Great Notion

Thanks to this thread I made sure to stop at the brewery last night on the way to the airport. Pricing issues aside, that blueberry muffin sour is soooooo good. I wish i lived in the area more as I think offer some really nice offerings.

 

OT Brewing delivers beer, also this is good program for Growlers Guys (growler exchange program, or something like that).

Yes, 100%

 

Oh! Good to know, wanted to try this beer, but it wasn't on tap last Saturday.

 

I live in NJ and am headed to Portland for the first time a week from Sunday. I have been lucky enough to try a lot of great NE hops so I'm excited to see what the hype is all about. I won't try to argue pricing but relative to NYC prices I guess it will seem normal.

 

I hope you will also make an effort to try local beers that are maybe a bit more representative of the area. I mean, why come all the way across the country and only try things that remind you of home?

 

Got my hands on some GN crowlers this week and was completely blown away by Juice Jr, and Juice Box. As a total fanboy of Treehouse and Trillium I can honestly say GN beers are on their level. I know most people hate them so I wont link them, but I posted a review of both on YouTube. Legit is an understatement. You guys in Portland are lucky to have these guys!

 

Juice Box batch 2 just went on tap!! Nice review. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=80SJ8tJVPeA&feature=youtu.be&a=

 

I was talking with a coworker who stopped at Great Notion last night (based on my recommendation). He was disappointed that Juice Jr. was the only IPA on tap. I have to question the logic of selling crowlers when you can't keep more of the lineup on draft for on-site consumption. Maybe cut off to-go sales when the keg inventory of popular beers starts getting too low?

Edit: Just to clarify, he loved Juice Jr., but it left him wanting to try one of the bigger IPAs.

 

Any recommendations? It's not a beercation per-se so I need to be diligent as to what to check out.

 

Culmination Phaderus is fuckin good.

 

Just picked up a crowler of this. The mouthfeel on batch #2 is incredible, turned up just a notch from the first. They're really dialing this in.

 

What styles do you like?

 

Hophead with a liking to sours and coffee stouts. Definitely going to check out Cascade and figured either Deschutes, Great Notion, or Fat Head's would be a solid other option (combined with the great beer in restaurants and bars).

 

Glad to hear you're keeping restaurants and bars in mind, and not just sticking to brewpubs.

Deschutes and Fat Head's are only a couple blocks from each other. Deschutes has better food, and usually has interesting bottles to go, so I'd recommend that ahead of Fat Head's. (That said, Fat Head's Semper FiPA is really good, and I've had many more good beers than "meh" ones there.)

Cascade will definitely cover your cravings for sour beer. If you're going to be in town on a Tuesday, check out their live barrel tapping at 6:00. Their Oblique B&W Coffee Stout is also worth your time.

Great Notion has been getting a lot of praise, but you might want to call first to find out what they have on tap since they're having some difficulty keeping up with demand. Good food too.

Hoppy beers you should watch for: Pretty much any IPA from Barley Brown's (esp. Pallet Jack); Breakside IPA and their Wanderlust IPA; Boneyard RPM, Hop Venom (IIPA) and Notorious (IIIPA). If you see any IPAs from Block 15 (Sticky Hands, The Incredible), order immediately. There might also be some Melvin beers still around (they're a new Wyoming brewery that does killer hoppy beers). You could find most of these at Apex or Growler Guys, both of which have good food options nearby. (Note: Apex is cash only.)

 

This is tremendous and we actually will be in town on Tuesday so I'll try to make one of those tappings!

 

One last thing: If you haven't perused the "Visiting Portland (Winter 2016 update)" thread here in the Northwest forum, it is well worth your time. An excellent and convenient overview of the best Portland breweries, beer bars, bottle shops, and beer-centric restaurants.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-portland-winter-2016-update.377534/

 

Went to Great Notion today with the Zoo after Farmhouse Fest.

I'm inpressed. Juice Box and Juice Jr were awesome,!and really enjoyed Double Stack and Blueberry Muffin. My Yucatan Pork Plate was also great.

 

I agree. I just went back for the 2nd time. Juice Box was really really tasty and double stack was also damn impressive.

 

I thought Juice Box and Juice Jr. had more bitterness than the Trillium beers I've had.

Double Stack is gimmicky as hell, but I liked it.