PORTLAND
and crawls around some of the best are a popular night out for locals and visitors alike. But while many other US cities have now surpassed Portland’s brewery count, Oregon’s beer scene is evolving in ways few people could’ve expected. The pandemic played its part, shutting down many microbreweries and taprooms across the city. As a result, thousands of workers were laid off and, since 2019, barrel production in Portland has declined by a third. All this on its own should’ve been enough to discourage the next wave of craft brewers, but in fact it led to the birth of more beer start-ups, as veterans and have-a-go hobbyists alike found themselves with time to experiment at home. Suddenly, brewers of all levels had the freedom to play around with the four main ingredients of water, grain, yeast and hops to create their dream beer. These days, most locals in the know say the
Greater Portland area is home to around 20 nanobreweries, defining the concept in simple terms. If an empty fermenter is light enough to be picked up by a single person, it qualifies. Those in the nano industry also say the beer has to be drunk locally and not exported. For the majority, the idea isn’t to grow a huge audience, but to make their existing customers stick around and beg for more.
Seasonal flavours The day after my visit to Little Hop, I head east of the Willamette River, where salmon and steelhead fisheries, not hops and barley, once made fortunes and determined lives. There are a multitude of reasons to drink beer — social, emotional — but I’m increasingly interested in the personalities behind the pilsners. People like Alyssa LeCompte and Mike Lockwood, who I meet at Duality Brewing in Central Eastside. Their minimalist nanobrewery launched in May 2023 — not that one could tell it’s such a recent opening on this warm evening a couple of months later. The terrace is full to overflowing, despite the owners eschewing signage or anything else announcing their presence. A smart move, I think, if you’re trying to remain low profile. “It’s an odd way to run a business,” concedes
Alyssa, in reference to the lack of signage. She pours me a hazy blood orange-flavouured cream ale in a stream of bubbles — it’s pearly blonde, with the potency of a kiss and a taste like a bitter, frothy ice cream. “There’s just enough beer for the weekend, but then it’s gone. We only want to work three days a week, so the nano model fits us perfectly.” As at Little Hop, Duality became a place
Astral’s tlacoyo suiza — heirloom blue corn masa with potato,
leek, and jalapeño, topped with mornay sauce and chives
Clockwise from left: a Portlander and her dog on the Eastbank Esplanade; Duality Brewing’s compact taproom
where Alyssa and Mike fulfilled the fantasies of their pre-pandemic lives. Before settling in Portland, the art school graduates worked in a distillery in New York, and Mike later started home brewing while living in Los Angeles. The couple eventually moved north a few years ago and rented a shipping container as a makeshift brewery. Now they’ve taken over
Where to eat in Portland
STEEPLEJACK BREWING COMPANY: Central Eastside is home to a large number of restaurants, but this brewpub stands out, housed as it is in a century-old church, with a menu that reads like a hymn sheet. Take a pew and enjoy your buttermilk-fried chicken, pizza or burger below vaulted beams, cast in the rainbow light of the stained glass.
steeplejackbeer.com
THIRD AVENUE FOOD CART POD: Oregonians love a food cart — the state is home to more than 600, based on street corners and in city parks. Labelled Gyro District for its eastern Mediterranean cuisine, this Downtown collective of affordable food trucks is also the go-to for plates of hand- stretched noodles, tacos and rice bowls. SW 3rd Avenue
GRAND FIR BREWING: It’s no surprise this city of beer-lovers has giddily embraced this joint venture in Buckman from noted brewer Whitney Burnside and chef Doug Adams. The crowds come for Whitney’s herbaceous Lichen IPA and Doug’s smoked wings doused in Calabrian hot pepper and a double-patty cheeseburger that’s so profoundly juicy it demands a triple order of napkins. In need of some greens? Order a side of the feather-light kale caesar.
grandfirbrewing.com
WAYFINDER BEER: Outdoor patios and fire pits are guaranteed to draw in crowds of Portlanders, but this East Portland brewpub has gained a following for its food, too. The cauliflower banh mi, smoked prime rib, vegan bratwurst and macaroni and beer cheese are all not to be missed, and the moreish fries — topped with skirt steak and avocado salsa — are a real crowd-pleaser.
wayfinder.beer
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