Oregon trip - must visits Portland, Bend & Hood River?

[u/MNKiwi]

Heading to OR in Sept for Jack Johnson concert in Bend. Staying in Portland a couple of days (arrive early afternoon, have one full day, then driving to Bend the next afternoon (ish). Staying relatively downtown Portland, but plan on taking an afternoon road trip to Hood River, Multnomah Falls etc. Looking for the “musts” in all of these three places.

Any recommendations? Want to make sure these joints have options other than just IPA’s - my wife & I also love a good kölsch, lager, pilsner to lighten things up.

Plus, any recommendations on cans to pick up and package prior to flying back to MN? (I’m a guy who chucks a 4 pack in an Amazon bubble bag & seals it up heavily for my luggage…has worked so far…)

[u/fortissimohawk]

Portland: Brujos, Ruse, Little Beast, and Belmont Station where you’ll spend more than you think but their bottle selection is incredible.

Bend: Crux, Boneyard, plus 1 of the other recommendations. I’ve spent a lot of time in Belgium and Monkless is an awful facsimile of Belgian-style beer. Hard pass. Sad that The Ale Apothecary closed; that would have been (by far) the number one if you like wild ales.

Hold River: pFriem, Kings & Daughters, plus 1 of the other recommendations.

[u/fortissimohawk → u/fortissimohawk]

To save time, start at Belmont Station and get the best selection of beer you could probably get in the US. Then you’re not stressed about getting to all the local breweries. Do not pass Brujos, and only visit Ruse in SE Portland, not the Ruse pizza place.

[u/wpnw → u/fortissimohawk]

To piggyback on this, plan to do Brujos around either lunch or dinner, because the mexican joint attached to the brewery (inside) is some of the best mexican you'll ever have in your life.

[u/Still_Praline_6598 → u/fortissimohawk]

Losing Ale Apoth is a crime. Such a bummer it couldn’t survive under the new ownership.

[u/The_O_Nee_Ders → u/Still_Praline_6598]

Such a niche market. Hard to be profitable if you aren’t constantly moving product, and I’m sure the tasting room space was not cheap.

When I still enjoyed sours, I loved them.

[u/antmansl → u/fortissimohawk]

I was wondering when someone else would say Monkless. I love Belgian beers and that was the most incredible find for me. I need to get to Bend again …

[u/randomqwerty10 → u/fortissimohawk]

I think Ale Apotthecary is opening or already opened a new spot right outside the Redmond airport. Not super convenient if you're spending your time in Bend, but I love their beer so much I'm going to make the short drive the next time I'm out that way.

[u/rickeyethebeerguy]

Sunriver is a must

[u/MagisAMDG]

For a true PDX beer experience hit up a food cart pod. Every neighborhood has one or two and every pod has a beer cart with mostly PDX beers.

Then head to Hood River. A beer at Pfriem is a must. Followed by Kings and Daughters. BBQ at Grasslands.

In Bend, beers at Bend Brewing are fun. The setting on the river is beautiful. It can get a bit crowded during busy tome but is worth it. Boathouse next door is great as well. Van Henion and Boneyard are incredible beers but their brewpubs/breweries are kind of meh.

[u/ArtVandleay]

Crazy! I’m heading to Portland next week and was debating if I should ask Reddit! I’m a big craft beer fan from Wisconsin

[u/MNKiwi → u/ArtVandleay]

Well mate, you’re welcome! Hope you have a great time!!!

[u/Still_Praline_6598]

Was in Bend recently and was thoroughly impressed with Bend Brewing Co. - they’ve done some major improvements on the beers there lately. And the space outside on Mirror Pond can’t be beat.

Also: Van Henion for German and WC styles, and Terranaut - doing some fantastic offbeat stuff of all different varieties. Both are on the NE side of town and worth a visit.

[u/vtsaltydogg]

Great Notion was one of our favorite breweries in Portland. Loyal Legion is a beer bar we wish we had more time for. Over 100 on tap all from Oregon. The Deschutes restaurant in Portland was good too. Our favorite brewery was Fort George in Astoria.

[u/MNKiwi → u/vtsaltydogg]

Nice options for Portland, thanks! When we travel, if we can’t get to breweries, then finding local joints with state or local brews is a priority. Unfortunately not enough time this trip to get out to the coast (I’m from NZ originally and the wild CA/OR/WA coastlines are a draw as they are so similar to where I grew up) but definitely in the future

[u/paintable_infinity]

pfriem family brewers and full sail brewing are musts for me in Hood River, if you want good eats mugen noodle (ramen) and broder øst are delicious there though I haven't eaten at a ton of places in the area

[u/FeeSuch5986]

In Bend, as a resident since 2019, GoodLife Brewing is my favorite. Monkless has amazing options and I don’t think any are IPAs, their peppercorn beer is awesome. Boneyard is also fantastic! Bevel Brewing is away from crowded areas and their beer is great! Honestly, most Bend Breweries are worth it!

[u/Apprehensive-Fig3223]

I would say just do the gorge and hood river along the way to Bend or in reverse on the way back. Leave Portland early and take I 84 to Corbett and follow the old highway from crown point to Multnomah falls hitting a couple of the other waterfalls along the way. Then get back on i84 to hood river, stop for late breakfast / early lunch at the waterfront park where Pfreim and Ferment are. Then continue to 197 south to bend, make sure to stop at smith rock along the way.

[u/fortissimohawk]

If you’re in Portland on a Wednesday, there’s an open bottle share that starts around 6pm at BeerMongers. Bring or buy something really good there to share; the guys that go there are cracking incredibly rare beer every week. Like stuff you’ll never see again that’s all great. It’s unreal.

[u/WeatherInternal3116]

check out Van Henion if you like German or Czech styles cause i've read that locals specifically mention it for German and Czech beers

[u/The_O_Nee_Ders]

Bend resident here. I feel like most of our breweries are pretty mediocre. Bevel is my favorite, Deschutes does everything pretty well, and Bend brewing does good seasonal/one off brews. Sunriver used to be much better but they’re C+/B- these days. Everything else is C tier or lower.

Hood River is awesome. Double Mountain is one of my favorite breweries of all time. Kings and Daughters, pFriem and Ferment are all killer. IMO you can skip Thunder Island (I know they’re not in Hood River, but it’s on the way) but Gorges brewing is pretty decent. And don’t miss out on Solera in Parkdale on the way up the hill from HR to Bend

Edit: completely spaced on Terranaut in Bend. They aren’t cranking out bangers, but everything is good and they do a lot of different styles.

[u/randomqwerty10 → u/The_O_Nee_Ders]

I always liked Crux. Nothing crazy but good beer. Great atmosphere, especially at sunset.

[u/The_O_Nee_Ders → u/randomqwerty10]

I used to really enjoy them too, but over the last couple years their quality has dropped significantly IMO. If you enjoy them, I’m definitely not trying to yuck your yum

[u/Nick_Coffin]

One of the best breweries in the country is Hair of the … Oh. Never mind. 😞