Hi folks. On Monday, 6/8 I will be driving from Seattle to Sacramento. I'd like to make a quick stop at one brewery in Portland, Roseburg, Eugene etc which allows growlers fills on not their growlers. Something that is easy and fast. I'll be going through Portland around the middle of the day and heading straight south on I-5 through the rest of the Oregon cities along the interstate, so will be driving through those later on Monday. Thanks, I'll report back!
Oregon isn't like California. Any growler can be filled pretty much anywhere. Heck, if you have a container that's watertight and has a lid, you can probably get it filled with beer. Picking one Oregon brewery on the I-5 corridor? THAT'S hard. You haven't even mentioned what styles of beer you like.
My suggestion is the Central Industrial location of Growler Guys: http://www.thegrowlerguys.com/our-locations/oregon-portland http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35127/?view=ratings Great people and their taplist is always filled with local and regional gems. You can also get small tasters to help you decide. Don't hesitate to ask for recommendations.
wow, great suggestion vurt, thanks a lot! Those are growler prices? Wow that beats the hell out of prices here. I already know I want Victory at Sea, I'll bring all my growlers at those prices.
They'll fill half-size growlers too. Tip: If you like hops, you should at least sample the IPAs from Breakside, Barley Brown's, and Boneyard. The Overdub Session IPA from Fort George is also outstanding.
Roseburg? Only been through once, there's a McMinnamans there, not sure it's worth getting off the interstate for though.
There's a couple of new breweries out that way as well. Have seen a few offerings up here in Eugene, but so far have not been hugely impressed by anything I've tried. OP. For Eugene, the Bier Stein is a great recommendation, but if you're in a hurry, it might not be the best place to stop (unless you just plan to run in and get some bottles to go). Also, while the BS does do growler sales, the selection is limited, and doesn't always seem to make sense (at least not to me. Their policy seems to be that they won't do growler fills of what they perceive to be rare, limited, or high octane beers). I'm going to assume from your post that you want to run in, get a glass of something and a growler to go, and then be on your way. In terms of the former, I think the 16 tons taphouse and/or the tap and growler are hard to beat. Both will generally fill growlers of whatever they have on offer (though for some reason, 16 tons likes to overcharge for certain growler fills. Notorious, PtE, etc.). There are also some pretty decent growler stations in town, though if I had to pick just one, I would recommend Growler Nation. They pretty much always have Hop Venom and RPM on tap, and generally seem to almost always have a nice selection of Boneyard and/or Barley Brown stuff on tap. There's a growler guys in Eugene, and while their selection is decent, it doesn't come close to the awesome version you'll find up in PDX. So I'd skip them, frankly (go to the one in PDX). Anyway, have fun!
I second Growler Guys if you're only looking to make one stop and only get a growler filled - which seems INSANE when there is so much here...
*** channeling the stockroom scene from the original Matrix*** "k so what do you need, besides a miracle" "growlers, lots of growlers"
This, this, and this. Holy shit is the taplist crazy right now, even though it's not really crazy because it's that good basically every single day. This place was built for exactly what the OP is trying to do - easy, quick access to the best the state has to offer.
Wow, really wanna try that rye BA Victory at Sea but I'm heading out of town after work. Oh well, might not be the best beer to have on a 90 degree day anyway.
And I really wanted to come up to try the Imperial coconut porter again from Maui. Had it last year at the brewpub, and it was flat out amazing. OK. I wouldn't mind trying the rye BA Victory at Sea either. :-) Promised myself I wasn't going to make any more of these kamakaze 4 hour beer trips now that I live in Eugene, but I just may have to forgoe that promise, if there are still leftovers on Sunday.
John- the BA Victory at Sea should still be on Sunday. Imperial Coconut might be iffy since we are doing growlers of it, but have a feeling that could hold over as well.
So I made it by on Monday. Had a glass of Victory at Sea rum barrel and Boneyard Notorious 3xIPA. Both were totally top-notch, fresh, and super tasty. It's rare to have two beers I've never had back-to-back be so amazing. Got growlers of Boneyard Armored Fist, Maui Imperial Coconut Porter, and Bend Brewing Ching Ching sour. It was completely blazing hot on my drive all the way back past Sacramento, and they were warm/hot when I pulled them out of my trunk. We'll see how they held up this weekend. Overall, great experience, I wished I lived closer, or that California law allowed for a growler filling shop that curated their beers the way Growler Guys do. The guy who was working (sorry, I forgot your name, was pretty frazzled from all the driving) was very friendly. Great recommendation.
Thanks again for stopping by and the compliments. Hope your next time in town is under more relaxed circumstances. Enjoy your brews this weekend. Cheers! Brendan
I walked in here Saturday and almost fell over. Hated that I didn't have time to try the BA Victory at Sea or the Maui, but I walked out of there with growlers of Nelson, Pallet Jack, and got hooked up with a growler of Notorious. I love Portland!
