like hazy, hit up Breakside in Slabtown or Dekum - What Rough Beast won a gold at GABF this year, and we always have a couple others on tap. The non-hazy hoppy stuff is good too!
     
    #287 afrokaze, Dec 30, 2019
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  8. blackcloud

    blackcloud Savant (1,243) Apr 28, 2012 Alaska
    Trader

    I'd recommend an airbnb in inner NE or SE. Hotel wise, I think you'd be stuck in the Lloyd district or downtown.

    While there are a million breweries, I almost never suggested breweries when visitors would come in, I think you get a better picture of the portland scene at the beer bars. Two days makes it a bit easier.... if you're hitting the Alberta GN, you could hit Imperial a couple blocks away. Definitely should hit Beermongers/Apex/Belmont Station

    At $30/day, a car would definitely be cheaper than Uber/Lyft, but makes for less drinking. Public transit is great and easy in portland as well...
     
    #288 blackcloud, Dec 30, 2019
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  9. derftron

    derftron Pooh-Bah (1,663) Feb 8, 2012 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Yeah i would never recommend HOTD for a hop-head or someone that loves hazies. Curious what other beers you had there? if you know you dont like cherry in BA beers, im not sure how you ended up drinking a cherry BA beer at HOTD, given that they have 15+ BA options that do not have cherry.
     
    #289 derftron, Dec 30, 2019
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  10. John_M

    John_M Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,849) Oct 25, 2003 Washington
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    You've gotten pretty good advice already, so I'll just try to fill in the gaps a bit.

    As others have advised, it's not really necessary to rent a car in PDX. Public transportation (via max or bus) is good, Portland is very walkable, and there are a number of areas in town where you can hit half a dozen or more great breweries and/or beer bars in a couple mile radius. That being said, if you're super ambitious and you're able to get a good rate on a car then why not? There are some good spots around the SE Alberta Great Notion (Imperial, Concordia, Kennedy School, etc.), but if you want to spend time over in the Modern Times area, or the Von Ebert, Bailey's and Upper Lip area, then it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a car.

    As for Great Notion, these days there are almost always cans and crowlers available throughout the week and weekend. It might be worth giving them a call if there's something in particular you're hoping to obtain, assuming you haven't made up your mind which GN outpost you plan to visit (as the selection tends to vary depending which place you visit).

    If you're trying to maximize your local beer consumption while in town, then I'd recommend hitting a beer bar or two. Better places in town include Roscoe's, Belmont Station, the Horse Brass, Apex, Bailey's and Beer O'clock, just to name a few. If you're hoping to combine your beer consumption with some good food options, then I'd recommend Roscoe's and Beer O'clock. Roscoe's does Cajun style food fairly well (at least for Portland) and Beer O'clock is right next to Lardo's and Grassa (both of which serve very good, very well priced food).

    Last but not least, I'm going to disagree somewhat with the opinion made by @Ma9573 regarding HOTD. Yes, their IPA's these days are nothing to write home about (blue dot, green dot and polka dot), but most everything else they make is very, very good. Maple Fred from the Wood should still be on tap this weekend, and I thought it was quite excellent. The current doggies claws is worth checking out as well, and in fact is probably the best "hoppy" beer HOTD is making these days. They also have an excellent selection of vintage BA beers for onsite consumption, and IMHO, it's worth stopping by HOTD just to order a bottle or two of Matt and/or AFTW. I personally am a big fan of the Cherry Adam, but I can understand that it's not a beer that will please everyone. The food selection at HOTD is pretty good as well.

    Have fun.
     
    #290 John_M, Dec 30, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2019
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  11. derftron

    derftron Pooh-Bah (1,663) Feb 8, 2012 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    agree on Doggie Claws. Might be the best non-BA american style barleywine going these days.
     
    #291 derftron, Dec 30, 2019
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