I am visiting Portland in two weeks (Coming from MN). I was wondering if I could ask the locals for expert advice in finding some awesome tap rooms/breweries. More specifically I am looking for local places/breweries that serve rauchbiers or Sours. I also wouldn't say no to places that have excellent: Porters, Stouts, and or Russian Imperial Stouts. I am looking to avoid the following: IPA, IPL, and Cascadian dark ales (like the Bubonic plague). I am relatively open for in person trades if anyone is looking for Midwest beers. I will gladly hook someone up with Midwest beers if they help me out (Assuming they are willing to meet in person). I am staying at Mcmenamins.
Start here: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-portland-spring-2015-update.276595/ You'll definitely find sours at Cascade, and sour/wild beers at Upright, The Commons, and likely one or two at Breakside. Check out APEX, Belmont Station, and Tin Bucket for taplists that are extremely likely to feature at least a few sours. If you have a car, you'd be doing yourself a huge disservice if you didn't drive out to de Garde in Tillamook. Some of the best wild/sour/fruit beers you will find anywhere in the U.S. I can't really help with rauchbiers, as I don't seek them out. I know Fat Head's has a smoked helles right now. Definitely not a style you see a lot of around Portland.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/visiting-portland-spring-2015-update.276595/ Cascade for the sours, Deschutes for the stouts. Not sure about rauchbiers but Rogue might have some Voodoo Donut Abomination Avoiding hoppy beers in the PNW? (seems a bit odd) Oh well, there are some nice lagers by Heater Allen if you can find it. Stouts tend to be a winter kind of thing in the PNW so you may have to rely on Taprooms like Horsebrass to get satisfaction.
Will do, great thing about rentals unlimited milage! Yeah I know avoiding hoppy beers is odd, it's main reason why I started this thread! Will check out Horsebrass. The name alone makes it sound like a cool place.
Since maltmaster won't pimp Belmont Station I will. Outstanding beer store will fill every need but bring cash. Will accept cards but will charge you for it (or discount for cash depending on how you look at it)
Best tap room is Bailey's. Also, be sure to check out The Hop & Vine. They almost always have something from Crooked Stave on tap. BTW: Boubonic Plague is a sour porter. Not a CDA.
Bourbonic plague is a sour porter. Pretty sure OP wants to avoid all CDAs as much as they want to avoid catching the plague itself. Tons of great suggestions above. I would add that Bailey's taproom has a speakeasy above it with an extensive bottle list and a couple of taps that would probably fit your needs as well. It's called the Upper Lip, only open Tue-Sun from 5pm-10pm I believe. The smoked Helles at fatheads is pretty amazing. They also had a collaboration with Founders called Smoke N' burn which was fantastic as well. Occidental brewing and The Commons are both worth checking out if you don't like hops. Two of the only breweries in town that don't brew an IPA.
Thanks for all the recommendations everyone. Nice to see such a friendly beer scene. Awesome! Thank you. Just the kind of breweries I am looking for, thank you. I will never understand the hop head craze.
Although Portland (abd the PNW in general) is mostly known to outsiders for hoppy beers, I really can't think of anyplace you can go that won't have a great selection of non-hoppy beers. Our town makes amazing lagers (Heater Allen), saisons (The Commons), sours (again, The Commons), stouts/porters (Deschutes), and lots of unique stuff (HotD). As I said, though, even the breweries that are mostly known for their IPAs usually do really well with their non-hoppy offerings Breakside), and just about any beer bar (except maybe NWIPA) should have enough great non-hoppy beers to make your head spin.
Also, if you're staying at Kennedy School, Concordia Ale House is right around the corner and worth checking out.
