best brewpubs/microBs for someone who doesn't drink beer?

okay, i%26#39;m a daiquiri person...and thusly prefer the sweet stuff (white not red wine, please...and if it has to be carbonated...i%26#39;ll try apple cidery stuff). but i do believe that when in rome, one should at least try to do as the romans do.

with that in mind,

where should i go for a good portland brewpub/microbrew experience? And if you all feel so inclined--please give me tips on what drink to order!

thanks

best brewpubs/microBs for someone who doesn't drink beer?

hi whirlyworld:

What an interesting question...it%26#39;s great that, as a professed non-beer drinker, you%26#39;re willing to explore what beers we have here in Oregon!

First off, I recently read a quote that (to paraphrase) said: When someone says ';I don%26#39;t like beer'; it%26#39;s about like saying ';I don%26#39;t like food';; that%26#39;s not to say beer IS food (though it could be considered by some), rather it%26#39;s to say the broad spectrum of beer styles is as varied as the range of cuisine styles. i.e. For every taste, there%26#39;s a beer style to match it.

OK, on to your question. I get where you%26#39;re coming from, liking the sweeter side. In terms of beers, that tells me you prefer malty, not bitter or hoppy. While the NW is known for creating big hoppy India Pale Ales (IPA%26#39;s) and such, there are always some lighter %26amp; maltier options, too. If you go to a brewpub, often their beer menu will include some abbreviations and statistics. Some are easy to interpret: for instance ';ABV';=alcohol by volume. The lightest of beers will be in the 3-4% range, stronger ones can be 8-10% or more. For you, an important number will be ';IBU';=International Bittering Unit. This indicates how bitter or ';hoppy'; a beer is. The higher the number, the more bitter it is. A general range is: Under 20=not bitter, 20-35=moderate, 35-50=bitter, over 50=extreme. So if all else fails when browsing a beer list, check for lower IBU%26#39;s; they%26#39;re likely to be more up your alley.

Portland is said to have the most breweries/pubs of any city in the world (over 30 within the city limits alone). That said, you won%26#39;t have any trouble finding a place to drink around here. Do you know where you%26#39;ll be staying?

I%26#39;ll give you some ideas of places to visit and beers I%26#39;ve tried that I hope you%26#39;ll like. Wherever you go, be sure to tell the server/bartender what it is you like. Usually they%26#39;re willing to pass out samples so you can taste before buying a pint:

Rogue Ales Public House - NW 14th/Flanders. A neat relaxed pub at the edge of the Pearl District. They have around 30 of their own beers on tap...servers are nice and I%26#39;ll bet they%26#39;ll help you choose a beer based on your preferences. Samples on request. A few that I%26#39;ve tried and feel confident you%26#39;d like (my %26#39;best bets'; for your tastes): Eugene City Honey Orange Wheat, Issaquah Bullfrog Ale, FestivAle.

bridgeport pub + bakery - NW 13th/Marshall. Recently remodeled old brick warehouse, now a swanky restarant and pub. Outdoor seating in nice weather (though it faces a construction zone). Very cool interior; great happy hour food/drinks 4-6 weekdays. Best bets: Supris Belgian blonde and Ropewalk Amber.

McMenamins - they%26#39;re a ubiquitous chain of pubs/restaurants/theaters/hotels all around Portland. Cool remodels of old buildings, funky artwork. Usually all have about the same beers and food options. Best bets: Ruby (made with raspberries), Wheat, Kolsch.

Widmer - poured all over town. Their Gasthaus restaurant -N Russell %26amp; Interstate, across from downtown. Best bets: Drop Top Amber, Widberry, Okto, Hefeweizen (always garnished with a lemon).

Roots Organic Brewing - SE 7th/Hawthorne. Across the river in a bit of an industrial area. Sort of island-themed, not much to look at but good beers. Two that you might like are the Burghead Heather Ale and (if still around) the summer-seasonal Kolsch (brewed with no hops, uses lavender and chamomile - unique flavors!)

Another option is Henry%26#39;s Tavern - 12th/W Burnside. Not a brewery (though built inside the old Henry Weinhard%26#39;s Brewery. They have a huge beer list (100+ taps). They also have several ciders %26amp; fruit ales on tap and lots of wines available, too (in case you%26#39;re sick of the taste of beer! =) ). Nice restaurant and good happy hour food 3-6 daily %26amp; late night. The beer menu is divided into categories; trying ones from the Wheat, Blonde, White %26amp; (maybe) Amber categories should be ones you%26#39;ll like. A couple specific non-Oregon beers you could try here are: Hoegaarden White (Belgian) %26amp; Anderson Valley Summer Solstice (California). Also the Lindeman%26#39;s Framboise%26#39;s may entice you. They do serve some of the ones I%26#39;ve listed above here as well, in case you don%26#39;t make it some of the other places. As always ask the server for help when in doubt, they are generally quite knowledgeable about what they serve here.

Whew! OK, sorry that was so long. I hope this helps - feel free to write back; I could keep going! ;-)

Cheers, Brian

best brewpubs/microBs for someone who doesn't drink beer?

I can only say that I am a wimp with beer and have discovered Lambic Beers ( the Belgian Lindeman that Brian mentions) and I really like the Peach/Peche.

Henrys has so much on tap, I would think it would be hard not to find something you might like :)

Have a good visit!

Henry%26#39;s or Bridegport. I%26#39;m not much into beer but both of these places have really good ones. Ask the bartender for best beer within the scope of your tastes.

oh wow! everyone, thanks for this. there%26#39;s hope for me it seems!

brian thanks for the thorough response--you are quite the ale scohlar (I can almost imagine if brian the dog was telling the very thing to peter griffin...though unlike peter, i actually appreciate your words!)

i%26#39;ll actually be staying at the courtyard lloyd center. i don%26#39;t know if there is anything around lloyd center other than the mall...but i%26#39;m not sure if i%26#39;d trust any mall restaurants to be good.

so i guess I will be MAXing my way to and fro things. any pubs close to me, do let me know!

thanks.

ww

ww:

Not really any pubs close to you at Lloyd Courtyard. If you%26#39;re relying on MAX alone, you can get to pretty much all the ones I listed above.

Ride a blue or red line to ';Galleria/SW 10th'; stop. From there you can either catch a streetcar or just start walking north and you%26#39;ll hit Henry%26#39;s, Rogue and (eventually) Bridgeport.

Ride a yellow line out of downtown (or transfer at Rose Quarter - its a 2 block walk from station to station) to get to Widmer and also to a cool old McMenamins pub called White Eagle. Get off at the Albina/Mississippi'; stop.

Hope your trip is freakin%26#39; sweet! ;-)

B

All those pubs mentioned are great if you want to drink beer with other tourists--if you want to drink with locals here%26#39;s your options:

If yer in N/NE Portland, there are four very good neighborhood pubs.

Laurelwood has two locations now on that side of town and serves very good beers:

http://www.laurelwoodbrewpub.com/

Alameda is up on Fremont and has liquor available for your non-beer drinking needs:

http://www.alamedabrewhouse.com/

Mash Tun is an intimate setting and newer, located in the trendy Alberta Arts District:

altportland.com/dailydose/mash_tun_brewpu.sh鈥?/a>

Last but not least is Amnesia Brewing located in the even more trendier/hipper district of Mississippi:

pdxguide.com/lifestyles/鈥mnesia.cfm

I%26#39;m a local and love these places, lol!

Anyway, Henry%26#39;s is great. You can try the beer, and if you decide you want to stick with daquari type drinks, they have a really good drink menu.

The McMenamin places are are a lot of fun. Each place is unique, and the brothers have done an amazing job with saving old buildings and turning them into true one of a kind places.

reply to kizzles:

I agree all those are great brewpubs/breweries. I could have listed them and kept going, but the poster stated that she liked a sweeter/maltier style beer. Almost everything served by the places you list has a moderate to strong hop character that I didn%26#39;t think she%26#39;d go for. It wasn%26#39;t a ';tourist'; vs. ';local'; thing...just trying to think of places that served multiple choices of beer styles she might like. If you can think of particular beers at each of those places that the poster might enjoy, please post back...I

(...for other ';local'; brewpubs, we could add New Old Lompoc, Lucky Lab, etc. or go on with pubs like Rose %26amp; Raindrop, Horse Brass and Concordia Ale House. Portland%26#39;s a great place to live, huh? ;-) ).

B

Just cannot resist.

Final Answer:

A %26amp; W Rootbeer. Best brewery for non-beer drinkers.

Just cannot resist.

Final Answer:

A %26amp; W Rootbeer. Best brewery for non-beer drinkers.

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