Pub Crawl, Portland-Style

After the Chinese Garden, Sandra and I headed to the Pearl District to taste some of the local brews. Out first stop was Deschutes. Where wood meets more modern open ceiling duct and pipe work, the brewpub, or public house as Portlanders like to call them, is a nice restaurant setting. Judging from the numbers on the Sunday evening, I would say quite popular too.

From the perspective of beer, I could see why. The brewery, established in 1988 in Bend, Oregon, knows what they are doing. The sampler was reasonably priced and the brewery offers a wide range of styles to choose from. All were tasty with the Black Butte XXIII being quite exceptional.



Deschutes Public House Interior

Afterwards, we travelled to Rogue. In many ways, Rogue has grown to become the iconic Orgeon beer. Irreverant and fun-loving, Rogue has positioned itself with labels which set it apart. Walking into their public house on Flanders in the Pearl, you immediately realize that this is a bar first and foremost. While they serve food (according to their principles, beer should go with food), you feel that the place is a drinking establishment and not some fashionable, family-centered restaurant which also happens to make their own beer.

And the beer is good, though not better than Deschutes. However, there was more. The sign of the placed, reads Distillery & Public House. Originally founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon, Rogue founded their second brewpub (and current headquarters) in 1989 in Newport. In 2003, they branched into making small batch spirits. In tasting, the Pink Spruce Gin, which is aged in used Pinot Noir barrels, and the Hazelnut Spice Rum stood out, especially the rum. With aromas and flavors of hazelnuts, hazelnuts, hazelnuts, there is nothing like it that I have ever tasted.

Our last stop was Bridgeport. Like Rogue, Bridgeport is a brewery whose beer I have had before. So while considered craft brew, they are not your local brewpub in amount of beer produced. In some ways, our timing was bad for the brewpub. At 9 pm on a Sunday evening, the kitchen was winding down and not all menu items were available. The food was good, but we both wondered if one of earlier stops might have been a better choice for dinner.

Founded by winemakers, Richard and Nancy Ponzi, in 1984 in Portland, Bridgeport was a pioneer in craft brewing. These days, the beers are good, though the selections at the brewpub were more limited compared to Rogue or Deschutes. One special treat was the barleywine. During 1990s, when craft brewing was making its ascent into American consciousness, barleywine was considered by many the height of beermaking. Today, I don't find them often, so tasting a well-made barleywine was a great find.

If you want to find out more about any of the breweries, check out their websites: Deschutes, Rogue, and Bridgeport.