Portland's Best Breweries 2021
Welcome to the fourth edition of Portland’s Best Breweries. Last year, when Covid-stricken businesses really needed support, I expanded the number to twenty. No one wanted a single brewery to close, so it was no time to be highly selective. This year, however, breweries have gotten through the worst of the pandemic and most have emerged battered but mostly not beaten—so the list is back to its original size. In preparation, I’ve spent the past few weeks touring breweries, tasting beer, and comparing my notes. Every year it gets harder to assemble this list, but this year was especially hard. Having had fifteen months to prepare, breweries are turning out incredibly good beer right now. It is definitely a (beer) buyer’s market!
Selection Criteria
As in the past, my goal is to balance diversity and depth, so that anyone would be able to identify a brewery on the list with beers in their wheelhouse. Plenty of the breweries on the list feature regionally-famous hoppy ales, but you’ll find breweries specializing in lagers, German beer, barrel-aged wild ales, dessert/pastry beers, and a few generalists who do everything well. That means some wonderful breweries making great beer got left off the list. So definitely keep reading to the end and give breweries listed under “The Rest of the Best” serious consideration. They deserve it.
Though ambiance and food are important, I make recommendations solely based on the beer. To evaluate that, I look at things like overall quality of the core lineup, number of exceptional beers, creativity and new products, and how often I encounter a misfire. I largely consider the previous year’s performance, so this is the list of best breweries right now—no one was added by status or reputation. In terms of qualifications, I don’t include contract/nomadic brewers—each brewery must have a physical location and there also has to be a physical pub to visit. I don’t include outposts of breweries whose main locations are elsewhere in Oregon (Double Mountain, Deschutes, 10 Barrel, etc). Soon I will return to creating a “best” list for the state and those breweries will be considered in that list (Covid has been interfering with that project). On the other hand, if the only place to drink the beer is in the city of Portland, even if the brewery is outside the city limits, it’s included here. I also see no reason to eliminate breweries that have home offices outside the state so long as they have breweries here making unique beers for Portland (examples include Grains of Wrath and Modern Times).
All right, enough jibber-jabber—let’s get to the list. For the first time I’m citing a best brewery, and after that they’ll be in alphabetical order. Also, one final note: most breweries have adjusted their schedules because of Covid, so be sure to check opening times before visiting.
Portland’s Best Brewery: Upright
Alex Ganum launched Upright in 2009 with a focus on Belgian-style farmhouse ales, and immediately garnered broad acclaim. Soon the brewery launched Engelberg Pilsner, helping establish the style as a fixture in the city. Meanwhile, Ganum has always had a barrel-aging and blending program that has produced among the best wild ales in the country. A year or two ago he got a taste for hops and started making slightly offbeat (but perfectly Upright) IPAs. All the while, Ganum had a passion for English-style ales, one he is now indulging at the new, ground-level brewpub above the cellar brewhouse. He’s got two engines for a rotating pair of cask ales that will take Anglophiles right back to their favorite Yorkshire pub.
Ganum isn’t flighty, though. You’ll still find examples of all his former interests on tap at the pub. Taken together, they constitute the most diverse variety of beers in the city, but more than that, some of the most accomplished. Upright’s hallmark is quality and consistency—unusual for such a small operation. The little brewhouse features two open fermenters, and Ganum draws a lot of character from them. He’s a studious brewer who is broadly familiar with classic techniques and styles, and brings the knowledge of brewing history into his products. Finally, Upright’s beers are always made to please, whether the beer at hand is a 4% cask ale, a German pilsner, or an 8% blend of mixed-fermentation saisons. Now that the brewery has a full-time pub, more people should make a pilgrimage to Upright to experience Ganum’s incredible range of world-class beers. It should be included among any list of the country’s premier craft breweries.
Tasting Room: 240 N. Broadway. Hours: 11a-9pm all days. Food: Sandwiches and small plates. Website
Baerlic
IPAs, lagers, and classic pub favorites
For years after it was founded in 2014, Baerlic was a fun little neighborhood brewery making a hodgepodge of beers. Slowly, however, those beers came into focus and Baerlic started to garner praise and respect. In the last couple years, they’ve turned into one of those all-purpose breweries making a range that includes fantastic IPAs (start with Punk Rock Time, then try a seasonal hazy), lagers (Chill helles and Hellsner pilsner are musts), and classic American styles (cream ale, Scottish ale, stout), which they honor and do very well. The taprooms have a scrappy feel that suits Baerlic’s working-class approach, but it belies what has become one of the most reliable and accomplished breweries in the city.
BREWERY PUB AND PIZZA HALL 2235 SE 11th Ave. Hours: 11a-10pm all days. HALSEY BARLEY POD: 6035 NE Halsey Hours: Mon-Weds Noon-10pm, Thurs-Sun 11am-10pm. Food: Pizza at rhe brewery and food trucks in the pod. Website
Breakside
The kings of hops
The new Lake Oswego location is now open.
It’s safe to say that in most other cities, Breakside would be an easy pick for standout brewery. The brewery wins more awards than any other in Oregon—and maybe the country. Any survey of American IPAs has to start with Breakside, which features twin flagships (Wanderlust and IPA), and is backed up by a fleet of other hoppy ales: What Rough Beast (a hazy), Rainbows and Unicorns (a pale), and Stay West (West Coast). The focus is so firmly on hops that the third brewery, in the Slabtown neighborhood, was optimized to make beers the way a Bavarian brewhouse makes helles. In an embarrassment of riches, Breakside also has well-regarded non-hoppy beers, a wild- and bourbon-barrel program, and those beers win plenty of awards, too.
SLABTOWN: 1570 NW 22nd. Hours: Noon-9pm all days. DEKUM 820 NE Dekum. Hours: Noon-9pm all days. PRODUCTION BREWERY & TAPROOM: 5821 SE International Way. Hours: Noon-9pm all days. LAKE OSWEGO: 120 A Ave. Hours: Sun-Thurs, noon-10pm, Fri-Sat, noon-11pm. Food: full menu Dekum and Slabtown, small bites at Lake O, no food at the brewery. Website
Ex Novo
Sessionable lagers, sour ales, and IPAs
Ex Novo, founded as a nonprofit with modest ambitions, consistently flies under the radar. Built in the classic brewpub model and launched in 2014, the beers were solid from the start and the vibe was cozy and welcoming. Over the years, Ex Novo has elevated its best beers to full-time status (Eliot IPA, Perle Haggard, a pils, and The Most Interesting Beer in the World, one of the earlier Mexican lagers), and they are now dialed in and excellent. A rotating cast of one-offs, including a regular offering in the sour and wild vein, typically impress. Ex Novo never shed its brewpub ethos, however, and the beers are engineered for easy drinking, especially in front of a Blazers game (the court is just a half mile away).
NORTH PORTLAND: 2326 N Flint Ave Hours: Mon-Thu: 4-10pm, Fri: 2-10pm, Sat: Noon-10pm, Sun: Noon-9pm. BEAVERTON: 4505 SW Watson Ave. Hours: Sun-Thu: noon-9pm, Fri-Sat: noon-10pm. Food: Full menus both locations. Website
Gigantic
Broad selection, immersive experience
No brewery in Portland offers such an immersive experience as Gigantic, with their original label art, graphic comic series, occasional music collaborations, and fun spaces at their Champagne Lounge and Robot Room locations. Equally as eclectic is a beer range of IPAs (hazies and non-), classics (kölsch and stout), and distinctive specialties like Pipewrench gin-barrel IPA, a Pilsner series with rotating hops, and Massive!, a barley wine they boil for nine hours. Founded in 2012 by two industry veterans, Ben Love and Van Havig, it’s a brewery that knows what it wants to do whether on-trend (a kaleidoscopic array of IPAs) or off (packaged only in refillable 500ml bottles). The brewers’ experience and vision haven’t made them the biggest brewery in town, but they may have the most devoted base of superfans.
BREWERY TAPROOM AND CHAMPAGNE LOUNGE: 5224 SE 26th Ave Hours: Mon-Fri 2-9pm and Sat-Sun noon-9pm. ROBOT ROOM: 6935 NE Glisan. Hours: noon-9pm all days. Food: None at the brewery, multiple restaurants in food court on Glisan. Website
Great Notion
Hazy IPAs, pastry stouts, and sours
Great Notion was the first, and really only, brewery to import the New England model of hazy/milkshake IPAs and dessert beers to the Northwest. Perhaps that’s because they did it so well they cleared the field of competitors. Much like Gigantic, Great Notion has created a world into which fans can disappear (complete with an app that gamifies purchasing), and an ever-growing number of taprooms that stretch from Seattle to Sacramento (coming soon). The brewery makes some familiar styles—that they have a very nice standard pilsner shows just how established that style is in Portland—but specializes in hazy IPAs and flavored beers that taste variously like blueberry muffins, stacks of pancakes, or ice cream desserts. People will sort themselves based on whether they want to try liquid versions of these foods (and the divide is not always an amicable one), but it’s worth emphasizing that the sleight of hand is remarkable. The evocations in these beers really works.
BREWERY BREWPUB: 2444 NW 28th Ave ALBERTA BREWPUB: 2204 NE Alberta St. #101 Hours: Weds-Thu & Sun noon-9pm, Fri-Sat noon-10pm. Food: Full menu at both locations. Website
Level Beer
Balanced traditional styles and IPAs
Five years ago, industry veterans Geoff Phillips (a publican), Jason Barbee, and Shane Watterson (both brewer) founded Level with a somewhat old-fashioned vision: making subtle, balanced beers, usually in traditional styles. They named it Level as a hint and a promise. At Level you’ll find classic English styles, sometimes on cask, Belgian styles, and very well-made, approachable wild ales. And yes, a decent range of IPAs as well—though they notably emphasize balance over intensity. Level is what happens when you fuse the subtle, traditional approach of European brewing with the exuberant, hop-forward style of the US: well-crafted, elegant beers kissed by the familiar saturated flavors of American hopping. For a quick survey course in their oeuvre, try Pixelated Pale, Let’s Play (dry-hopped pilsner), Ready Player One (saison), and Sweep the Leg (Japanese lager). For those in the heart of the city, look for a third outpost at 1447 NE Sandy to open soon.
BREWERY TAPROOM: 5211 NE 148th Ave. Hours: Sun-Thurs 11a-9pm, Fri-Sat 11a-10pm MULTNOMAH VILLAGE: 7840 SW Capitol Hwy. Hours: Mon-Thu 3-9pm, Fri-Sat noon-10pm, Sunday noon-9pm. Food: Food trucks at both locations. Website
Little Beast
Masters of mixed fermentation
When Brenda Crow and Logsdon Farmhouse Ales alum Charles Porter founded Little Beast in 2017, no one was surprised to find an emphasis on mixed-fermentation wild ales. Porter has a particular genius for these styles, whether they’re just aged and blended or flavored with dry hops or fruit. What we didn’t expect was his aptitude in making mainstream styles like IPA and lagers. It was a real shock to hear Little Beast’s name when the Oregon Beer Awards announced the winners in hazy IPA. Still, the best reason to visit are the amazing barrel-aged treats few can match. Many are made with local fruit and are often wonderfully sessionable and approachable (look for Dream State and Tree Spirit). Look especially for any wild ales that feature American hops—Bug Thief was a recent example—because Porter does an amazing job matching flavors of fermentation and terpenes.
Brewpub/Beer Garden: 3412 SE Division Hours: Mon-Thu 1:30-10pm, Friday: 1:30-11pm, Saturday: noon-11pm Sunday: noon-10pm. Food: Snacks, small plates, and sandwiches from Whim Kitchen. Website
Von Ebert
Generalists doing great lagers and IPAs
Ron Scott / Eater
When Tom Cook launched Von Ebert from the ashes of a downtown Fat Head’s branch, he raised some eyebrows with his ambitions for the brewery. Not only would he regularly fill a large pub in the most expensive part of downtown, but he would soon develop a wild and spontaneous program at a second facility at the Glendoveer golf course in east Portland. Von Ebert is now delivering on that promise. A brewing team led by Sam Pecoraro have developed a program that has, in three short years, won a ton of awards for its IPAs and wild ales. As a bonus, they make a great slate of lagers as well. For a survey course, start with the Helles, try Beervana Show (and Oregon Beer Award) winner Volatile Substance IPA, and finish up with a wild ale (bottles are available for tasting at the pubs).
PEARL (Downtown). 131 NW 13th Ave. Hours: Tues 3-9pm, Weds-Thu 11:30a-9pm, Fri-Sat 11:30a-10pm Sun, 11:30a-9pm. GLENDOVEER 14021 NE Glisan St. Hours: Tues-Sun 11:30a-9pm. Food: full menu both locations. Website
Wayfinder
Czech and German lagers and cold IPA
When Double Mountain alum Charlie Devereux and two partners founded Wayfinder five years ago, I was delighted by his Bavaria-by-the-Willamette approach. But also worried. Could Wayfinder convince hopheads to sit for hours and sip lagers? It turns out they will if Kevin Davey makes them. The veteran brewer breathes lager and his Hell, CZAF Pilsner, and regular rotators are made with precision and endless character (CAZF won the Beervana Show pilsner taste-off). Publicans take the time to pour beautiful pints into glassware straight from lagerland, and most are brewed to sessionable strengths. Davey also make IPAs, including his invention of “cold IPA” that has become a national trend. Try a Relapse to understand cold IPAs, but really, stick with his versions of the classics. They’re some of the country’s best.
Brewpub: 304 SE 2nd. Hours: Weds-Sat noon-10pm, Sundays noon-8pm. Food: a full menu. Website
Zoiglhaus
German lagers and ales
Novelty-seeking beer fans tend to overlook overlook Zoiglhaus’ crisp, authentic German lagers—and not just because the brewery is in the distant Lents neighborhood. Yet that’s a clue to their authenticity. Founder and brewer Alan Taylor was trained in Germany and brewed there for years. Like a German hausbrauerei, Zoiglhaus offers a consistent line of characterful standards, including a GABF gold medal-winning hoppy pilsner in the style of Northern Germany (think Jever). Another treat is a traditional Berliner weisse released each summer and made in the classic—and for a time, extinct—method of mixed-fermentation. Zoiglhaus does rotate through great seasonal offerings and occasional specials, including a fantastic Rotbier and Schwarzbier. Taylor, a native Oregonian, can make IPAs, too, and has a special talent for working with fresh hops, which seem to earn medals each year.
Brewpub: 5716 SE 92nd. Hours: 3-9:30pm all days. Food: None while the site is being remodeled. Website
The Rest of the Best
When I started this feature four years ago, it was painful to leave good breweries out of the top ten. Now it’s excruciating. Off this year’s list are breweries like Old Town, which won two medals at the most recent GABF, Ecliptic, run by Oregon brewing legend John Harris, and breweries that made the list in past years like Ruse and Culmination. These aren’t just good breweries, they’re excellent. In other cities they’d be shoo-ins for similar lists. In short, I strongly encourage you to investigate these as well.
Culmination (2117 NE Oregon St.) divides its taplist among IPAs (half the menu), lagers, dark ales, and sours, though lately people flock to the brewery for the hops. I tend to keep an eye out for obscure or lost styles, which the brewery treats with care and attention.
Ecliptic (825 North Cook St.). John Harris was the founding brewer at Deschutes and spent 20 years at Full Sail before starting his own brewery. He always loved hops, so IPAs are a feature, but Ecliptic surprised some by developing a range of fruit sours. His barrel-aged stouts and barley wines also regularly win awards.
Occidental (6635 N Baltimore Ave). The first of the German-centric Portland breweries, Occidental keeps it simple with the classics—Kölsch, Hefeweizen, Pilsner, and Helles among others. The taproom is in St Johns, a distant but atmospheric old-Portland neighborhood.
Old Town (5201 NE MLK Blvd). A regular on my best-of list, Old Town grew out of a Portland institution, Old Town Pizza. The beer line-up is divided between day-glo hazies like Pillowfist and Glow Torch and traditional styles like the award-winning Pilsner. The pizza’s fantastic, too.
Ruse (4784 SE 17th Ave). Located in a fun and funky old warehouse, Ruse is the one brewery working at least in part in the New England oeuvre, with a line that includes hazy IPAs and smoothie sours. Yet their flagship IPA, Translator, is pure West Coast (and excellent), and they do great lagers as well.
Stormbreaker (832 N Beech St.). Exorcising some demons, Stormbreaker won its first GABF medal this year. More interestingly, last fall it also won fresh-hop season, turning out an incredible slate of green beers. They tend to favor big, bold flavors, particularly those that come from hops.
Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t tip my hat to Hopworks (2944 SE Powell Blvd.) as the most improved brewery for 2021. The now middle-aged organic brewery has long been appreciated for its values and bike-friendly ethos, but last year it was turning out some of the city’s best IPAs.
PHOTOS: Brewery websites and social media accounts.