Review: Culmination Brewing, Portland, OR

Review: Culmination Brewing, Portland, OR Back in April we visited Culmination Brewing in NE Portland (just north of NE Sandy Blvd off 21st) to do a review of their location and available beers. We have been to Culimination’s brewery a few times prior to this and have had enjoyed their beers at a few bars/taprooms around town as well, so it wasn’t a ‘new’ experience but one that we were looking forward to. As you can see, the location is in an industrial buildling with a small parking lot and on-street parking available. They do offer some food on site and they also have a small outdoor patio you can sit at and enjoy the rain or sun. They do production at this location which is behind the bar area. You can poke your head around and check out the different tanks they have and the servers are always happy to provide you with any information you may want or answer questions about their location and production. The first time we visited Culmination was just after they had opened, and they didn’t have much of their own beer on draft and what they did have was questionable at best. That’s …

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Review: Ancestry Brewing, Portland, OR

Review: Ancestry Brewing, Portland, OR In late April 2017 we visited Ancestry Brewing’s Sellwood (SE Portland) neighborhood location. We had been to the SW Portland location a few months prior and were exicted that there was a closer in location. They provide the same lineup of beers at this location, but no production on site. It’s just a taproom and restaurant in a newer commercial building in the Sellwood neighborhood. You may have to walk a bit if you go during peek hours as there is only on-street parking in the surrounding neighborhood. There is a dining room (kid friendly), to-go fridge (off sale), and small bar you can sit at next to the open kitchen. Their menu ranges from sandwiches, seafood, burgers to salads, pretty traditional fare without breaking the bank. They do offer up a full lineup of beers, we decided to go with the all of their tasters which came in a few rounds. The server was super friendly and chatted with us about each set of tasters that she brought. They do have a couple of large TV’s that they have sports on most of the time, so if you’re wanting to watch some soccer, baseball, …

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Review: Ecliptic Brewing, Portland, OR

Review: Ecliptic Brewing, Portland, OR On April 6th we visited one of the more successful and somewhat newer breweries here in Portland, Ecliptic Brewing. Located at the south end of the Mississippi St. district of north Portland, Ecliptic has provided a much needed boost to the neighborhood and local brewing scene. Founded by well known and respected brewer John Harris, who happens to be the guy who came up with the recipes for Deschutes beers: Mirror Pond, Obsidian Stout, Black Butte Porter and Jubelale, John’s now creating his own award winning brews at Ecliptic. The name might be challenging to say and spell (or know what it means), it’s based on John’s love of astronomy and the term ‘ecliptic’ is defined as the earth’s yearly path around the sun. The brewery location includes both the production and bar/restaurant. It has a large parking lot (which is always full) and some limited on-street parking. If you go during peek hours, expect to walk a bit from where you park and wait in line for a table. As you can see, they do have a large outdoor patio area that doesn’t have much coverage, so if Portland’s wet weather isn’t your thing, …

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Review: Great Notion Brewing, Portland, OR

Review: Great Notion Brewing, Portland, OR One of the great new additions to the Portland brewing scene in 2016 is Great Notion Brewing. I have been able to visit them a few times since they opened and most recently on Feb. 7th, 2017 with a few of my beer loving friends for happy hour. Great Notion is known for pushing the flavor boundaries of barrel aged and unfiltered beers, most notibly their fruit and sour beers. The one warning I have to give about this great brewery, is that they are an all ages restaurant, so unless you can handle being around a lot of kids, you might want to try and visit them during later hours. The brewery is located in the former “Mash Tun Brewing” location on NE 22nd, just south of NE Alberta St. next to Pine St. Biscuits. They are in the heart of the Alberta Arts District and have a lot of local customers but their parking is limited to on-street so you may have to walk a little bit to get there if it’s during regular dining hours. The front of the business is pretty non-descript with a sign above their front door and …

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Review: Zoiglhaus Brewing Company, Portland, OR

Review: Zoiglhaus Brewing Company, Portland, OR Late in 2015 a new brewery opened in SE Portland called Zoiglhaus Brewing. The brewer was from one of our favorite local breweries, Pints Brewing, so we had to go check them out. While it’s a typically not the best idea to visit a newly opened restaurant/brewery right after they open, we took the chance and drove down to SE and test our luck. We are glad that we did the first time, and have been back a few times since as their beer lineup and food is worth the stop if you’re in SE by I-205/SE Foster. You should note that they have a large parking lot on the north end of the building if you can’t find any on-street parking in front. They do have a couple of large dining room areas, bar area, kids play area, and a production room in the back. You can see the brew kettles from the bar area if you look to the NE from it. They were not producing any beer on site when we visited them the first time, but since have started production on site. We have kept track of the beers since …

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Review: Drinking Horse Brewing Company, Clackamas, OR

Review: Drinking Horse Brewing Company, Clackamas, OR The third brewery we stopped at on our Sunday, Nov. 20th 2016 expedition was Drinking Horse Brewing Company located in Clackamas OR. Clackamas is a suburb to the South East of Portland. You will find this brewery behind the Wichita Pub in an industrial complex/building just off of HW212. Parking isn’t an issue, there’s plenty of that around. Their signage has a little to be desired, so you need to keep an eye out for them when you’re driving through. Like most breweries just starting out, the easiest way to have a taproom is at the production facility. They have a small bar set up and a few random tables and chairs to hang out at while you sample or have a pint. They do have a ping-pong table by the front entrance and some couches to hang out on if you so desire. The brewing production kettles are towards the back, and they do have some barrels that they are doing some aging in along one wall as well. The large chalkboard above the seating area has their lineup, which the day we visited had nine beers listed and a few ‘comming …

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