Inspired by a Mainpage thread in which our own @mactrail mentioned that he doesn't see Cask around the PNW. Machine House was mentioned, and I don't know if they're still open, but there was/is a place outside of Eugene, Brewers Union, that focused on cask. So, I thought I'd kick off a thread where we could spill our secrets on cask beer. Boundary Bay has always had at least 1 hand pump, although not always active, and cask versions of their brews were frequently available. The now-shuttered Great Northern also had 2 hand pumps. Archer Ale House has, in the past at least, a hand pump. Haven't been in recently, so unsure of current status. I seem to remember breweries like Anacortes and Skagit River having had them at various points as well. Feel free to add your breweries/bars with handpumps!
I hesitate to say this, but I almost get the impression that there's renewed interest in cask beer down here. By down here I mean PDX. Beermongers, Roscoe's and Imperial all have handpumps now, and the HorseBrass has two or three. I'm sure there are plenty of others, but that's what I can recall off the top of my head.
Upright and Away Days always have a couple of casks on. I think the Gigantic on Hawthorne also has a couple almost always.
A few years back I went on an epic road trip that took me to Denver where I had an amazing experience at Hogshead 54. First time have cask ales. I posted somewhere and a helpful BAer (@sharpski perhaps?) told me to check out Porters in Bend. I still haven’t been able to check them out, but I want to. I believe this is the place that was referred to. https://www.porterbrewingco.com/
I don’t remember if it was me that told you, but I heartily endorse Porter Brewing and their downtown Bend spot The Cellar.
The owner of Brewers Union (Ted Sobel?) sold it to an employee who continues the legacy, though the pub was renamed to Three Legged Crane.
in the North part of PNW, there's almost always at least one cask on at Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage, and HooDoo in Fairbanks does a special cask every Saturday.
I’m not sure about Portland, but the Bend pub has at least one on at all times, with 2 or 3 engines total. Often it’s Mirror Pond, a superior version to draft/package IMO.
ForeLand's Portland outpost, The Study, always had a cask beer. They had a dark mild which was particularly good, and I liked their cask porter too. I miss that place.
I feel like there absolutely is a renewed interest. In addition to the places you and @DefenCorps listed, there's also Tinker Tavern, Montavilla Brew Works, Steeplejack (at least the one on Broadway), and Moon & Sixpence. I'm not sure if Threshold or Baerlic have permanent hand pumps, but they have cask beer at least some of the time. On top of that, this year was the second year for the Portland Cask Passport, which seems to be highly successful.
In Spokane The Elk and the 2/7, along with their sister establishments in Idaho, are the only places locally that seem to consistently have cask beer. I think Garland Beer Werks still does a firkin every Friday, which is sort of like cask beer. Whistle Punk has a cask engine, but only seems to use it when they have a beer that genuinely would benefit from it (i.e. a British style beer such as a mild).
I've been to Porters many times they are good. But Santiam is better. Just personal taste and maybe I am a Derbyshire lad at heart like the owner.
One of my top beer experiences. I hit Hogshead and Comrade back to back—both incredible, couldn’t be more of a contrast.
