Visiting Portland - Summer 2016 update

I don't see fatheads anywhere as being kid friendly. It is...
And looking forward to adding double mountain woodstock!

 

I would visit more if the hotels weren't so damn expensive these days. Any places that seem to give the best deals or new savings tricks these days?

 

If ya don't need a lot in the way of amenities, just grab a motel out by the airport. The public transportation can get you where ya need to go from there.

 

Depending on how many people and how much privacy you want, you can find places on AirBnB and VRBO for $50-100/night.

 

I travel a fair bit around the country and frequently visit these boards for IPA ideas on my trips. Thursday, I am coming to Portland for about 24 hours. After reviewing the Spring thread my problem with Portland is that there are too many interesting IPA's to try. Since my visit is for business and I am not sure how much time I have, I am trying to isolate a single place to visit. Apex's list looked great last week but lost a few things I was interested in over the weekend. Despite some negative comments about Apex, it seems like a good place to get a good variety of local IPA's. But I am a big fan of Treehouse, Night Shift, Lawson's etc so I am thinking I may need to just go single brewery and hit Great Notion. Seems like those guys are knocking the NE style IPA's out of the park.

Thanks for the great threads and certainly I am open to ideas from any of you IPA guys in Portland. You guys clearly have a great beer culture and I look forward to visiting.

 

The Apex/Beermongers combo is kind of a sure thing, but if you're looking for NE style ipas, not so much I'd say. If you're not limiting yourself to draft, then the possibilities are pretty endless, but Belmont Station/walking down the street to Horse Brass might be another good option

 

I'd be a bit sad if you came to Portland and only drank Great Notion's NE style juice bombs instead of also having some Boneyard, Barley Browns, Breakside, Upright, etc. I like GN, but hazy IPAs are not indicative of what's going on out here.

 

I'm not the kind of BA that usually says "I wish I could give this 1,000 Likes," but I wish I could give this 1,000 Likes.

 

FTFY.

 

I could've just said trub.

 

Growler Guys on SE 8th perfect launching site for me. Around corner from Cascade and easy walk to HotD. I've died and gone to heaven.

 

Point taken. You guys have me convinced to go to Apex after all and sample a variety. IF I can still function, maybe I will trek up to Great Notion after Apex. First though, I have to do a customer dinner at Trifecta. Seems like more of a cocktail place and I expect little in the way of beer. Thanks for everyone's input.

 

FYI: Trifecta has a pretty decent beer selection.

 

That's a big thing (privacy) for me because I usually travel with my family, as well I'm a bit uncomfortable with a shared accommodation after a night of drinking. Not that I'm out getting sloshed (especially with family members, it's subdued) but still a half decent hotel works best here. It seems the mid range hotels these days start in the $200 to $250 a night range, East, Downtown ($300 a night) or West. I can go a lot better places for that kind of money on a hotel, especially when you factor in the family travel.

 

Yes, this is one of my constant challenges -- being social with a customer while saving myself for later in the evening. Will probably have to slow drink a cocktail with lots of water. Once I was really challenged by the customer at dinner in San Francisco and I came clean with my plan to go to the Toronado. They ended up wanting to join me. Even though they had never had craft beer, they had a blast and still talk about that night.

 

Thanks for keeping this thread up to date!! Next week I'm doing a Eugene, Vancouver and Portland swing. Something tells me beer will be involved.

 

Vancouver BC or "America's Vancouver"?