local arts community. The Fort has been the official pub for Astoria’s music and film festivals, and the amazing chalkboard beer lists are by artist Darren Orange. You can have a beer at a table next to the brewery; you’re separated from the tanks by glass, but somehow the intriguing aromas seem to seep into the main room. Best known for its Vortex IPA, the brewery also makes Panamax Porter, named for the largest bulk carriers that ply the Columbia, and some unusual and excellent fruit beers – they sound strange, but try one! You may wonder, as you gaze at the chalkboard above your head, how a stout came to be named “Cavat- ica.” The brewer has an affinity (you’ll have to ask) for Araneus cavaticus, the barn spider made famous in “Charlotte’s Web.” Fort George recently installed a canning line and its beer is exported as far away as distant Portland. Located next to the Blue Scorcher Bakery Café, it’s possible to move from an excellent breakfast to a tasty lunch and a selection of superb beers with a commute of just a few feet. Astoria’s down-home family-friendly pub is The Wet Dog. If you look to the right as you walk in the door, you’ll see where the beer is brewed, and the inte- rior is decorated like an old West town. From your table, you can look out on the Astoria anchorage; with luck you’ll catch a pilot boat transferring a pilot to or from a vessel. The beer is excellent, as is the food. There’s a great selection of burgers, and on Fridays the huge fish and chips plate is the best deal in town. The small stage offers entertainment from folk music to belly dancers. Brewpubs seem to compete for the most unusual and witty names for their ales, bocks, dortmunders, stouts and weissbiers, and The Wet Dog may be ahead in this competition. Take, for example, its most popular beer, Bitter Bitch Impe- rial IPA, or the second most popular beer, Old Red Beard Amber. Other names include Strawberry Blonde, Da Bomb Blonde, Volksweissen, Poop Deck Porter and Bad Ass Stout. If you’re confused by the nomenclature, just order a sampler tray: four-ounce samples of any five beers on tap. Astoria doesn’t have a monopoly on brewpubs. Twenty-five miles south in Cannon Beach, there’s Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse, where the brewery is above your head, on the top floor of the pub. Family-friendly and more often crowded than not, the wait can be long, but worth it, with good beer and food (especially the burgers and fish and chips). Typically, Bill’s serves half a dozen beers, with the Duckdive Ale and Evil Twin IPA being clear favorites. Most of the brews are seasonal, and you’re sure to find unusual offerings. Whether it’s sunny day or a gray one, any one of the coast’s brewpubs is a satisfying place to have a pint and watch the world go by.
Photo on left is Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse in Cannon Beach. Photos at right from top are blown glass tap handles created by Fernhill Glass Studio in Astoria at Fort George Brewery and Public House; the brewery room at Fort George Brewery and Public House, Fort George Brewery and the Wet Dog partnered to create a Goonies beer (Truffle Shuffle Stout), available only during the 25th anniversary of the movie filmed in Astoria; the canning line at Fort George.
Rogue Ales Public House 100 39th St., Astoria, (503) 325-5058
Fort George Brewery and Public House 1483 Duane St., Astoria, (503) 325-7468
The Wet Dog Café 144 11th St., Astoria, (503) 325-6975
Bill’s Tavern and Brewhouse 188 N. Hemlock St., Cannon Beach, (503) 436-2202
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