Looking for the perfect place for a summer beercation so you can geek out on beer, sample dozens of different styles and rub shoulders with friendly brewers? Park yourself in Portland, Oregon. Also known as Beervana – it houses 32 breweries in the city limits [and as of this writing, there seem to be new breweries popping up every week] which is more than any other city on earth.
Looking for a summer beercation?
True, Portland is a beer-lover’s paradise but there are two thriving cities just south of Portland: Corvallis and Eugene, each with a growing beer scene definitely worth a day exploring as a side trip from Portland.
Eugene, home to the University of Oregon, is a mere two hour drive from Portland. While its athletics program has produced legends over the years [San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts immediately comes to mind], the locals are also stepping up and producing some of the state’s creative artisan beers.
Ninkasi Brewery
Ninkasi Brewery, launched in 2006, has made huge inroads in Portland and across Oregon so much that the brewery recently remodeled and added more brewing capacity to meet the demand. In fact, when I visited, pre-addition, the current space was shockingly small considering how much beer they manage to crank out. The tasting room is small but cozy and they offer most of their beers on tap. The visit was on a rare warm, sunny spring day which made for an enjoyable walk around the funky neighborhood, then a walk back to the brewery from close-by downtown Eugene. Yummy seasonals from Ninkasi include the popular Spring Reign, Radiant Summer Ale and the popular Total Domination IPA – a personal favorite. 272 Van Buren Street, Eugene
Nestled in an industrial park on the outskirts of Eugene, Oakshire Brewing offers visitors a no-frills tasting room with a simple ambience: a bar, stools and current beers on tap. Then again, being surrounded by brewing equipment, the smell of wort and hops doesn’t sound too shabby. For sunny days, picnic benches are parked outside near the entrance. The Watershed IPA, an absolute favorite, and Overcast Espresso Stout, an [obviously] robust, rich, coffee-flavored beer is very drinkable. 1055 Madera Street, Eugene
Check out an interview with Oakshire’s Jeff Althouse below.
Hop Valley, officially located in Springfield, is a quick hop on the freeway from Eugene. Boasting a huge space, full menu and many beers on draft, Hop Valley is ready for success. They’ve got the branding down – t-shirts, mugs, beers for sale – as well as a decent location [though previous tenants didn’t fare so well]. It’s a bit corporate for some, though the beer is good and the vibe is friendly. It was packed when we stopped in, but we were seated quickly, orders were taken and beer and food were served swiftly. They had quite a handful of beers to choose from, making the sampler a favorite. Standouts included the 541 Lager, Impeller Pale Ale, and Natty Red. 980 Kruse Way, Springfield
About 90 minutes from Eugene is Corvallis, a quaint, historical small town that’s also home to Oregon State University (OSU). Residents and students take their beer seriously here. How much? The campus recently received funding for a new aroma hop breeding program that will be created in the College of Agricultural Sciences at OSU. No drunken frat boys making their own beer in dorm rooms here – at least not ALL of them.
Hop Valley Brewery
Visit Oregon Trail Brewery, one of Oregon’s oldest breweries [at least from the modern 1980s brew scene]. Tucked – and very hidden – behind the Old World Deli, the brewery has zero retail presence and is easy to miss. That’s OK with owner Dave Wills, who sells to surrounding bars and pubs and not much further around. It really is a local institution and I knew I was in for an interesting visit when Dave flipped around the tap handles and tested me on my tasting knowledge. I guessed five styles out if six – I couldn’t quite put my taste buds on the unusual but tasty Ginseng Porter.
The brewery is on three floors, isn’t flashy, doesn’t have the most modern equipment but it still manages to produce some of the area’s most innovative beers. If you visit, you can order pints at the deli or most bars and pubs around town. 341 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis
Located in the building that once housed the Corvallis Gazette-Times newspaper, Block 15 Restaurant and Brewery is a newer brewery on the scene but has the beer chops and knowledge that has quickly made it a popular destination for both students and visitors. The building itself is interesting – the main floor houses the restaurant and where the beers are brewed, the cellar is where the magic happens with the fermentation, and cellaring is where the barrels of cask-conditioned ale are stored, while the basement has been renovated into a cold storage room where beers are aged. There’s still smeared black ink on the wall from its previous incarnation as a newspaper. The morning we visited, the restaurant was jammed with hungry diners. By the time we left, the morning crowd was replaced in the early afternoon with beer drinkers enjoying the lunch menu and freshly brewed beers. Popular beers include Ridgeback Red, Cask Ale as well as a hefty rotating list of seasonals.
