Tapping into Portland’s Best Breweries

One city. More than 60 breweries. Big, boutique, hoppy, lite, full strength – however you like your brew, you’re guaranteed to find something just right for you in Portland.

The capital city of Oregon has long been a place that beats to its own drum. Attracting people from all walks of life, with tastes to match, it’s a place where you can’t stroll the streets without getting a sense that this is a melting pot where anything goes. If you want to eat French cheese toasties from a food truck or sit down for some of America’s top fine dining, you’ll be satisfied. If you want to line up for some of the world’s best doughnuts at 3am, you’ve got a few options to choose from. If you want to walk, drive, bus or even cycle to a dozen different breweries in one afternoon, there’s a tour for you. On that note, we’ve rounded out some of the top places you can go paddle to paddle to try some of the best beer in the business:

Ecliptic Brewing

It may not be written in the stars, but the success of Ecliptic Brewing is certainly written on the faces of all the happy locals who settle in for an afternoon at Ecliptic. A cool cosmic calendar will guide you through a beer tasting paddle that’s not to be missed. The burgers also have a local following, just make sure you save room for a very appropriate dessert – a Porter float pours an Ecliptic Capella Porter over the daily homemade ice cream.

Coin Toss Brewing

You’ll have to venture to the outskirts of town to check out this boutique brewer, but it is well worth the trip. Tim Hohl has poured his heart and soul into the unique heritage-inspired beers at Coin Toss. In fact, the brewery’s name references the historic ‘coin toss’ used to determine Portland’s name. Settle in for a tasting that is one part beer education, one part history lesson to learn about beers inspired by brewing notes from plenty of important historical figures. Keep an eye on the brewery’s website for quirky events like Goat Yoga Happy Hour that are pure Portland.

10 Barrel Brewing

If you like to drink a cold beer on a hot day, make your way to Portland’s uber cool Pearl District, where this whopping beer pub has the market for rooftop beer drinking. There are 20 different taps to choose from at 10 Barrel Brewing, including Bend-based brewery’s famous IPAs, so settle in to watch the sun set with a drink or two.

Baerlic Brewing Company

You don’t have to look far to find Portland’s famous bike riding, bearded hipsters, but if you want to find out where they’re drinking, head straight to this uber cool brewery. A cross between a wood cabin and cool inner city bar, the brewery is the kind of place where you simply pull up a stool at the bar and start chatting to the bar tenders – they’ll take care of the rest. Baerlic Brewing uses locally sourced materials and organic products wherever possible, and there’s 12 different taps to choose from, along with wine and spirits. You’ve got plenty of choice, but since they only serve bar snacks, the bar tenders will encourage you to BYO food or order take away right to your bar stool. Now that’s Portland.

Gigantic Brewing Company

A small craft brewery with very big IPA game, Gigantic’s motto is Never Give an Inch and trust us, you won’t be disappointed with what they have on offer. Not only are these guys seriously committed to their craft, they’re also committed to supporting the local art community. Their beer labels are all designed by different artists – they’re so popular you can even buy labels in poster size to take home.