Best Portland Brewery Pub Crawls
Cities now have dozens of breweries and taprooms, and trying to figure out how to visit them can be a real challenge. To give you some pre-packaged, easy itineraries, I have several pub crawls that over their entire length never exceed a mile and a half. In some cases they’re just three stops long, in others five or six. It’s easy enough to use a rideshare or take public transportation to one stop on the crawl and then grab another bus or Uber home (Portland, in its idiosyncratic way, is actually a Lyft town). The following list is in no particular order, though I seem to have started in the downtown/NW region—near where many hotels are located. Have a glance at them all before selecting one and choose wisely! (I should offer a special prize for anyone who does all six.)
Slabtown (Northwest)
About ten years ago, developers discovered a tract of land given largely to warehouses and parking lots between the Pearl District and Nob Hill, bound on the north edge by a roaring freeway spur. It was an old neighborhood, and includes the famous dive bar Joe’s Cellar. On top of that forgotten and flattened landscape developers somewhat magically built a new village of sparkling apartment buildings and shiny new eateries and pubs. It’s a fun place to visit.
Great Notion. This is Portland’s premier “modern” brewery, with hazy IPAs, pastry sours and stouts—plus a lager or two. If you go, definitely sample from among the pastry beers or IPAs, though; that’s what Great Notion is known for and you won’t really find this arrangement elsewhere. Full menu. 2444 NW 28th Ave.
McMenamin’s Tavern & Pool. The McMenamins don’t make the best food or best beer, but they have some of the best properties. Moreover, in building an empire of pubs, they established Portland’s uniquely brewpub-y beer culture. T&P is one of the older pubs and a great place to feel the history. Full menu. 1716 NW 23rd Ave.
Breakside Slabtown. Breakside makes traditional NW IPAs and makes them extremely well. This is their showcase location, with a brewhouse designed for making these kinds of beers. It’s one of the nicest places to drink, and the beers are some of the best in the city. Win win. Full menu, 1570 NW 22nd Ave.
Pearl District (Downtown)
Downtown Portland has different sections with their own names. Thirty years ago, the Pearl District was the industrial/warehouse section of downtown, but morphed into the toniest zip code in Portland. Three breweries are located here, and they should all be high on your list. In most cases I offer a suggested sequence, but these three are so close together it doesn’t matter which direction you go.
Deschutes. Fourteen years ago, Oregon’s big brewery put a showcase pub in the Pearl, and it’s still a treat to visit. It has its own 10-barrel brewery and always features interesting beers. Don’t forget to ask about the cask handle! Full menu, 210 NW 11th.
Von Ebert. One of the city’s best new breweries, Von Ebert is a fantastic switch hitter that brews a lot of great lagers, but somehow wins prestigious awards for their IPAs, too. They even do great wild ales. Full menu, 131 NW 13th.
10 Barrel. Yes, it’s owned by AB InBev, but Portland’s 10 Barrel is helmed by one of the city’s best brewers, Whitney Burnside, who always has something interesting on tap. They win a ton of awards, too, and you’ll see why. Be sure to check out the rooftop bar. Full menu, 1411 NW Flanders.
[Optional] McMenamins Ringlers Annex. If you want to get a taste of the cool buildings in the McMenamin empire, this is a fun one. It’s in a sliver of a building on Burnside. Shoot downstairs for a speakeasy vibe. 303 SW 12th.
Fruit District
Just across the river is what was once called, thanks to all the fruit distributors in the neighborhood, the Fruit District. Now it’s more commonly called the industrial eastside, which is far less poetic. Either way, there’s a lot of history and great beer here. You can walk across one of the bridges or take a quick bus/streetcar from downtown. (Consider downloading the Hop Fastpass for ease of payment.)
Wayfinder. Start your crawl at one of Portland’s best breweries, home of the cold IPA, but more properly one of the premier lager spots in the city. CZAF, their Czech pils, won the vaunted Beervana Podcast tasteoff not long ago. Full menu, 304 SE 2nd.
Produce Row. This unassuming little pub dates back to the late 1970s, and was one of the early vectors of good beer. Before they started their own chain, Mike and Brian McMenamin got the hang of pub ownership with Produce Row. Most or all of the 20 taps feature local beer. 204 SE Oak St.
Living Haus. Located in the space formerly occupied by The Commons and Modern Times, Living Haus is the third excellent brewery in this spot—and with luck, it will be here a good long time. They specialize in lagers and Northwest IPAs. 628 SE Belmont.
Lucky Lab. A Portland institution and one of the oldest breweries left, the Lucky Lab has possibly the most Portland vibe in Portland and served as a model for many pubs that followed. If you have a dog, you are welcome to bring it. 915 SE Hawthorne.
Away Days. Directly across Hawthorne you’ll find British-owned and cask-friendly Away Days. They make lovely British-style beer, plus a few IPAs. You can also enjoy it in front of a soccer match, if that’s your speed, in the connected Toffee Club pub. Food at Toffee House, 1516 SE 10th.
Inner Southeast
Just past the Fruit District you’ll find another rich vein of breweries, including a new star in Portland, Grand Fir. You could walk from downtown, but it’s a bit of a hike. It’s easy to catch a quick bus (The 20 is probably the easiest) or rideshare.
Ecliptic Moon Room. Occupying the former site of Base Camp Brewing, the Moon Room is a great stop for some of John Harris’ excellent IPAs or fruited sours. Food trucks, 930 SE Oak.
Fracture Brewing. This new brewery had an impressive debut and features an impressive range in its dozen taps. It’s also a great place to eat, situated next to an international cart pod with excellent food. (A doorway leads from the pub to the pod, and you’re encouraged to take your beer. 1015 SE Stark St.
Grand Fir. Longtime 10 Barrel head brewer Whitney Burnside opened Grand Fir with her chef husband Doug Adams in late 2022, and it has become one of the hottest spots in Portland. 1403 SE Stark St.
Level Brewing. One of three Level taprooms, Level 3 has a fun vibe with games and a large beer garden. On the beer side, the expansive menu includes a lot of diversity, and usually one handle of cask ale. A truck outside has some of Portland’s best tacos. 1447 NE Sandy Blvd.
Southeast Division
This is a fun and diverse jaunt, most of it in a straight line down Southeast Division street. Getting to the first location, Baerlic Brewing, is probably easiest via rideshare, though the #2 bus will also get you there. I’ve included one of Portland’s classic and most important beer bars along the way—a true stalwart that has helped many small breweries along the way. If you’re looking for some cans to take home, this is a great place to stop.
Baerlic. Start the crawl at one of Portland’s best breweries—and a true generalist in terms of focus. They do some of the best IPAs around, but also have a great selection of lagers (Chill is a fave of mine) as well as British styles. Pizza, 2239 SE 11th.
Chuckanut P-Nut. One of the best lager breweries in the US recently opened a taproom just around the corner from Baerlic. It’s a bit spartan to look at, but the beers are spectacular. No food, 920 SE Caruthers.
Beermongers. Founded in 2009, when bottle shop/taprooms were rare, this modest little nook has been a huge part of Portland’s scene. No food, 1125 SE Division.
Olympia Provisions/Rosenstadt. Rosenstadt doesn’t have a permanent taproom, but 6-8 of their beers are always on tap here. They do classic German ales and lagers, and are one of the city’s most underrated breweries. Full menu, 3384 SE Division.
Little Beast. A few doors down from Olympia Provisions, you’ll find Little Beast occupying an early 20th-century bungalow. The beer garden is spectacular, and so are Charles Porter’s complex, approachable wild ales—along with a surprisingly strong selection of IPAs. Full menu, 3412 SE Division.
North Portland
This is an adventure for the intrepid and those who like gritty urban tableaus. The individual pubs you’ll visit are lovely, welcoming environments, but the journey will take you through an industrial corridor. Persevere! The breweries are well worth visiting. You can also hop the Max light rail for part of it or bushwhack your way through Portland’s industrial northside. You will, however, end up in the Mississippi District, which is one of the coolest, funkiest stretches in the city.
Upright. You start at one of the state’s best breweries, which is on bus and streetcar lines from downtown. Upright makes superb wild ales, lagers, and has two cask engines at the tasting room. They even do IPAs! No food, 240 N. Broadway.
Ecliptic. The home to legendary brewer John Harris (founding brewer at Deschutes), Ecliptic features proper NW IPAs (and hazies, too), and a surprisingly selection of fruited sours, and a regular porter—one of the few in Portland. Also the best burger in town. Full menu, 825 N. Cook.
StormBreaker. An underrated brewery with a great patio and mellow vibe, StormBreaker excels at classic American beers, particularly hoppy ones (their fresh-hop ales are best in class). If you want a red ale or oatmeal stout, StormBreaker is a good bet. Full menu, 832 N. Beech.
Montavilla
This last one is a bit further out, and if you’re new to Portland or haven’t been here often, stick to one of the itineraries above for a good overview of the Rose City. The Montavilla neighborhood is fairly far east, but is one of the coziest and most pleasant pockets of town—which describes all three of these stops as well. If you do decide to trek out to Montavilla, you won’t regret it.
Gigantic Robot Room. The second Gigantic location is situated in a space with four restaurants in stalls the size of food carts. On a warm day, it’s a perfect location to while away the afternoon. 6935 NE Glisan.
Montavilla Brew Works. Montavilla Brew Works is in some ways the spirit of the neighborhood. Owner/brewer Michael Kora wanted to develop a kind of living room locals could use as a place to crash and have a beer, and that’s what it feels like. 7805 SE Stark
Threshold. Just steps from Montavilla is Threshold, which has become one of the more celebrated brewers of hazy IPAs in Portland. The co-owner and head brewer is Polish, and you’ll also find interesting Polish lagers and snacks. 403 SE 79th.
Roscoe’s. A former dive bar that kept that aesthetic, Roscoe’s has long been one of the key beer bars in Portland—with one of the best beer lists in town. 8105 SE Stark