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Portland is known as one of the coolest cities in the U.S thanks to its creative and young community — and with any hipster city, you’re guaranteed to find plenty of breweries. With close to 70 breweries in town, Portland is a haven for beer-lovers around the world. From sour ales through to fruity blends and excellent German brews, we’ve rounded up the best breweries in Portland:
1. Ecliptic
Ecliptic is a brewery dedicated to light sour ales and fruity flavors. The pub features a modern, quirky design and draws a large crowd on Friday and Saturdays. It serves up seasonal salads, burgers, and chunky sandwiches to accompany its ales. Be sure to try its signature Carina Peach Sour Ale, or its Starburst IPA, which features citrus, fruit and pine flavors.
2. Occidental Brewing Company
The Occidental Brewing Company is known to produce some of the best German-style ales and lagers in Portland — if not in the United States! They’ve paired it with a German food menu, so you can grab a bratwurst with your pint of larger. It’s home to an excellent patio and is one of the top spots to chill with a group of friends during the summer.
3. Breakside
With three locations throughout the city, Breakside is one of the most popular breweries in the city. Its most recent NW Slabtown Brewery is dedicated to unique brews, showcasing the brewery’s creativity with flavors. Some of the top contenders that are currently on the menu include the Dry Hopped Pilsner or the Sparkling Guava, which is refreshingly fruity. It’s also home to a full-service restaurant with a delicious menu.
4. Cascade Brewing
Cascade Brewing is one of the best places to grab a sour beer in the city. It’s famous for its barrel-aged beers and fine blends, and it regularly tops the list as the best brewery in Portland. At Cascade Brewing there’s a tasting room that can seat large crowds inside and outside. Be sure to book with plenty of time ahead if you’re looking to seat a big group!
5. Gigantic Brewing Company
Gigantic Brewing Company serves up signature IPAs and is known for its cool branding and strong local following. The company serves beers with independently designed labels, many of which have been turned into posters. As for the beer, Gigantic Brewing Company prides itself on producing seasonal, flavorful beers, most of which will be brewed only once, meaning the menu is fast-rotating.
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6. Great Notion Brewing
Great Notion Brewing specializes in New England-style IPAs as well as sour ales. It’s a spacious pub that draws a mixture of families and groups of friends. We recommend the Blueberry Muffin sour ale for those with a sweet tooth.
7. Hair of the Dog Brewing Company
Hair of the Dog specializes in bottle-conditioned and barrel-aged beers, with some of its finest brews being eight years in the making. It’s an awesome brewpub with a vast offering and one of the liveliest breweries in Portland.
8. Baerlic
Baerlic is an enormous beer hall serving smooth IPAs and brews. Baerlic experiment with oats and its beers are often recognizable from their unusual yet delicious flavors. Try the most famous Dad Beer blend, which is brewed with flaked corn “reminiscent of your great grandpappy’s favorite chuggin’ beer from the 1880s” mixed with hints of fresh fruit.
9. Upright
Located in industrial basement digs, there’s a super cool feel to Upright as it’s harder to find and therefore more ‘elusive’. It serves up excellent French and Belgian style beers, with its Engelberg Pilsner being its top blend.
If you’re looking for some more fun things to do while in town, why not check out these 10 weird things you can do in Portland!