In the air again. Getting up at 3:30 to catch a plane stinks. There isn’t any other way to describe it. And sitting on planes for roughly 10 hours stinks. I finished the book “Generation Me”, did some Sudoko, and looked forward to landing. We got a nice surprise in a car upgrade to a Ford Escape, an SUV at 34 mpg. And we were hungry, and looking to explore the brewery seen.
We started out at Alameda Brewpub (http://www.alamedabrewhouse.com/) , and we decided to skip food and go for the liquid diet. I got a sampler, 9 separate 5oz beers (I’m going to like the way they do samplers out here), and the most notable was their Black Bear XXStout.
The food menu was so-so for appetizers, so I promised Jenn I’d feed her soon and we went to our next stop, Gustav’s Bier Strube. This German restaurant was recommended as one of the top 20 German restaurants in the country by “Beer Across America”, and we both got a German pretzel. The hot mustard did the trick for my sinuses and the Swiss cheese fondue was excellent. I got a Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale on draft, not quite a German beer but one that I hadn’t tried before.
And although it was only around 3:30 PM, it was dinner time for us. So Jenn and I walked next store to the #1 rated brewpub in Portland, Laurelwood Brewing (http://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/). It was a nice place, with a play area for kids and a bar area where people were starting to get together on a Friday afternoon. Jenn got an order of garlic fries (a great idea that I haven’t seen much on the east coast) and a spicy salad. I got a burger, and enjoyed another sampler of 9 separate beers. My two favorites were the Tree Hugger Porter (gotta love the name) and their Espresso Stout
(I could feel the caffeine kick). The area is so environmentally conscious that anything that advertises that it is organic, and is also good, does well in sales. My burger was a special Oregon beef, as well as the beers are advertised as being organic.
We drove to our hotel in Vancouver, WA (forgot it was rush hour, and they do have some traffic out here). We grabbed dessert at Salmon Creek brewing (http://www.salmoncreekbrewpub.com/), which was chocolate cake for Jenn and another sampler for me. The beers were so-so, but not as good as earlier in the day (the cake was delicious though). I guess my favorite was their specialty beer, Brother Larry’s Belgian, but their standard offerings were nothing to write into a blog about. The beer store next store, By the Bottle, did have some nice surprises.
The next morning, my birthday, threw a bit of a monkey wrench into my “Master Plans.” Anyone who has ever travelled with me knows that I always have a plan and a schedule, and I don’t always respond well when my plans are changed.
And since I believe that God always has a lesson to teach us, I know that I’m constantly being taught the lesson that my plans cannot compare to His. So this morning Jenn and I were in search of a pharmacy for some medicine, and since the hotel had internet access I was able to locate several Rite Aid pharmacies and phone numbers so that our doctor could call it in. And through the changes, Jenn was able to put up with my minor madness’s (God Bless Her!).
So after having a snack at the Bridgeport Brewery
and Bakery (unfortunately it was too early to try their ales), and picking up some medicine, we went to Kell’s Irish Pub (http://www.kellsirish.com/portland/index.php) for brunch. It was a small and dedicated crowd watching English rugby, and the food was outstanding. I had the Kell’s scramble and Jenn had the Eggs Benedict. And since this is a beer trip, I had the Kell’s Irish Style Lager by Rogue and a Mount Hood Multorporter Ale. Jenn and I both agreed that this was one of the highlights of the trip.
Jenn went to explore the Portland Saturday Market (http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/) and I went in search of the Rogue Public House. Rogue’s was interesting, and I was able to try the Black Brutal,
one of the newest from the Rogue John Locker Series, as well as an oak-aged Imperial Red on draft. One of the best finds was a bottle of Imperial Younger’s Special Bitter, a specialty beer that was brewed in honor of 30 Years at the Horse Brass Pub. I then went to Henry’s Tavern, and although they didn’t do samplers, the bartender Jerome allowed me to taste around ten beers for the price of a pint. The best part was that I was able to compare Imperial IPAs from small breweries such as Ninkasi, Roots, Walking Man, Double Mountain and Hair of the Dog. I thought the Ninkasi Triceratops was the best. Needless to say Jenn drove to lunch, the MacTarnahan’s Taproom in northern Portland. I wanted to go there just for the history since this was the location of the original Portland 
Brewery, but they had recently been bought out by Pyramid.
We then drove out to the coast, over the mountains to Cannon Beach. Part of the interest for Jenn and I to go to Oregon was to check out the Oregon coastline. We love the view of the water, beaches, and lighthouses. The fact that there were brewpubs that I wanted to visit just happened to be a bonus. Cannon Beach is the home of Haystack Rock, one of the most photographed spots in the state. It was also the home of Bill’s Tavern,
a small brewpub in the middle of the shops. Jenn and I got to walk the beach in the rain, and relax a beach cottage. Memphis upset UCLA and Kansas squashed UNC, and Jenn and I got to sit a talk around a fireplace. It was a great birthday!
So far in our travels I have been able to try some 68 beers that I hadn’t tried before. It was a good start. – 4584
We started out at Alameda Brewpub (http://www.alamedabrewhouse.com/) , and we decided to skip food and go for the liquid diet. I got a sampler, 9 separate 5oz beers (I’m going to like the way they do samplers out here), and the most notable was their Black Bear XXStout.
The food menu was so-so for appetizers, so I promised Jenn I’d feed her soon and we went to our next stop, Gustav’s Bier Strube. This German restaurant was recommended as one of the top 20 German restaurants in the country by “Beer Across America”, and we both got a German pretzel. The hot mustard did the trick for my sinuses and the Swiss cheese fondue was excellent. I got a Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale on draft, not quite a German beer but one that I hadn’t tried before.And although it was only around 3:30 PM, it was dinner time for us. So Jenn and I walked next store to the #1 rated brewpub in Portland, Laurelwood Brewing (http://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/). It was a nice place, with a play area for kids and a bar area where people were starting to get together on a Friday afternoon. Jenn got an order of garlic fries (a great idea that I haven’t seen much on the east coast) and a spicy salad. I got a burger, and enjoyed another sampler of 9 separate beers. My two favorites were the Tree Hugger Porter (gotta love the name) and their Espresso Stout
(I could feel the caffeine kick). The area is so environmentally conscious that anything that advertises that it is organic, and is also good, does well in sales. My burger was a special Oregon beef, as well as the beers are advertised as being organic.We drove to our hotel in Vancouver, WA (forgot it was rush hour, and they do have some traffic out here). We grabbed dessert at Salmon Creek brewing (http://www.salmoncreekbrewpub.com/), which was chocolate cake for Jenn and another sampler for me. The beers were so-so, but not as good as earlier in the day (the cake was delicious though). I guess my favorite was their specialty beer, Brother Larry’s Belgian, but their standard offerings were nothing to write into a blog about. The beer store next store, By the Bottle, did have some nice surprises.
The next morning, my birthday, threw a bit of a monkey wrench into my “Master Plans.” Anyone who has ever travelled with me knows that I always have a plan and a schedule, and I don’t always respond well when my plans are changed.
And since I believe that God always has a lesson to teach us, I know that I’m constantly being taught the lesson that my plans cannot compare to His. So this morning Jenn and I were in search of a pharmacy for some medicine, and since the hotel had internet access I was able to locate several Rite Aid pharmacies and phone numbers so that our doctor could call it in. And through the changes, Jenn was able to put up with my minor madness’s (God Bless Her!). So after having a snack at the Bridgeport Brewery
and Bakery (unfortunately it was too early to try their ales), and picking up some medicine, we went to Kell’s Irish Pub (http://www.kellsirish.com/portland/index.php) for brunch. It was a small and dedicated crowd watching English rugby, and the food was outstanding. I had the Kell’s scramble and Jenn had the Eggs Benedict. And since this is a beer trip, I had the Kell’s Irish Style Lager by Rogue and a Mount Hood Multorporter Ale. Jenn and I both agreed that this was one of the highlights of the trip. Jenn went to explore the Portland Saturday Market (http://www.portlandsaturdaymarket.com/) and I went in search of the Rogue Public House. Rogue’s was interesting, and I was able to try the Black Brutal,
one of the newest from the Rogue John Locker Series, as well as an oak-aged Imperial Red on draft. One of the best finds was a bottle of Imperial Younger’s Special Bitter, a specialty beer that was brewed in honor of 30 Years at the Horse Brass Pub. I then went to Henry’s Tavern, and although they didn’t do samplers, the bartender Jerome allowed me to taste around ten beers for the price of a pint. The best part was that I was able to compare Imperial IPAs from small breweries such as Ninkasi, Roots, Walking Man, Double Mountain and Hair of the Dog. I thought the Ninkasi Triceratops was the best. Needless to say Jenn drove to lunch, the MacTarnahan’s Taproom in northern Portland. I wanted to go there just for the history since this was the location of the original Portland 
Brewery, but they had recently been bought out by Pyramid.We then drove out to the coast, over the mountains to Cannon Beach. Part of the interest for Jenn and I to go to Oregon was to check out the Oregon coastline. We love the view of the water, beaches, and lighthouses. The fact that there were brewpubs that I wanted to visit just happened to be a bonus. Cannon Beach is the home of Haystack Rock, one of the most photographed spots in the state. It was also the home of Bill’s Tavern,
a small brewpub in the middle of the shops. Jenn and I got to walk the beach in the rain, and relax a beach cottage. Memphis upset UCLA and Kansas squashed UNC, and Jenn and I got to sit a talk around a fireplace. It was a great birthday!So far in our travels I have been able to try some 68 beers that I hadn’t tried before. It was a good start. – 4584
"A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it is better to be thoroughly sure." – Czech Proverb
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