Earlier this week The New York Times gave Belmont Station and Saraveza some love, and now the Los Angeles Times is singing the praises of Portland beer: Achieving Beervana in Portland, Ore.
The writer, Mary Engel, describes the Portland beer tour on which she takes her out of town guests, Jim and Lenora.
First stop, after breakfast at Helser’s, is the Portland Farmers Market for a taste of the Gose beer at the Upgright Brewing stall.
Rogue Ales Public House and Tugboat are next on the itinerary. On the final day Hopworks Urban Brewery and Alameda Brewhouse get visits.
Not a bad tour (though I would have thrown in a visit to the Horse Brass, Belmont Station, Bailey’s Taproom, or Saraveza for more variety.)
The article also includes a nice synopsis of the Oregon beer statistics canon:
With about 40 small breweries in town — new ones open so frequently it’s hard to keep track — Portland has overtaken Munich, Germany, as the brewing capital of the world. But numbers alone don’t capture Portland’s status among true beer aficionados, the kind who would sooner quaff hemlock than a Miller or a Bud. There’s something about this most livable of cities that encourages innovation.
“You’ve got to have the right culture of people,” says Marc C. Martin, a local beer writer who is launching a brewery tour business. “Portland is eco-friendly, green, bicycling, Birkenstock-wearing — it’s a culture that lends itself to unusual and unique things.”
Nationwide, so-called craft breweries account for only about 4% of all beer consumed (in Oregon, it’s 12%), but they inspire near-religious devotion. Oregon’s breweries draw more tourists than its fabled wineries, according to a 2006 study conducted for the state.
The last stat about craft beer consumption always surprises me. Seriously? 88% of the beer consumed in Oregon is macro-lagers? Gah!
Read the rest: Achieving Beervana in Portland, Ore.
Oh, that’s just great. Now Tugboat will be overrun with Californians, all calling each other “babe” and reeking of cologne and making those stupid hands-framing-a-film-shot gestures and whining there’s nowhere to park their mega-SUVs. We’re all doomed.
As for the “other” 88%, I think that includes PBR.
Saraveza. I love that place.
“Portland is eco-friendly, green, bicycling, Birkenstock-wearing”
Really? Birkenstocks? One generalization too far. I rarely to never see those.
Wonder how much of the 88% is Pabst and Olympia.
-b- I don’t think the Tugboat has too much to worry about until they start brewing decent beer [oh snap!]
melissalion – Saraveza is one of my favorite beer spots. And the pasties and pickled veggies are dang good too.
Julian – You’re right, we don’t don’t see too many birkenstock wearers around here. Well, except on Hawthorne.