Brewing Master

Question:

Bellingham Washington, brewpubs: Orchard Street Brewery Boundary Bay Northfork There is also an excellent award winning pub (non-brewing) which I highly recommend; Archer’s Ale House.  They have lotsa micro’s on tap, about 10 to 20, including a couple cast conditioned – British engine.  They also carry a large selection of bottled Belgiums.  Cya there. — Brad Snowder Western Washington University Planetarium http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~skywise

Response:

Damn, I hate it when I find a typo in MY posts!  Hood River is NOT on Interstate 5, it’s on Interstate 84!  Shoot me, I deserve it!  {:-) — DAsh Think globally, drink locally!

Response:

Yup!  ya caught me fibbin’…. it’s the beer… yeah, that’s what it was, the beer made me do it!  Another place to try is the Alameda Brewpub in Northeast Portland.  Some interesting experimental brews there.  Pubgrub’s not bad, either– but a bit pricy, IMO. — DAsh Think globally, drink locally! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – —–It’s not ‘Mt Hood’…. it’s the town of Hood River, about 60 miles east of downtown Portland on Interstate 5.  Full Sail is a great place. Collectively, do we know anything about the northwest? Hood River is on I-84, NOT I-5. It’s about 60 miles from I-5.  Just wanted to nitpick yall. -Joel

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Did you eat out at the Edgefield? The Black Rabbit was a 4 star restaurant last time I was there. Now that was about 5 years ago. Burp, -Dan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A couple of don’t go places: McMennimans make some pretty sad beer IMHO. ABSOLUTELY.  I am very very pleased to finally hear someone other than myself state this.  The McMeniman pubs enjoy an undeserved reputation as a "much visit" in the northwest.  I’ve sampled from all the Seattle Mc’s and the Edgefield and at best, AT BEST, it was mediocre stuff.  At worst it was infected.  Food stinks, too.  Nice decor, that’s the best i can say of these places. Phil

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I would second these recommendations, especially Rogue and Deschutes, with Rogue being much more "out there" with different stuff going on – a must see/taste plus Newport Oregon can be pretty cool. One place I would skip is the Wet Dog Brewery (or whatever the hell it was called – it was a very forgetable experience) out in Astoria. I was there last night and it was, with one exception, one mediocre beer after another. The Apricot Ale was pretty nice, but certainly not worth the 100 mile trip…. Enjoy the trip! Matt Jarvis The BrewDomain

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Black rabbit is really pretty good. But it isn’t typical of the Mc brothers fare. I have a friend that waited tables there so I have had quite a few meals there. -Joel – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Did you eat out at the Edgefield? The Black Rabbit was a 4 star restaurant last time I was there. Now that was about 5 years ago. Burp, -Dan A couple of don’t go places: McMennimans make some pretty sad beer IMHO. ABSOLUTELY.  I am very very pleased to finally hear someone other than myself state this.  The McMeniman pubs enjoy an undeserved reputation as a "much visit" in the northwest.  I’ve sampled from all the Seattle Mc’s and the Edgefield and at best, AT BEST, it was mediocre stuff.  At worst it was infected.  Food stinks, too.  Nice decor, that’s the best i can say of these places. Phil

Response:

I will definitely third this opinion.  McM’s isn’t terrible, but why bother with it when there are so many good choices? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A couple of don’t go places: McMennimans make some pretty sad beer IMHO. ABSOLUTELY.  I am very very pleased to finally hear someone other than myself state this.  The McMeniman pubs enjoy an undeserved reputation as a "much visit" in the northwest.  I’ve sampled from all the Seattle Mc’s and the Edgefield and at best, AT BEST, it was mediocre stuff.  At worst it was infected.  Food stinks, too.  Nice decor, that’s the best i can say of these places. Phil

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Regarding Washington state (you did say you were going there, right?): In my opinion , where not to go is more important than where to go in Seattle.  Please visit my "places not to visit" rant section at the end.  I include that because you have tons  of choices and why waste your time on "OK" or even bad beer?  That being said, when we were in Seattle before my exile to the prairie, our favorite pubs were: Bigtime: Brewed on premises.  Stunning IPAs, also try anything on cask,          Powderfinder (do they still do that?).  They serve some          sandwiches, pizza, stuff like that.  My #1 recommendation. Hilltop: Excellent food, best pub in Seattle for food, IMO.  I always          thought the beer list was excellent even if it didn’t *always*          have some very rare beer available.  Includes at least one cask          selection.  A must-visit. Nickerson: Nickerson has great "standard" pub food, great service, and I            was always pleased with their beer selection.  You can find a            good selection of oregon/washington breweries here. Blue Star:  On Stone Way and 45th in Wallingford.  Often overlooked pub that has quite respectable tap selection.  Great bar.  rarely crowded. Close to downtown: Belltown pub on First and by the Pike market, Pikepub.         Far from downtown: Rosehill alehouse in Kirkland, I think, it’s         definitely on the east side of Lake Washington, and Fred’s in         Snohomish.  Why doesn’t  anyone ever talk about Fred’s?  Great         food and even greater beer. Places that are a Waste of Time: Hale’s:  Beer is OK.  Food is OK.  Why have OK when excellent is down the street at the Triangle, at the Nickerson, or up the hill at the Woodland Park Pub? Same goes for Pyramid by the sports stadiums downtown. Dad Watson’s/Six Arms/McMenamin’s:  These are Mcmenamin’s chain breweries. Beer is OK at best, more often bland in a homebrew sort of way, I once got a band-aid flavored IPA.  Food OK at best, more often poor: greasy and room temperature.  Lure of Mc’s is the neat interiors, and the impressive guest taps:  I’ve seen HoTD Golden Rose on tap, and other rare finds. *BUT* on 2 of 3 occasions where I asked for a guest tap, the guest taps were empty.  Why go to a place that is iffy when there are sure things down the street? Phil

Response:

Don’t bother with the Ram or Rock Bottom.  I don’t know about Redhook or Pyramid’s pubs, I have not been there. But given that they are getting into the mega end of the micro scene, I wouldn’t really bother.

Visiting Seattle a few years ago, I took the tour at the Redhook brewery/brewpub there.  I enjoyed it very much, but this was before I started brewing my own, so my tastes were most likely quite different. As I recall, it was $1 for a tour of the brewery, which included a 4 oz. glass that was repeatedly filled with samples of their beer. Quite a good value, really. Jim Behymer Please check out and critique my brewer’s calculator!   http://www.allthingsuseless.com/~jim/beercalc.htm Thanks!

Response:

As a Portland resident, allow me to add just a few comments to Dan’s list of Don’t-Miss-These:

Must go to places in the Portland Metro area include: – Lucky Labrador (E Portland) Brewing….Excellent beer, very casual dining, mostly lunch type meals, bring your dog (no kidding)!

——If it’s on tap, you will HAVE to try their "Got Hops?" IPA mistake… Originally, the master brewer put in the normal amount of hops in the pot, then his apprentice, not realizing they were already in put another load in the pot.  The resulting brew is the Lucky Lab’s most asked for brew now. Not always available, but a wonderful potable for the hop-head in us all. – Horse Brass Pub (E Portland)….. Mega craft beers on tap and many, many tastings happening. They also own Belmont Station next door which has an incredible selection of beers from around the world.

—–I live a drunkard’s walk from this place.  High-priced, but a great assortment of draught beers.  Go in on a Sunday afternoon if you like to play cribbage– tournament style.  Play darts any time.  Smoking bar, no outdoor tables – If you can get out to the city of Mt Hood, the Full Sail Brewery is definitely a top 4 overall (with the first three breweries above). Many of their beers are available throughout the Portland area.

—–It’s not ‘Mt Hood’…. it’s the town of Hood River, about 60 miles east of downtown Portland on Interstate 5.  Full Sail is a great place. Also, if you are able to get to the town of Bend, Oregon you will simply HAVE to visit the Deschutes Brewing brewpub.  Wonderful hand-crafted brews on tap. — DAsh Think globally, drink locally!

Response:

If you’re driving from Sacramento, I would reccomend stopping at Sierra Nevada in Chico, CA for a fresh Pale Ale.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be travelling to northwestern US next week and I was planning to stop at some microbreweries and brewpubs while I’m there. A quick search on Pubcrawler.com returned more than 80 such places where we’ll be travelling (briefly around Sacramento, then virtually all over Oregon, Washington and Vancouver BC).

Response:

Oh, man have I got my work cut out for me. Thanks for all the great recommendations. I may have to buy another carry-on bag to bring back all my leftovers. I’m really looking forward to this trip! — Scott

Response:

—–It’s not ‘Mt Hood’…. it’s the town of Hood River, about 60 miles east of downtown Portland on Interstate 5.  Full Sail is a great place.

Collectively, do we know anything about the northwest? Hood River is on I-84, NOT I-5. It’s about 60 miles from I-5.  Just wanted to nitpick yall. -Joel

Response:

I’ll be travelling to northwestern US next week and I was planning to stop at some microbreweries and brewpubs while I’m there. A quick search on Pubcrawler.com returned more than 80 such places where we’ll be travelling (briefly around Sacramento, then virtually all over Oregon, Washington and Vancouver BC). I’ve got a lot of work to do. Can anybody recommend the best in the region?  I’m most interested brewpubs, but there will be time for a brewery tour or two.

Try the brewpub in Anacortes, WA.  I found a website I’ll list below. It looks like it may have changed hands since I was there in about 1995 or 1996, but perhaps the beer is still outstanding. http://www.anacortesrockfish.com/brewery.html When you get to Vancouver BC, there are many local brewpubs.  I recommend Sailor Hagars in North Vancouver, & the Steamworks brewpub in Gastown.  I moved away from Vancouver in 1996, and a few new places have opened up since.  I can’t comment on their quality since I have not tried them, but Sailor Hagars is still really good as of last October. http://www.steamworks.com/ http://www.teleport.com/~dgs1300/SailorHagar.html Here’s another link I just found as well:  http://nwbrewpage.com/ Kelvin

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—–It’s not ‘Mt Hood’…. it’s the town of Hood River, about 60 miles east of downtown Portland on Interstate 5.  Full Sail is a great place. Collectively, do we know anything about the northwest? Hood River is on I-84, NOT I-5. It’s about 60 miles from I-5.  Just wanted to nitpick yall.

And it’s right across from White Salmon, WA.  Which is only worth noting because you get to go over a really scary open-deck bridge with a wonderful view to get there.  It’s worth the drive over and back for the view, as long as you don’t look down… –arne – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – -Joel

Response:

A couple of don’t go places: McMennimans make some pretty sad beer IMHO.

ABSOLUTELY.  I am very very pleased to finally hear someone other than myself state this.  The McMeniman pubs enjoy an undeserved reputation as a "much visit" in the northwest.  I’ve sampled from all the Seattle Mc’s and the Edgefield and at best, AT BEST, it was mediocre stuff.  At worst it was infected.  Food stinks, too.  Nice decor, that’s the best i can say of these places. Phil

Response:

I dropped in to the Red Hook Brewery out in Woodinville last time in town. Great looking digs. Probably one of the only mocrobreweries that you could call a campus. Their beer list wasn’t very impressive though. Lot’s of the typical stuff you see at the macro-chains. Why are these companies afraid to explore dark beers other than stouts and porters as well as dark lagers? Sure they don’t sell well, but they help draw in the serious beer geeks which leeds to more sales of their other beers. Burp, -Dan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Don’t bother with the Ram or Rock Bottom.  I don’t know about Redhook or Pyramid’s pubs, I have not been there. But given that they are getting into the mega end of the micro scene, I wouldn’t really bother. Visiting Seattle a few years ago, I took the tour at the Redhook brewery/brewpub there.  I enjoyed it very much, but this was before I started brewing my own, so my tastes were most likely quite different. As I recall, it was $1 for a tour of the brewery, which included a 4 oz. glass that was repeatedly filled with samples of their beer. Quite a good value, really. Jim Behymer Please check out and critique my brewer’s calculator!   http://www.allthingsuseless.com/~jim/beercalc.htm Thanks!

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Denny’s comments on the coastal breweries are spot on.  Mine were more Portland bound. Rogue does now have a brewpub in NW Portland on Flanders Street (the old Portland Brewing Pub). The "grand" tour would include Pacific and Rogue on the coast, those I mentioned in Portland, Deshutes in Bend and Full Sail in Hood River. By the way, Wyeast is out in near Hood River somewhere. Burp, -Dan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I live in western Oregon and here are a few I recommend…. Rogue in Newport on Hwy. 101…need I say more? Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City, up the coast about 1.5 hours from Newport…several GABF medal winning beers. great food, nice location right on the beach Hair of the Dog in Portland…great, unusual beers Lots more, but these are 3 of my favorites. I’ll be travelling to northwestern US next week and I was planning to stop at some microbreweries and brewpubs while I’m there. A quick search on Pubcrawler.com returned more than 80 such places where we’ll be travelling (briefly around Sacramento, then virtually all over Oregon, Washington and Vancouver BC). I’ve got a lot of work to do. Can anybody recommend the best in the region?  I’m most interested brewpubs, but there will be time for a brewery tour or two. Thanks. — Scott

Response:

Dan, just out of curiousity, have you ever made it down to the Pelican??  If not, man, take a day trip! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Denny’s comments on the coastal breweries are spot on.  Mine were more Portland bound. Rogue does now have a brewpub in NW Portland on Flanders Street (the old Portland Brewing Pub). The "grand" tour would include Pacific and Rogue on the coast, those I mentioned in Portland, Deshutes in Bend and Full Sail in Hood River. By the way, Wyeast is out in near Hood River somewhere. Burp, -Dan

Response:

Oops, I wrote Pacific and I meant Pelican. I have had many of there beers around town here in Portland and agree that they’re excellent beers. I don’t see them around here much anymore.  I have taken my kids to the beach that their pub sits on but I did not venture inside. We had eaten up the road already and I couldn’t talk my wife into stopping in for a beer with my three little ones. I think my wife gets a little tired of hitting every brewpub within a short drive of any freeway we’re driving on when on vacation.  Last time down to the Socialist Republic of California I tried to detour over to Chico to eat and drink at SN. It was only a hour out of the way but no dice. I’d been there before so I didn’t push it. I think my work associates may be feeling the same thing. When I entertain customers or have fellow employees travelling with me, I always seem to gravitate to a brewpub. Imagine that! Burp, -Dan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dan, just out of curiousity, have you ever made it down to the Pelican??  If not, man, take a day trip! Denny’s comments on the coastal breweries are spot on.  Mine were more Portland bound. Rogue does now have a brewpub in NW Portland on Flanders Street (the old Portland Brewing Pub). The "grand" tour would include Pacific and Rogue on the coast, those I mentioned in Portland, Deshutes in Bend and Full Sail in Hood River. By the way, Wyeast is out in near Hood River somewhere. Burp, -Dan

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I know what you mean.  We’re going to my son’s wedding in NY in Oct., then down to Phila. to visit my brother.  I’m planning the trip around what breweries and pubs we can hit….my wife (usually very understanding about my obsession) just rolls her eyes. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Oops, I wrote Pacific and I meant Pelican. I have had many of there beers around town here in Portland and agree that they’re excellent beers. I don’t see them around here much anymore.  I have taken my kids to the beach that their pub sits on but I did not venture inside. We had eaten up the road already and I couldn’t talk my wife into stopping in for a beer with my three little ones. I think my wife gets a little tired of hitting every brewpub within a short drive of any freeway we’re driving on when on vacation.  Last time down to the Socialist Republic of California I tried to detour over to Chico to eat and drink at SN. It was only a hour out of the way but no dice. I’d been there before so I didn’t push it. I think my work associates may be feeling the same thing. When I entertain customers or have fellow employees travelling with me, I always seem to gravitate to a brewpub. Imagine that! Burp, -Dan Dan, just out of curiousity, have you ever made it down to the Pelican??  If not, man, take a day trip! Denny’s comments on the coastal breweries are spot on.  Mine were more Portland bound. Rogue does now have a brewpub in NW Portland on Flanders Street (the old Portland Brewing Pub). The "grand" tour would include Pacific and Rogue on the coast, those I mentioned in Portland, Deshutes in Bend and Full Sail in Hood River. By the way, Wyeast is out in near Hood River somewhere. Burp, -Dan

Response:

I’ll give my $.02 for Seattle.  The Fremont/Ballard areas of Seattle have tons of good spots. One is the Hales Ales, pretty good stuff there. Really good is the Meritime Pacific room. They are one of Seattle’s smaller breweries.  The Pike down at the market is pretty good, (really good seafood chowder) and lots of good beers on taps in multiple rooms. Don’t bother with the Ram or Rock Bottom.  I don’t know about Redhook or Pyramid’s pubs, I have not been there. But given that they are getting into the mega end of the micro scene, I wouldn’t really bother. As for what Dan said, I would second Rogue.  Dan meant to say that Full Sail is in Hood River, not Mt Hood.  Go watch the windsurfers go balls out there. It’s really fun. Usually better weather (though windy) that way too. Deschutes rocks, and the best weather in the state there. I have always felt like Vancouver BC is a little laggy on their pubs. Maybe I just don’t know where to look.  Granville Island is pretty popular, I know.  If you just want fun places to go, there is the Bulldog, a dutch pub with lots of soccer and peanuts on the floor. On Monday and Tuesday nights there is a great band at a bar called Bar None (I think it’s on Henderson?)  They play all sorts of funk and soul. It’s really great stuff. That’s about what I know.  Have a good time in the best part of the US… I mean, it’s always rainy here and everyone wears flannel and cuts down trees. -Joel – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – First off, check out the Oregon Brewer’s Guild at http://www.teleport.com/~beer/ . They will list all the member breweries in Oregon. Must go to places in the Portland Metro area include: – Widmer Brewing (NE Portland)…Overall the best beer, beer style selection (from one brewery) and Germanic food. Ask about the Collaborator! – Laurelwood (NE Portland) recently re-opened. They have an excellent brewer and many fine beers. Their food is excellent too. – Lucky Labrador (E Portland) Brewing….Excellent beer, very casual dining, mostly lunch type meals, bring your dog (no kidding)! – Horse Brass Pub (E Portland)….. Mega craft beers on tap and many, many tastings happening. They also own Belmont Station next door which has an incredible selection of beers from around the world. – Hair of the Dog Brewing…. Don’t visit the brewery, there’s really not much to see. Sample the beer wherever you find it. The HB Pub (above) will serve HOTD brews. My favorite is  Golden Rose, a Belgium Style Tripple. Fred (named after Fred Eckert) is their trademark beer. All are available for sale in the Belmont Station store owned and next to the HB Pub. – Bridgeport Brewing (NW Portland)….Go to the primary brewery in the Far NW section of Portland. Typical brew pub fare but home to the Nor’wester and Saxer brands as well as the Bridgeport brand. A distant 5th to the above recomendations. – If you can get out to the city of Mt Hood, the Full Sail Brewery is definitely a top 4 overall (with the first three breweries above). Many of their beers are available throughout the Portland area. – The Pilsner Room. Located on the Portland downtown waterfront, they are a small size Full Sail brand brewery that is attached the the West Coast’s best seafood chain restaraunt, McCormick’s & Schmick’s (spelling?).  Just what kind of clams did you want with that Pilsner Urquell on tap? The seafood is not cheap but it doesn’t get any better. Last but not least, if you can make the second to last weekend in July, Oregon hosts North America’s largest beer fest featuring 50 or so unique beers from around the country. Yes, a lot are from the NW but they make an effort to get out of town beer. Show up on Saturday at noon and beat all of the lines. Now I know there are other places I have yet to uncover. Go to the Oregon Brew Crew’s web page and sign up for our email forum (use digest format as it is very active) at least a month before you come. Most any tasting or local release will get posted there. Also, feel free to ask for more opinions on where to go. If you are in town on the second Thursday of the month, come join us for a meeting. Many of the head brewers in the area and Fred Eckert are regular attendees. Expect about 50 people at any one meeting. A couple of don’t go places: McMennimans make some pretty sad beer IMHO. They do have some uniques places such as the Edgefield and Kennedy School (an old elementary school converted into a B&B and movie theater) in East Portland. If you want to take in a second run movie, check out their other dinner theaters. Microbrew and dinner at a table while you watch a movie and no one under 21 (no kids!). The Rock Bottom Brewery and the Ram Bighorn brew pubs serve midiocre beer. However, the food is pretty good at either. There are other breweries around Oregon so if you have other destinations in mind ask the Brew Crew email list their opinions as I have not visited many of these. Deshutes in Bend is fantastic (many of their beers are served throughout Oregon). Enjoy, -Dan I’ll be travelling to northwestern US next week and I was planning to stop at some microbreweries and brewpubs while I’m there. A quick search on Pubcrawler.com returned more than 80 such places where we’ll be travelling (briefly around Sacramento, then virtually all over Oregon, Washington and Vancouver BC). I’ve got a lot of work to do. Can anybody recommend the best in the region?  I’m most interested brewpubs, but there will be time for a brewery tour or two. Thanks. — Scott

Response:

I live in western Oregon and here are a few I recommend…. Rogue in Newport on Hwy. 101…need I say more? Pelican Pub & Brewery in Pacific City, up the coast about 1.5 hours from Newport…several GABF medal winning beers. great food, nice location right on the beach Hair of the Dog in Portland…great, unusual beers Lots more, but these are 3 of my favorites. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be travelling to northwestern US next week and I was planning to stop at some microbreweries and brewpubs while I’m there. A quick search on Pubcrawler.com returned more than 80 such places where we’ll be travelling (briefly around Sacramento, then virtually all over Oregon, Washington and Vancouver BC). I’ve got a lot of work to do. Can anybody recommend the best in the region?  I’m most interested brewpubs, but there will be time for a brewery tour or two. Thanks. — Scott

Response:

I’ll be travelling to northwestern US next week and I was planning to stop at some microbreweries and brewpubs while I’m there. A quick search on Pubcrawler.com returned more than 80 such places where we’ll be travelling (briefly around Sacramento, then virtually all over Oregon, Washington and Vancouver BC). I’ve got a lot of work to do. Can anybody recommend the best in the region?  I’m most interested brewpubs, but there will be time for a brewery tour or two. Thanks. — Scott

Response:

First off, check out the Oregon Brewer’s Guild at http://www.teleport.com/~beer/ . They will list all the member breweries in Oregon. Must go to places in the Portland Metro area include: – Widmer Brewing (NE Portland)…Overall the best beer, beer style selection (from one brewery) and Germanic food. Ask about the Collaborator! – Laurelwood (NE Portland) recently re-opened. They have an excellent brewer and many fine beers. Their food is excellent too. – Lucky Labrador (E Portland) Brewing….Excellent beer, very casual dining, mostly lunch type meals, bring your dog (no kidding)! – Horse Brass Pub (E Portland)….. Mega craft beers on tap and many, many tastings happening. They also own Belmont Station next door which has an incredible selection of beers from around the world. – Hair of the Dog Brewing…. Don’t visit the brewery, there’s really not much to see. Sample the beer wherever you find it. The HB Pub (above) will serve HOTD brews. My favorite is  Golden Rose, a Belgium Style Tripple. Fred (named after Fred Eckert) is their trademark beer. All are available for sale in the Belmont Station store owned and next to the HB Pub. – Bridgeport Brewing (NW Portland)….Go to the primary brewery in the Far NW section of Portland. Typical brew pub fare but home to the Nor’wester and Saxer brands as well as the Bridgeport brand. A distant 5th to the above recomendations. – If you can get out to the city of Mt Hood, the Full Sail Brewery is definitely a top 4 overall (with the first three breweries above). Many of their beers are available throughout the Portland area. – The Pilsner Room. Located on the Portland downtown waterfront, they are a small size Full Sail brand brewery that is attached the the West Coast’s best seafood chain restaraunt, McCormick’s & Schmick’s (spelling?).  Just what kind of clams did you want with that Pilsner Urquell on tap? The seafood is not cheap but it doesn’t get any better. Last but not least, if you can make the second to last weekend in July, Oregon hosts North America’s largest beer fest featuring 50 or so unique beers from around the country. Yes, a lot are from the NW but they make an effort to get out of town beer. Show up on Saturday at noon and beat all of the lines. Now I know there are other places I have yet to uncover. Go to the Oregon Brew Crew’s web page and sign up for our email forum (use digest format as it is very active) at least a month before you come. Most any tasting or local release will get posted there. Also, feel free to ask for more opinions on where to go. If you are in town on the second Thursday of the month, come join us for a meeting. Many of the head brewers in the area and Fred Eckert are regular attendees. Expect about 50 people at any one meeting. A couple of don’t go places: McMennimans make some pretty sad beer IMHO. They do have some uniques places such as the Edgefield and Kennedy School (an old elementary school converted into a B&B and movie theater) in East Portland. If you want to take in a second run movie, check out their other dinner theaters. Microbrew and dinner at a table while you watch a movie and no one under 21 (no kids!). The Rock Bottom Brewery and the Ram Bighorn brew pubs serve midiocre beer. However, the food is pretty good at either. There are other breweries around Oregon so if you have other destinations in mind ask the Brew Crew email list their opinions as I have not visited many of these. Deshutes in Bend is fantastic (many of their beers are served throughout Oregon). Enjoy, -Dan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be travelling to northwestern US next week and I was planning to stop at some microbreweries and brewpubs while I’m there. A quick search on Pubcrawler.com returned more than 80 such places where we’ll be travelling (briefly around Sacramento, then virtually all over Oregon, Washington and Vancouver BC). I’ve got a lot of work to do. Can anybody recommend the best in the region?  I’m most interested brewpubs, but there will be time for a brewery tour or two. Thanks. — Scott

Response: