Best Happy Hour: Bridgeport Brewpub
1313 NW Marshall St; 503-241-3612; bridgeportbrew.com
This granddaddy of Oregon brewers hasn’t forgotten that a key ingredient for a great brew is making it easy to share with friends. For proof, drop by Bridgeport’s expansive Pearl District brewpub any weekday between 4 and 6 p.m., when pints from their collection of hallmark ales go for a mere $3. If the fire sale on beers doesn’t rally your crew, then plates of steamed mussels and honkin’ pulled-pork sammies for under six bucks will. —RR
Also try: Laurelwood Public House
Best Brewpub Overall: Hopworks Urban Brewery
2944 SE Powell Blvd; 503-232-4677; hopworksbeer.com
Organic beer, locally sourced food, and a bar bedecked with bike frames: could there be a more Portland brewpub? We think not. Plus, it’s all delicious, whether you’re chowing down on the meaty Warrior Wings or the crispy, thin-crust Margherita pizza, or sipping a pint of smooth, balanced Velvet ESB. Fair warning: Hopworks packs ’em in every night, so if you’re looking to cede from the tide of devoted HUB-heads, stake out “the nook.” The tiny, shiplike alcove, complete with a port window, has room for eight close pals—and, of course, a pitcher or two of Secession Black IPA. —KC
Also try: Lucky Labrador Public House
Best-Kept Secret: Pilsner Room at the Harborside
0309 SW Montgomery St; 503-220-1865; mccormickandschmicks.com
Just about every Portlander knows about the Pilsner Room’s sublime riverside views. But even longtime patrons of this elegant waterfront outpost might be surprised to learn that celebrated Full Sail brewmaster John Harris uses the shoebox-size brewery here as a laboratory for his exclusive creations. The taps change weekly, but you’ll always find eight of Harris’s “pilot” beers behind the bar. This summer’s variations include a luxuriously honeyed Vesuvius Belgian Ale and a rejuvenating Spotless IPA, either of which is perfectly suited for an afternoon’s idyll by the Willamette. —JC
Also try: Apex
Published: July 2010
