One afternoon in Portland

Discussion in 'Northwest' started by gonuts31, Mar 20, 2012.

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  1. gonuts31

    gonuts31 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2010 Illinois

    In a couple weeks I will have a Sunday afternoon to spend in Portland before leaving. Where must I go for local brews on tap and bottles to bring home...in such a short amount of time.

    Also, if anyone is interested, I would be down for an in-person trade with some goods from Chicago.
     
    #1 gonuts31, Mar 20, 2012
  2. boMD

    boMD Initiate (0) Feb 8, 2009 Oregon

    Squeeze any of these in and you'll do just fine.

    Hair of the Dog
    Deschutes
    Cascade Barrelhouse
    Bailey's Taproom
    The BeerMongers
    Apex
    Belmont Station
    Horse Brass
     
    #2 boMD, Mar 20, 2012
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  3. guajolote

    guajolote Maven (1,359) Sep 12, 2008 Oregon

    Bailey's, unfortunately, is closed on Sundays. Otherwise, I wholeheartedly endorse this list.
     
    #3 guajolote, Mar 20, 2012
  4. gonuts31

    gonuts31 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2010 Illinois

    Is there an ideal area in the city to get a hotel? How does one best get around Portland?
     
    #4 gonuts31, Mar 20, 2012
  5. ramnuts

    ramnuts Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2009 Oregon

    If you are only in town for a brief time (half a day?) then I suggest a stay on the Eastside, such as the Jupiter, which puts you in easy proximity to essential stops like HOTD and Cascade. If you do not have a car, cab it. Green Dragon is just across the street from Cascade. The other places noted are all good recos but a little distance might be involved. For a short stay, I reco HOTD and Cascade for beers you can likely not obtain elsewhere and are top notch. + there is no better deal than a $13 growler of Adam from HOTD.
     
    #5 ramnuts, Mar 20, 2012
  6. kscaldef

    kscaldef Initiate (0) Jun 11, 2010 Oregon

    Public transit is your best bet for getting around. All of the places mentioned above are on major bus lines, many are walking distance from each other.

    IMO, Portland is a difficult town for hotels. Downtown hotels have gotten a bit pricy for a casual visit. Cheaper hotels near the center of town are often in somewhat yucky areas. If you're flying, you could get a room out by the airport and take the light rail in to the center of town. Perhaps someone else has a recommendation for an exception to the rule, though.
     
    #6 kscaldef, Mar 20, 2012
  7. ramnuts

    ramnuts Initiate (0) Feb 16, 2009 Oregon

    For a half day duration trip, I respectfully suggest that Sunday public transit is not a very efficient option. He or she will spend half the time on a city bus. Same goes for outlying hotels.
     
    #7 ramnuts, Mar 20, 2012
  8. kscaldef

    kscaldef Initiate (0) Jun 11, 2010 Oregon

    Cascade/Green Dragon are 5 minutes on bus from Apex/Beermongers, and it's only a very slightly longer ride to the Horse Brass. Yes, on Sunday those lines only run every 30 minutes, but that's what Transit Tracker is for, and it's not as if you won't typically spend 15-20 minutes waiting for a cab in this town.

    Presumably the trip to or from a hotel is a 1-time deal; but you are right that the Jupiter might be a better choice, although it's unclear to me whether this fellow is flying or not.

    There might be an argument for one or two strategic cab rides, but for the most part I'd argue he'd be wasting his money.
     
    #8 kscaldef, Mar 20, 2012
  9. guajolote

    guajolote Maven (1,359) Sep 12, 2008 Oregon

    The Jupiter on Burnisde is in a nice central location and is reasonably priced. It can be noisy depending on the room you get, since part of the hotel faces the Doug Fir's patio. However, Burnside brewing is a about a 3 minute walk down Burnside. The Guild Public House is about the same distance in the opposite direction, and Cascade & Green Dragon are about a 10-15 minute walk down 10th street.
     
    #9 guajolote, Mar 20, 2012
  10. hannont

    hannont Initiate (0) Feb 9, 2008 Oregon

    I'd look into Hotel fifty. It is on the west side but centrally located and right on the water. Cascade, HOTD, and Deschutes are all within walking distance.
     
    #10 hannont, Mar 20, 2012
  11. msubulldog25

    msubulldog25 Initiate (0) Aug 3, 2005 Oregon

    OP, if the Sunday you're visiting is April 1st/April Fools Day then Bailey's will indeed be open on a Sunday (no joke): http://beeradvocate.com/events/info/52963 'Local'? Eh, not so much...
     
    #11 msubulldog25, Mar 20, 2012
  12. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,710) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I was down in Portland a few weeks ago. Stayed at a hotel downtown and had a car and very limited time, in under an hour I was able to make a quick trip over to Belmont Station and BeerMongers (both east of downtown) and grab a couple boxes of select goodies we can't get up here. Belmont's inventory is kept pretty up to date so you can plan ahead.
     
    #12 Orca, Mar 20, 2012
  13. BBThunderbolt

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

    Buy a map of PDX. Tape it to your wall. Throw 1 dart at the map. Start your afternoon at whatever bar the dart hits. Walk as needed, beer will be available.
     
    #13 BBThunderbolt, Mar 20, 2012
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  14. John_M

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

    I would second this recommendation. I don't know how much drinking the OP wants to do in such a limited amout of time, but you can literally walk the area between Apex and HOTD, stopping off at BeerMongers, Apex, Lucky Labrador, Green Dragon, Cascade, HOTD and even a McMenaimin's (Barley Mills pub). Also, if one is visiting that many different beer bars and stores, a little fresh air would probably do the OP good.

    If that's not enough for the OP (would be for me, but maybe not for everyone), then he can either bus it or cab it to places like Bailey's, Full Sail River place, County Cork, Laurelwood and Belmont Station/Horsebrass. That whole area probably encompasses no more than 5 miles of travel, so it really shouldn't eat up too much time getting to and from most of the places mentioned above.
     
    #14 John_M, Mar 20, 2012
  15. Seantronz3030

    Seantronz3030 Zealot (727) Dec 21, 2003 Washington

    #15 Seantronz3030, Mar 20, 2012
  16. gonuts31

    gonuts31 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2010 Illinois

    I land at PDX on April 15th at 12:45. I'm going to need a car early Monday morning, so depending on the rate I get, I might just get the car when I land. Ultimately, I'd like to park the car at the hotel and use public transportation or my own two legs to get around. Last thing I want is a DUI...

    I'm looking for a more rounded experience, not a drunk-fest. This is my first time in Portland so I want to take in as much as possible without being overwhelmed. When it boils down to it, I want to have some fresh OR beers we can't get in the Midwest.
     
    #16 gonuts31, Mar 20, 2012
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  17. John_M

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

    "I'm looking for a more rounded experience, not a drunk-fest. This is my first time in Portland so I want to take in as much as possible without being overwhelmed"

    Well, I confess I'm having a difficult time reconciling those two statements (for that matter, I'm not entirely sure I know what you mean by a well rounded experience). No one is suggesting that you visit every place that comes with a recommendation. However, every place mentioned on this thread is a quality spot (IMHO), so I guess it's up to you to figure which of those places you want to visit. It probably makes sense to first nail down a hotel and then, based on your location, figure out a game plan. Almost any place you stay downtown will have at least several nearby, quality watering holes, and I agree it makes sense to use public transportation or to just walk to places that are nearby.

    Some folks are content to just visit one or two spots, limiting their focus to just a couple of good quality beer bars. Others want to take in as much as possible, and I've read about folks who happily visited 5 or 6 locations, and were happy with the breadth of their experience (seems crazy to me, but different strokes and all that). Nothing wrong with either approach I guess... it's up to you to decide what works best for you.

    As for finding fresh Oregon beer that you can't get in the midwest, pretty much any place you visit will fill the bill in that regard. Places with the largest tap list (and so likely greatest selection of beers you've probably never seen before) include Apex (just remember this is a cash only spot), Green Dragon and the HorseBrass. Henry's Tavern has a very large selection as well, but most of that list will be made up of stuff you've probably seen before (though they typically do have a fairly decent selection of local and regional beers as well). Good luck.
     
    #17 John_M, Mar 20, 2012
  18. gonuts31

    gonuts31 Initiate (0) Aug 5, 2010 Illinois

    I'm going to book the Hotel Fifty. Looks like its still within walking distance to a lot of the places recommended. I skipped on Jupiter (even though its a little cheaper) because most of the reviews complain about the noise. I have to work on Monday and will need to get to sleep before 4am.

    "I'm looking for a more rounded experience, not a drunk-fest. This is my first time in Portland so I want to take in as much as possible without being overwhelmed"

    What I mean is that as much as I will want to get smashed, I can't. So instead of drinking pints of high ABV beers, I'd prefer to do flights/tastes, then move on to another location. I'd like to see and remember as much as I can in Portland.
     
    #18 gonuts31, Mar 20, 2012
  19. John_M

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

    I'm with you on the flights/sampler routine. Many beer bars in Portland don't really offer them, as generally they'll just provide you with a complimentary sample of whatever you want to try. On the other hand, both Bailey's and Full Sail I believe provide sample size glasses of most beers, as does HOTD. Those are the three places that it appears are closest to where you're staying (I'm not postive about Bailey's. I know they allow sample portions during the various fests that they hold, but I can't recall if they typically offer sample size portions). Belmont Station is also pretty good about selling sample size portions of most beers, and the Horsebrass sells half pints. Cascade will also pour you a small, sample size of most beers (but typically not the sours), and their sours come in 8 ounce size glasses.
     
    #19 John_M, Mar 20, 2012
  20. digita7693

    digita7693 Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2010 Germany

    I would highly recommend Upright, great place and super cheap and great beers, you can also do a flight of 6 beers for $9! and open on Sunday.
    Cascade does tasters as well and so do Deschuttes and HoTD.
    If I could fit in a few in one day I would go to HoTD, then head over to Upright, Cascade, then on over to Apex and Beermongers (where you can buy plenty of beer to go).
     
    #20 digita7693, Mar 20, 2012
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