Thursday Tours: Breweries

Soooo I don’t totally love beer. And by that I really mean that I’m not at all a beer drinker. I know I know. You live in Portland! You say. There are so many breweries! It is strange, yes. But… I am getting a little better, I promise.

With all the brew fests taking over the calendar and great breweries in town to check out, I am surrounded by beer a decent amount. While I’d often prefer a glass of wine, sometimes that just doesn’t fit the scene. Pinot and football just doesn’t sound right. So I’m always willing to try new beers and lately I’ve been enjoying more and more (especially as I love cider which is a nice in between). Slowly but surely?

My go-to breweries are typically chosen by the vibe and the food, instead of the beer (that isn’t to say those places don’t have good beer though – they probably do!). My list includes 10 Barrel Brewing in the Pearl for their energetic atmosphere, Ecliptic for their delicious veggie burger, and Loyal Legion for their large draft cider selection and insanely good soft pretzels.

With all that said, it is much more fitting to bring in the beer experts on their favorite breweries, so for this week’s #ThursdayToursPDX, we’ve got Rebekah and Bee sharing where they go to grab a beer. Cheers!

Brewery Picks by The Spicy Bee

Photos courtesy of Bee Talmadge

Hi there! My name is Bee, and I write at TheSpicyBee.com, a Portland food blog that celebrates Portland food and drink, while eating well at home on the nights you can’t head out on the town. From weeknight meals to kitchen how-to’s, The Spicy Bee is for the kitchen-curious to increase their prowess. My Instagram (@TheSpicyBee) is a really easy way to find out about new spots in Portland–follow my food and drink debauchery there.

My post is part of a partner series with Rebekah of PDXFoodLove and our friends Meredith and Erin as part of their Thursday Tour Series about great bike and beer stops in the city — but more specifically, in my neck of the woods–Southeast Portland.

Rebekah and I both work in the city, and it’s become a Friday night ritual to assemble a bike and beer crawl (drinking only a responsible amount of beer, of course). With Rebekah living in NoPo (North Portland) and me living in SE Portland, we “meet in the middle,” which in many cases means starting near Burnside and meandering either north or south, knowing that the next bike and beer will lead us the opposite direction so that the rides home are fair.

Be sure to head over to Martha Chartreuse, for Rebekah’s suggestions for imbibing north of Burnside, and in the meantime, let’s go for a ride, shall we?

Ranger Station (http://www.RangerStationPDX.com)  – 4260 SE Hawthorne St.

We’ll start with my best kept secret–Ranger Station is a nondescript little place at the corner of SE Hawthorne and 43rd. It’s never too crowded, has good food (I like their Ranger Burger and pretty much everything on their Happy Hour Menu is delicious). They have indoor and outdoor seating (on the quieter 43rd side) and live music many evenings. Note the tap list from one of my last visits above–and did I mention their daily happy hour goes from 4pm until 7pm?! That should be a Portland mandate in my opinion.

The Beermongers (http://www.TheBeermongers.com) – 1125 SE Division St.

Here lies great beer. Beermongers is a publicly open man cave boasting 600+ bottles in their fridges and eight sought after rotations on draft. It’s usually a great stop after dinner to have a pint and pick up a few bottles for home and the bartenders are always helpful in suggesting beers that would be up your alley. There’s little food to be had here, so know that your outside food is welcome. Once you wrap up here, head across the street to…

Apex (http://www.ApexBar.com) – 1216 SE Division St.

Located on the opposite corner of Beermongers, Apex will delight you with 50 great beer options from all over on tap. A majority of their seating is outdoors (we call it Oktoberfest-style), but in the winter you can cozy up indoors with others to enjoy your beer. This is a famously cash only establishment, so bring your small bills, and if you forget, know that there’s an ATM inside, and showing the bartender your receipt will get you $1 off your first beer. Apex is very bike friendly (both motorcycles and bicycles) so know you’ll find copious amounts of parking and a great seat for Moto GP race watching on the weekends. Expect a similar food situation to Beermongers as well–I personally enjoy grabbing a sandwich to-go from Double Dragon (http://www.DoubleDragonPDX.com) on my way in.

Commons (http://www.CommonsBrewery.com) – 630 SE Belmont St.

The Commons is one of my favorite breweries in Portland–I followed them from their previous location further south to this new location close in on SE Belmont this past year where they more than doubled their brew space (which makes fans like me so excited!!). Right now we are finishing up their Wit at home on tap, but I didn’t want to make my house a stop on this cycle tour. I highly suggest starting out with a sampler so you can experience their range. This place is pretty much standing room only with the only seats being near the Cheese Annex, their light food option on the north end of the building.

Loyal Legion (http://www.loyallegionpdx.com) – 710 SE 6th Ave.

A good place for small groups and those seeking many Oregon brewed beers (taps 50-99 are Oregon beers rotated daily), Loyal Legion has a total of 99 taps–nearly double what Apex offers. That said, seating is going to be harder to come by, for groups of more than four especially. I suggest hitting this stop earlier in the evening as you’ll have a better chance at good seats. Loyal Legion also offers Olympia Provisions (http://www.olympiaprovisions.com) sausages, which they cook in beer. YUM.

***BEER BONUS*** – Brewnotice (www.brewnotice.com)

If you’re looking for new or rare beers in Portland, Brewnotice (which was previously only in newsletter form), will notify you of what’s just been tapped at 45 locations and counting in Portland and the surrounding area. You can get updates immediately, daily at 4pm (just in time for a pint after work!), or every Friday. You’re welcome.

—

#ThursdayToursPDX is a collaborative series between Portland, OR bloggers {Erin} Bakery Bingo + {Meredith} Martha Chartreuse. In a city filled with amazing restaurants, artisan experiences, and fantastic tastemakers the inside scoop is a must. We will be asking our friends and fellow bloggers for their recommendations and tips for all the City of Roses has to offer.