Thebeerchasers’ Best Portland Dive Bars

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

As I mentioned in my 2018 Annual Report, after pursuing this somewhat unusual hobby for a little over seven years, some might wonder which bars of various types or which breweries are my favorites. Conversely, which would I not recommend although there are not many in the latter category.

So over the next few months, while still doing blog posts about bars I visit in 2019, I will try to identify my favorites to this point by category i.e. dive bar, neighborhood establishment, sports bar, brew-pub, etc. – without paying undue attention to defining the criteria for the categories.

As one can see by the first logo pictured above, I was originally going to confine my journey to just Portland watering holes; however, given our robust retirement travel, it has expanded to cover bars in Europe, Alaska, Hawaii, a number of regions in the continental US and throughout Oregon from the High Desert to the wonderful and scenic Oregon coast.

I’ll divide each category into separate posts covering Portland establishments and those outside the Rose City. For each bar, I will provide a brief narrative on my rationale for it being on my “all-star” list.

I might add that one of the joys of this undertaking – especially on our trips, has been sharing the experience with my wife of 39 years.

Janet has transitioned from almost exclusively drinking wine, to enjoying IPAs – especially the hoppy ones. That said, she demurs when I suggest hitting a dive bar — there have been one or two exceptions when we have been traveling.

I welcome your comments and opinions. It should be also noted that I am not ranking these within the all-star categories, although I might feel inclined to indicate one that supersedes the others in each specific group. Most of the narrative about each bar was applicable when I reviewed them. Things may have changed since then, but hey – with 286 bars down and a lot more to go, I don’t have time to go back and update!

If you want to see the original post for the four I highlight below, you can click on the purple link in the name of the bar which precedes its story.

Cheers and Go Beavs!

Best Portland Area Dive Bars

The Ship Tavern – December 10, 2012

The Ship, located in nearby Multnomah Village, could make the all-star list just from its unique mural on the exterior front wall, but this bar is a “must visit” for those who appreciate the ambiance of a good dive.

One could assert that it gets some competition as an iconic watering hole from Renners’ Bar and Grill, another great dive just around the corner and reviewed by Thebeerchaser in August, 2017 – unfortunately, now closed because of a disastrous fire. However, even when both were operating The Ship clearly anchored the exceptional bars in the Village.

It’s aptly described by this Yelp reviewer who wrote: “The ship isn’t anything to write home to Mom about…..heck it probably isn’t even a place I would tell my Mom I went….but it knows what/who it is.” (Yelp 9/1/17)

The Ship has been in the same location since 1946 and this site of a former garage has big-time history and character. If you go on Thursday, your table will have free peanuts in the shell – the shells go on the floor when you are done.

There’s also a great juke box with the favorite plays when I visited in 2012 as follows:

Neil Young and Crazy Horse – “Get a Job”

Bad Company – “Bad Company”

The Raconteurs – “Steady as She Goes”

Waylon Jennings – “Good-Hearted Woman”

When you want to play a song in the juke, you tell the bartender who turns off the stereo. The old-time pinball machine is also great.

Da Bears, Da Cubs and Da Sox! – Now there are several bars in Portland which purport to be Chicago Bears’ bars – these include the Buffalo Gap and the Hob Nob Grill, but The Ship Tavern is very passionate about their favorite NFL Team. They also like the Cubbies and White Sox.

The Ship can be considered a Chicago hangout as evidenced by the fact that any time the Bears, Cubs or the Sox play, Pabst Old Style Beer – A Chicago favorite – is $1.50 per can and margaritas and Bloody Mary’s are $3.50.

Debbie, the friendly bartender, emphasized, “This doesn’t apply to Blackhawk games – we’re not big on hockey.”

Furthermore, every Sunday during football season they “offer meals that are themed after the opposing team.” The Sunday after my first visit, they played the Minnesota Vikings. The special was Tator-tot-Hotdish and Caesar salad for $5.50.

According to Wikipedia, “Hotdish is a variety of baked casserole that typically contains a starch, a meat or other protein, and a canned and/ or frozen vegetable mixed with canned soup. The dish is popular in Minnesota and North Dakota.”

Part of the lore was also supplied by former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, Jay Waldron. The bar was a hangout for the Portland Rugby Club (of which Waldron is a charter member) and they had their Book-and-Brew discussions at The Ship. (I didn’t ask what percentage was brew and the allocation of book, nor the nature of the literature purportedly dissected.)

The overall character and décor make this bar the epitome of a good dive bar including the pictures and memorabilia – and the stories surrounding each one of them. In the words of one patron:

“The Ship is simply your quintessential dive bar……It’s an ultra local joint with good history…….that dark and dank local bar with a handful of guys in trucker hats and grey mustache’s…..”(Yelp 2/29/12)

Candace, the friendly bartender

The Ship Tavern 7827 SW 35th Ave. Portland (Multnomah Village)

Gil’s Speakeasy – May 9, 2017

When they named it a speakeasy, they weren’t kidding. There is no sign with the name and other than a few innocuous beer signs in the front windows, no indication that this is actually a bar.

It’s on the ground floor of a multi-story apartment building and based on the surrounding structures, you could walk right by it if you didn’t know it was there. Perhaps that’s why PDXbars.com described it as, “Small, hard to find bar, with a huge personality.”

A viewing slot like a traditional speakeasy

And this is okay with Brett Gilhuly, who bought and renamed the bar in 2004 – it’s been around since 1939. He stated in a media interview, “If you could find it, you were more than welcome. And if you couldn’t, – find something else.”

Brett also originated their advertising slogan, “The nicest assholes in town!.” Gil’s wife, Katie is the co-owner and bartender and a very nice person….The dingy, although spacious bar, is also distinguished by its collections of signs, old bottles, photos and memorabilia.

Katie and bartender, Judd – “the best bartender in town!”

It features one of the few full-length shuffleboard tables remaining in Portland bars and has a great juke-box with a slew of albums ranging from Otis Redding and Sam Cooke to Pearl Jam and Guns ‘N Roses.

Although possibly a little inconsistent with the preferences of the typical dive bar regular, they even have “Teenager in Love,” by Dion and the Belmonts – it hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959.

Dion and the Belmonts!!

But the best feature is their daily food special – you’ll have to go to my original blog post to see all of them, but to give you an idea, on Monday – which is also Dirty Bingo Night, you can get three tacos for a buck and on Friday (when I ate there) – a Sloppy Joe with chips – also for $1.

The Friday special for $1

The large pool table with red felt is a nice touch and is in a comfortable adjacent room. They have a good tap list and beer is cheap.

Even the coin-operated breathalyzer is a nice feature and one which is not found often in Portland Bars.

Summed up in a dated, but still very accurate Yelp review on 4/17/14:

“In my top 5 dives in Portland. this place is great. drinks are reasonable, strong pours, and the food is great and affordable. check out their turkey dinner. delicious, home made, cant be missed. place is cozy.”

Gil’s Speakeasy 609 1/2 SE Taylor

Mock Crest Tavern – May 23, 2012

The Mock Crest is definitely a classic and borders on being a neighborhood establishment rather than classified as a dive; however, although it has some great features, it’s characterized by the wonderful environment of a dive bar. Perhaps, this Yelp comment summed it up best although the reviewer equivocates to some extent:

“Hmmmm…I cannot classity this as a Dive Bar. I’ve been to a generous handful in my day, and this is upscale divey, if not a classy dive bar. It is a gem.”

Yep. It’s a dive albeit a classy one…..

So what are some of the distinguishing factors of this historic establishment which has operated for about 70 years and was named after North Portland entrepreneur and philanthropist, John Mock.

North Portland icon

A pharmacy and butcher shop/meat market occupied the building before the bar. A picture of Mock hangs on the wall as you go out to the bar’s outside patio – not fancy, but a great place to contemplate the God’s gift of beer!

Mock Crest has eight rotating draft beers and about 21 bottled and cans. Happy Hour is twice each day – from 3 to 6 P.M.and 11 PM to close.

Good food can be an exception to the rule at dive bars, but the bar has a good menu (including fried pickles) and gets favorable comments about its food including breakfast.

When we were there six years ago, the menu stated, “Breakfast served – any time.” My colleague, Intellectual Property lawyer, John Mansfield, decided to be coy and stated, “Okay, I’ll take French Toast from the Renaissance Era.” I see that they now serve it only until noon on weekdays – probably so they never have to listen to that comment ever again…..

Mansfield – he’s welcome back provided someone else orders the food!

Live Music – Although the size of the bar is pretty limited, it is well known for its long history of good live music. Their website states:

“(We) play host to NoPo’s best live music every Thursday thru Saturday. From Rock ‘Roll and Country, to Jazz, Pop, Blues and R&B, you’ll enjoy local legends, touring artists, as well as up and coming stars. Best of all there never a cover charge – ever.”

The evening we were there we got to hear the Eagle Ridin’ Papas featuring legendary musician, Johnnie Ward, who was described as “a living study of Northwest Roots and Blues Movement with nearly 40 years of performance art to his credit.” You are close up to the musicians and they like to interact.

At least one reviewer (Yelp 10/7/16) objects to the space constraints although most patrons (including John and I) like this intimate set-up:

“Want to have a conversation with some friends? Forget it. Want to use the bathroom? Forget it, unless you don’t mind making direct eye contact with the lead singer while you squeeze through the drummer’s floor tom and the bass amp.” (I guess Johnnie Ward realized how old I was because he smiled and nodded empathetically when I made the trip…..)

Johnnie Ward – up close and personal..

Mock Crest describes itself with several nice slogans – all of which are apt:

Home of the North Portland Blues

Easy to Find – Hard to Leave

Where Friends Meet

And in far North Portland, it’s a bit out of the way, but well worth a visit – one of the classics to which I will look forward to returning. The character is best described by this one succinct review.

“Small, hard to find bar with a huge personality.”

Mock Crest Tavern 3435 N Lombard Street Portland

The Standard – June 26, 2018

While with the Mock Crest Tavern, one can make an argument that it is not a traditional dive bar, that is not the case with The Standard. The entrance, shown above, confirms before you enter, that you are arriving at a true dive – and this is affirmed when you see the interior.

You walk in through the covered patio, which is vaguely reminiscent of the days before Oregon’s smoke-free legislation passed in 2008 and the interior of every dive bar had a hazy, smoke filled environment, which would be hazardous for anyone without pristine lungs. (The second-hand smoke during the times I was there was pretty minimal, however.)
Individuals and groups sit at the picnic tables chatting, smoking and working on computers – often accompanied by their pets. And they drink cheap beer.

It’s a bar, which even with a great reputation, has been below the radar in an inconspicuous location on NE 22^nd Avenue – just off Burnside. And some might assert that with the dark wooden fence with a dumpster in the middle, fronting the bar, it looks like a recycling center. Opened in 2007, it doesn’t have the long history of some other classic bars, but demands recognition.

It’s replete with old-style pinball machines and games, a pool table and even a photo-booth.

There’s also a curiously-short shuffleboard – with empty kegs underneath, old beers signs, tacky art, an idiosyncratic (or bizarre) cracked mirror – the full length of the bar – and well, a lot of stuff that just makes you feel welcome.

Another distinguishing characteristic is a noticeable affinity for Hamm’s Beer. It’s manifested by its Wednesday all-day $1 Hamm’s pints, numerous logos and a notable stuffed Hamm’s Bear over the bar wearing a Portland Trailblazer jersey. The Standard, like a lot of dives, is not the go-to place for quality pub food. Its line-up is confined to items such as chips and salsa, a few sandwiches (micro-waved), mini-corndogs and fried ravioli(?)

They also have a drink special each day which includes the aforementioned Hamm’s special on Wednesday.

I don’t know why I loved this watering hole so much. Was it the overall environment, the sense of community – reflected by such features as their Crappy Book Club – “Bring your crappy books and trade them for other crappy books,” the annual chili cooking contest, the Christmas decorations and showing of Santa Horror Movies?

Or was it just the people with whom I experienced the bar – a group of some of my favorites Beerchasing regulars.

But The Standard ranks as my favorite dive bar to this point in the seven and one-half years of this pursuit. Perhaps it’s best conveyed by former Willamette Week Project Editor, Matthew Korfhage.

In 2017, he garnered first place for his columns on food writing in the American Association of Alternative Newspapers. Matthew has reviewed establishments while living in St. Louis, Chicago, Munich and Bordeaux. He wrote the following in the annual Willamette Week Best Bars Guide.

2016 – “It’s the best little bar in Portland, and I won’t hear otherwise.”

2017: “The bar is cheap, no-nonsense fun in a way that takes all comers and yet is loving towards its long-time regulars. These days in Portland that makes The Standard not very standard at all. It makes it a GD treasure.”

So take in The Standard experience. And while they have some good craft beer on tap, in the interest of honoring the character of this establishment, belly up to the bar and ask bartender, Tyler, for a draft Hamm’s.

The Standard 14 NE 22nd Ave. Portland

Well that’s it folks and stay tuned in the coming weeks for a similar all-star list of dive bars outside of Portland. And remember when you are contemplating this topic, the wisdom of Seattle author, Mike Seeley in his book Seattle’s Best Dive Bars:

“But really, no collection of characteristics can be melded to truly define what makes a bar a dive…..The term ‘dive’ is bestowed with a spoonful of love….What they have in common aren’t so much attributes, but a state of mind — you just know one when you see one.” (Pages 9-10)

Hey! Have you Seen Thebeerchaser During the Last Seven Years?

Posted on January 17, 2019 by Thebeerchaser

Overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley in 2013

Those of you who are followers of Thebeerchaser.com may know from the 2018 Annual Report that the total number of watering holes – bars, pubs, breweries, taverns, saloons, etc. visited since I commenced this hobby in August, 2011, stood at 287 at the end of 2018.

Laura and Ryan Keene and Kenzie Dettman outside Stammtisch in 2014

111 of these establishments were in the Portland metro area with the remaining 176 scattered over a large geographical expanse including several cities in Europe, bars and breweries in Alaska, Hawaii, many regions throughout the continental US and all across Oregon.

The Oxford Saloon on our 2016 trip to Missoula, Montana

These ranged from Idaho and Montana to Wisconsin to Maine, New York City and Boston, to the Southeast in cities including Asheville, NC; Savannah and Charleston, South Carolina. Then there was Beerchasing in the desert – Phoenix and Scottsdale. Then back to the west coast in northern California.

Janet with Barb and John Senger at the Sink in Boulder, Colorado

And, of course, some of my absolute favorites are scattered throughout Oregon – from Baker City and Joseph to Burns, Prineville and Madras and down the entire stretch of the Oregon coast from Astoria to Bandon.

The Embers Brew House in Joseph, Oregon

Wait! Don’t forget the Benedictine Brewery and Taproom in Mt. Angel, Oregon where those raising a mug of Father Martin Grassel’s flagship brew – Black Habit – toast the Brewery’s slogan – “Taste and Believe.”

I thought it was important to develop an accurate and comprehensive list of these establishments for those who might want to use this blog as a resource. Okay, it was also just for my own memories…..

While it took quite a few hours to go back and compile the specific dates, the type of bar (for those in Portland) and location, the result is set forth below – categorized by year and whether it was in Portland or in a venue outside the Rose City .

If you want to find out about a specific watering hole visited (almost always at least twice for those in Portland) or if you are planning to hit Stanley, Idaho and want to find out about the history of Casanova Jack’s Stanley Rod and Gun Whitewater Saloon, you have a couple of options. An asterisk indicates the establishment is now no longer in operation.

Thebeerchaser outside the Stanley Rod and Gun Whitewater Saloon

You can look in the data base below this chart and in the far right column, the month of the post will be identified. On the right side of the screen when you are in Thebeerchaser.com you will see a field to select the month and year from Thebeerchaser.com archives.

Alternatively, you can enter the name of the bar or brewery in the search field in the upper right of your screen and you will usually see the appropriate post although sometimes I reference a bar in more than one. In the latter case, there is usually a link to the main reference.

Thebeerchaser’s Composite List of Bars, Taverns and Pubs

Year	Portland	Outside Portland	Yearly Total	Composite Total
2018	12	30	42	287
2017	15	27	42	244
2016	14	39	53	202
2015	11	36	47	149
2014	17	18	35	102
2013	13	21	34	68
2012	20	5	25	34
2011	9	0	9
Total	111	176	287

2018 Portland Area Bars

	Name	Location	Type	Date of Post
2018-1	The Salty Rhino	West Linn	Neighborhood	December
2018-2	Palomar	SE	Cocktail	December
2018-3	Bar 33	Sellwood	Neighborhood	September
2018-4	Benedictine Brewery	Mount Angel	Brewery and Taproom	August
2018-5	Brew Barge	Downtown (River)	Miscellaneous	August
2018-6	The Happy Fortune	SW	Miscellaneous	August
2018-7	The Standard	NE	Dive	June
2018-8	The Dockside	North	Neighborhood	June
2018-9	Oaks Bottom Pub	Sellwood	Neighborhood	April
2018-10	Wilders Bar and Café	NE	Neighborhood	April
2018-11	Woodsman Tavern *	SE	Neighborhood	February
2018-12	John’s Market Place	Multnomah Village	Bottle Shop	January

The Dockside – a classic in North Portland with the best hashbrowns in the City

2018 Bars Outside of Portland

	Name	Location	Type	Date of Post
2018-1	North Mountain Brewing	Phoenix	Brewery and Pub	April
2018-2	OHSO Brewing	North Scottsdale	Brewery and Pub	April
2018-3	McFate Brewing	Scottsdale	Brewery and Pub	April
2018-4	Wren House Brewing	Scottsdale	Brewery and Pub	April
2018-5	Scottsdale Beer Company	Scottsdale	Brewery and Pub	April
2018-6	Helton Brewing	Phoenix	Brewery and Pub	April
2018-7	Mesquite River Brewing	Scottsdale	Brewery and Pub	April
2018-8	Sun Up Brewing	Scottsdale	Brewery and Pub	February
2018-9	OHSO Brewing	Phoenix Airport	Taphouse	February
2018-10	Four Peaks Brewing	Phoenix	Brewery and Pub	February
2018-11	Goldwater Brewing	Phoenix	Brewery and Pub	February
2018-12	Two Brothers’ Brewing	Scottsdale	Brewery and Pub	February
2018-13	Durty Nelly’s Bar	North Boston	Dive Bar	October 30
2018-14	Shipyard Brewing	Portland, Maine	Brewery and Taproom	October 30
2018-15	Sebago Brewing	Portland, Maine	Brewpub	October 30
2018-16	Rising Tide Brewing	Portland, Maine	Brewery and Taproom	October 30
2018-17	Marshall Wharf Brewing	Belfast, Maine	Brewery and Taproom	October 30
2018-18	Sea Dog Brewing	Camden, Maine	Brewpub	October 30
2018-19	Rock Harbor Brewing	Rock Harbor, Maine	Brewery and Taproom	October 30
2018-20	Atlantic Brewing	Bar Harbor, Maine	Taproom	October 18
2018-21	Cottage Street Pub	Bar Harbor, Maine	Dive Bar	October 18
2018-22	Island Bar	SW Harbor, Maine	Dive Bar	October 18
2018-23	Sips	Southwest Harbor, Maine	Cocktail Bar	October 18
2018-24	Ebenezer’s Pub	Lovell, Maine	Neighborhood	October 9
2018-25	Standard Gastropub	Bridgton, Maine	Gas Station Bar	October 9
2018-26	Sea Dog Brewing	South Portland, Maine	Brewpub	October 9
2018-27	Heartland Brewing	New York City	Brewery and Pub	October 1
2018-28	District Tap House	New York City	Taphouse	October 1
2018-29	Mariott Pulse Rooftop Bar	New York City	Hotel Bar	October 1
2018-30	Mariott Pulse Patio Bar	New York City	Hotel Bar	October 1

Historic dive bar, Durty Nelly’s in Boston’s North End

2017 Portland Area Bars

	Name of Venue	Location	Type	Date of Post
2017-1	Multnomah Whiskey Library	Downtown	Whiskey Bar	January
2017-2	Nineteen 33 Taproom	West Linn	Neighborhood	February
2017-3	Buffalo Bill’s Saloon	Beavercreek	Neighborhood	February
2017-4	Ancestry Brewing	Tualatin	Brewery	February
2017-5	The Independent	Downtown	Sports Bar	March
2017-6	NEPO 42	Northeast	Neighborhood	April
2017-7	Burnside Brewing	East	Brewery	April
2017-8	Gil’s Speakeasy	Southeast	Dive Bar	May
2017-9	Flyboy Brewing	Tigard	Brewery	May
2017-10	Cascade Brewing Barrel House	Southeast	Brewpub	June
2017-11	Labrewatory	North	Brewery	June
2017-12	Renners	Multnomah Village	Dive Bar	August
2017-13	Slow Bar	Southeast	Neighborhood	October
2017-14	TC O’Leary’s Irish Pub	Northeast	Neighborhood	October
2017-15	ZARZ	Downtown	Whiskey Bar	December

The Multnomah Whiskey Library

2017 Bars Outside Portland

	Name of Venue	Location	Type	Date of Post
2017-1	Nauti Mermaid Beach Club	Lincoln City, OR	Neighborhood	July
2017-2	Scooters Pub	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	July
2017-3	Dukes on the Water	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Dive	July
2017-4	Water Street Brewery	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Brewery	July
2017-5	Badger State Brewery	Green Bay, Wisc.	Brewery	July
2017-6	Hinterland Brewery	Green Bay, Wisc.	Brewery	July
2017-7	Door County Brewing	Bailey’s Harbor, Wisc.	Brewery	August
2017-8	AC Tap	Sister Bay, Wisc	Dive	August
2017-9	Coyote Road House	Bailey’s Harbor, Wisc.	Neighborhood	August
2017-10	Cornerstone Pub	Bailey’s Harbor, Wisc.	Neighborhood	August
2017-11	Pourman’s Bar	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	September
2017-12	Lake Front Brewing	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Brewery	September
2017-13	McGillycuddy’s Bar	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	September
2017-14	Bar None	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	September
2017-15	The Ale Asylum Riverhouse	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Brewpub	September
2017-16	Yachats Brewing	Yachats, OR	Brewery	November
2017-17	Defeat River Brewing	Reedsport, OR	Brewery	November
2017-18	Seven Devils Brewing	Coos Bay, OR	Brewery	November
2017-19	Bandon Brewery	Bandon, OR	Brewery	November
2017-20	Broken Anchor Bar and Grill	Bandon, OR	Neighborhood	November
2017-21	The Beverage Barn	Bandon, OR	Bottle Shop	November
2017-22	Arch Rock Brewing	Gold Beach, OR	Brewery	November
2017-23	Chetco Brewing	Brookings, OR	Brewery	November
2017-24	Six Rivers Brewing	McKinleyville, CA	Brewery	December
2017-25	Humboldt Regeneration	McKinleyville, CA	Brewery	December
2017-26	Lost Coast Brewery	Eureka, CA	Brewery	December
2017-27	Mad River Brewery	Blue Lake, CA	Brewery	December

AC Tap outside Bailey’s Harbor, Wisconsin

2016 Portland Area Bars

2016-1	Lake Oswego	The Hop’N Cork	Neighborhood	January
2016-2	NE	Sloan’s Tavern	Neighborhood	February
2016-3	SE	Hair of the Dog Brewery	Brewery	February
2016-4	SW	Barlow Artisenal Bar	Misc.	March
2016-5	NW	Life of Riley Tavern	Dive	March
2016-6	SW	The Yardhouse	Misc.	April
2016-7	N	The Rambler	Neighborhood	May
2016-8	SE	The Ranger Station	Neighborhood	June
2016-9	SW	MoMo Bar Maximo	Dive	July
2016-10	NE	Billy Ray’s Neighborhood Dive	Dive	August
2016-11	SE	Mad Sons Pub *	Neighborhood	September
2016-12	SW	The Fulton Pub	Brewery	October
2016-13	NW	Bridgeport Brewery	Brewery	November
2016-14	SW	Mummy’s Bar and Restaurant	Misc.	December

Beerchaser regulars and trial lawyers, Brian King, Brian Flanagan and John Mansfield outside Billy Rays Neighborhood Dive Bar

2016 Bars Outside Portland

2016-1	Tamarack Brewing	Missoula, MT	February
2016-2	Stockman Bar	Missoula, MT	February
2016-3	Big Sky Brewing	Missoula, MT	February
2016-4	Flathead Lake Brewing	Missoula, MT	February
2016-5	Draught Works Brewery	Missoula, MT	February
2016-6	Charlie B’s Bar	Missoula, MT	February
2016-7	Oxford Bar	Missoula, MT	February
2016-8	Plonk Wine Bar	Missoula, MT	February
2016-9	Kauai Island Brewing Company	Kauai	May
2016-10	Kauai Beer Company	Kauai	May
2016-11	Duke’s Bar and Restaurant	Kauai	May
2016-12	Nawiliwili Tavern	Kauai	May
2016-13	Blackfoot River Brewing	Helena, MT	July
2016-14	Lewis and Clark Brewing	Helena, MT	July
2016-15	Grand Teton Park Lodge	Grand Teton NP	July
2016-16	Local Restaurant and Bar	Jackson, WY	July
2016-17	Gather Food and Drink	Jackson, WY	July
2016-18	Million Dollar Cowboy Bar	Jackson, WY	July
2016-19	Melvin Brewing	Jackson, WY	July
2016-20	Wild West Pizzeria and Saloon	West Yellowstone	July
2016-21	Couer d’aline Resort Bar	Couer d’aline	August
2016-22	The Moose Lounge	Couer d’aline	August
2016-23	The Corner Bar	Couer d’aline	August
2016-24	Chained-Up Brewpub	Couer d’aline	August
2016-25	Crafted Taphouse and Kitchen	Kennewick, WA	August
2016-26	Ice Harbor Brewery	Kennewick, WA	August
2016-27	McCall Brewing Company	McCall, ID	August
2016-28	Salmon River Brewery	McCall, ID	August
2016-29	Stanley Rod and Gun Whitewater Saloon	Stanley, ID	September
2016-30	The Kasino Club	Stanley, ID	September
2016-31	Redfish Lake Lodge Bar	Stanley, ID	September
2016-32	Caldera Brewing	Ashland, OR	October 24
2016-33	Blackbird Kitchen and Bar	Sacramento	October 31
2016-34	Hock Farm Craft Provisions	Sacramento	October 31
2016-35	Dive Bar	Sacramento	October 31
2016-36	Woody’s Brewing	Redding, CA	November
2016-37	The Pour House	Murphys, CA	November
2016-38	Murphys Hotel and Saloon	Murphys, CA	November
2016-39	Murphys Irish Pub	Murphys, CA	November

The Moose Lounge in the heart of Couer dalene, Idaho

2015 Portland Area Bars

2015-1	Suburb	Brannon’s in Beaverton *	Neighborhood	March
2015-2	NE	Oregon Public House	Non-profit Pub	March
2015-3	SE	Double Barrel Tavern	Dive	April
2015-4	N	Ecliptic Brewing	Brewery and Pub	May
2015-5	SW	Yamhill Pub	Grunge	May
2015-6	NW	Low Brow Lounge	Dive	June
2015-7	SW	Pope Bourbon House	Cocktail	June
2015-8	SW	Kelly’s Olympian	Historic Dive	August
2015-9	N	St. John’s Pub	Historic	November
2015-10	NW	The New Old Lompoc *	Neighborhood	November
2015-11	SE	Produce Row Café	Historic	December

Historic Kellys Olympian in Downtown Portland

2015 Bars Outside Portland

2015-1	The Sink	Boulder, Colorado	February
2015-2	Post Brewing	Boulder, Colorado	February
2015-3	Crystal Springs Brewing	Boulder, Colorado	February
2015-4	Gravity Brewing	Louisville, Colorado	February
2015-6	Avery Brewing	Boulder, Colorado	February
2015-7	Post Brewing	Boulder, Colorado	February
2015-8	New Belgium Brewing	Fort Collins, Colorado	May 19
2015-9	Mayor of Old Town	Fort Collins, Colorado	May19
2015-10	The Town Pump	Fort Collins, Colorado	May 19
2015-11	Phantom Canyon Brewing	Colorado Springs, Colorado	May 19
2015-12	Ritz Bar and Grill	Colorado Springs, Colorado	May 19
2015-13	Breckinridge Brewery	Breckenridge, Colorado	May 29
2015-14	Ollie’s Pub and Grub	Breckenridge, Colorado	May 29
2015-15	Gold Pan Saloon	Breckenridge, Colorado	May 29
2015-16	Angel Hollow Bar	Breckenridge, Colorado	May 29
2015-17	Après Handcrafted Libations	Breckenridge, Colorado	May 29
2015-18	Broken Compass Brewery	Breckenridge, Colorado	May 29
2015-19	Dillon Dam Brewery	Dillon, Colorado	May 29
2015-20	Eleventh Street Pub & Bistro	Atlanta, GA	July
2015-21	The Nook on Piedmont	Atlanta, GA	July
2015-22	Max’ Wine Dive	Atlanta, GA	July
2015-23	Jack of the Woods Public House	Asheville, SC	July
2015-24	The Thirsty Monk	Asheville, SC	July
2015-25	Wicked Weed Brewery	Asheville, SC	July
2015-26	Lexington Avenue Brewery	Asheville, SC	July
2015-27	Blind Tiger Pub	Charleston, SC	July
2015-28	South End Brewery & Smokehouse	Charleston, SC	July
2015-29	Charleston Beer Exchange	Charleston, SC	July
2015-30	The Gin Joint	Charleston, SC	July
2015-31	The Boar’s Head Grill & Tavern	Savannah, GA	September
2015-32	JJ Bonerz Sports Bar	Savannah, GA	September
2015-33	Moon River Brew Brewery	Savannah, GA	September
2015-34	Churchill’s Pub	Savannah, GA	September
2015-35	Savannah Distillery Ale House	Savannah, GA	September
2015-36	Pinky Master’s *	Savannah, GA	September

The Gold Pan Saloon in Breckenridge, Colorado

2014 Portland Area Bars

2014-1	The Nest	SE	Neighborhood	January
2014-2	Skyline Tavern	NW	Historic	January
2014-3	Sandy Hut	NE	Dive	February
2014-4	The Cheerful Bullpen	SW	Sports	February
2014-5	Saraveza	N	Neighborhood	March
2014-6	Bazi Bier Brassiere	SE	Neighborhood	April
2014-7	Bailey’s Tap Room/The Upper Lip	NW	Taproom	April
2014-8	Crackerjacks Pub	NW	Neighborhood	April
2014-9	Quimby’s	NW	Neighborhood	April
2014-10	Sniff Café	NW	Miscellaneous	April
2014-11	The Lost and Found	N	Neighborhood	June
2014-12	The Beer Mongers	SE	Bottle Shop	June
2014-13	Stammtisch	NE	Neighborhood	July
2014-14	Portland Peda Lounge	SE	Miscellaneous	August
2014-15	Club 21 *	NE	Dive	September
2014-16	The Richmond Bar	SE	Cocktail	November
2014-17	Marathon Taverna	NW	Sports	December

Owner of the Bazi Bierbrasserie, Hilda Stevens holds Thebeerchaser logo while part of our walking group finishes its food and bier

2014 Bars Outside Portland

2014-1	Glacier Brewhouse	Anchorage, Alaska	July 8	February
2014-2	Darwin’s Theory	Anchorage, Alaska	July 8
2014-3	Haines Brewery	Haines, Alaska	July 17	February
2014-4	Red Dog Saloon	Juneau, Alaska	July 17
2014-5	Shipboard Bars	Statandem – Holland America	July 17
2014-6	Lumpy’s Landing	Dundee, OR	September
2014-7	The Old Oregon Saloon	Lincoln City, OR	September
2014-8	The Nauti Mermaid	Lincoln City, OR	September
2014-9	Road House 101	Lincoln City, OR	October
2014-10	Snug Harbor Bar & Grill	Lincoln City, OR	October
2014-11	Pelican Brewery	Pacific City, OR	October
2014-12	The Oar House	Pacific City, OR	October
2014-13	Sportsman Pub and Grub	Pacific City, OR	October
2014-14	Cruise Inn	Lincoln City, OR	November
2014-15	Bay Haven Inn	Newport, OR	November
2014-16	Mad Dog Country Tavern	Newport, OR	November
2014-17	Hoovers Bar and Grill	Newport, OR	November
2014-18	Tidepool Pub	Depoe Bay, OR	November

Lincoln City’s Cruise Inn

2013 Portland Area Bars

2013-1	The Grand Café	SE	Dive	January
2013-2	Belmont Inn	SE	Neighborhood	March
2013-3	Tugboat Brewery *	SW	Brewery and Pub	March
2013-4	Belmont Station	SE	Bottle Shop	April
2013-5	Tanker Bar	SE	Dive	April
2013-6	Beer	SE	Neighborhood	April
2013-7	Horse Brass Pub	SE	Historic Brew Pub	May
2013-8	Sidecar 11	N	Neighborhood	June
2013-9	Sasquatch Brewery	Cedar Hills	Brewery and Pub	July
2013-10	The Slammer	SE	Dive	August
2013-11	Davis Street Tavern *	NW	Neighborhood	October
2013-12	Slabtown *	NW	Dive	October
2013-13	Church	NE	Neighborhood	December

The Slammer in the Barmuda Triangle

2013 Bars Outside Portland

2013-1	Café Karpershoek	Amsterdam, Netherland	June
2013-2	Bier Brewery	Anaheim, Austria	July
2013-3	Hells Tavern	Rothenberg, Germany	July
2013-4	The Devil’s Forest Pub	Venice, Italy	July
2013-5	Bacaro Jazz Café	Venice, Italy	July
2013-6	Miscellana Café and Pub	Rome, Italy	August
2013-7	La Cantina Di Miky	Vernazza, Italy	September
2013-8	The Horner Pub	Lauterbrunner, Switzerland	September
2013-9	Schilthorn Taverne	Lauterbrunner, Switzerland	September
3013-10	The Publican	Beaune, France	October
2013-11	The Beer Station	Paris, France	October
2013-12	La Vin Couer	Paris, France	October
2013-13	Long Branch Bar	La Grande, OR	November 4
2013-14	Cascades Lake Brewery	La Grande, OR	November 4
2013-15	Horseshoe Tavern	Prineville, OR	November 4
2013-16	Solstice Brew Pub	Prineville, OR	November 4
2013-17	Hideout Saloon	La Grande, OR	November 4
2013-18	10 Depot Street	La Grande, OR	November 14
2013-19	Mt. Emily Ale House	Baker, OR	November 14
2013-20	Bull Ridge Brewery	Baker, OR	November 14
2013-21	Central Pastime Tavern	Burns, OR	November 20

Café Karpershoek – the oldest bar in Amsterdam – founded in 1606

2012 Portland Area Bars

2012-1	Dixie Tavern	NW	Dive Club	February
2012-2	Ash Street Saloon *	SW	Club	February
2012-3	Migration Brewery	NE	Brewery and Pub	February
2012-4	Laurelthirst Pub	NE	Neighborhood	February
2012-5	Hawthorne Hideaway	SE	Neighborhood	March
2012-6	Mock Crest Tavern	N	Historic	May
2012-7	Interurban	N	Neighborhood	May
2012-8	Muddy Ruder Pub	SE	Neighborhood	June
2012-9	County Cork *	NE	Neighborhood	June
2012-10	Sidecar 11	N	Neighborhood	June
2012-11	The Cheerful Tortoise	SW	Historic Sports	June
2012-12	Bottles	NE	Bottles Shop	July
2012-13	Goose Hollow Inn	SW	Historic Neighborhood	July
2012-14	The Lutz Tavern	SE	Historic Neighborhood	August
2012-15	Gold Dust Meridian	SE	Neighborhood	October
2012-16	Bar of the Gods	SE	Dive	October
2012-17	Claudias	SE	Historic Sports	November
2012-18	White Eagle Saloon	N	Historic	November
2012-19	1856	NE	Bottle Shop	November
2012-20	The Ship Tavern	Multnomah Village	Dive	December

Former Mayor and owner of the Goose Hollow Inn, Bud Clark, with Jim Westwood, John Terry and Bud’s daughter when we Beerchased at the Goose

2012 Bars Outside Portland

2012-1	Astoria Brewery Wet Dog Café	Astoria, OR	September
2012-2	Desdemona Club	Astoria, OR	September
2012-3	The Pour House	Port Townsend, WA	September
2012-4	Embers Brew Pub	Joseph OR	October
2012-5	Terminal Gravity Brewery	Enterprise, OR	October

The Desdemona Club in Astoria, where Laura the bartender explains to Dave Booher, the origin of the nickname, “The Dirty D.”

2011 Portland Area Bars

2011-1	Brooklyn Park Pub		SE	Dive	August
2011-2	Yukon Tavern		SE	Dive	August
2011-3	Gladstone Street Tavern		SE	Neighborhood	September
2011-4	The Twilight Room		N	Historic	September
2011-5	Joe’s Cellar		NW	Dive	September
2011-6	Buffalo Gap Tavern		SW	Historic	November
2011-7		Prost	N	Brew Pub	November
2011-8	Amnesia Brewery *		N	Brewery and Pub	November
2011-9	Coalition Brewery		SE	Brewery and Taproom	November

Observing the tradition at Prost where you don’t let the 2-liter boot touch the table once it starts the rounds or………

I have often gotten requests to identify my favorite spots — also those to which I would not return. Since I subscribe to the quote below, I have most notably avoided the latter. But after almost eight years it may be enlightening for some to view Thebeerchaser’s humble opinion on the all-stars and those few given the wealth of wonderful places to raise a mug, I would not return.

Samuel Johnson – 18th century writer, poet and playwright and drinker….

“There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as a good tavern.” Samuel Johnson

I will therefore, in the next few months, publish some shorter posts on my favorites – by category i.e. dive bar, neighborhood pub, brewery, etc. – both in Portland and outside Portland.

These will be integrated with posts about new bars I am visiting and reviewing Also, expect to see the short list of habitats that Thebeerchaser recommends that you avoid.

For example, expect to see the picture below and a short description of the Ship Tavern in Multnomah Village in the post about favorite Portland area dive bars.

I’ve also fielded inquiries about how with the number of bars visited, I have avoided gaining 100 pounds and/or a stint at the Betty Ford Clinic. On the first question, while I haven’t attained my goal of getting back to my original weight – 9 pounds 9 ounces…(Sorry!), thanks to my wife who is an outstanding walker and hiker as well as regular trips to the gym, I have pretty much maintained my pre-retirement poundage

Mingling with the friendly regulars at the classic dive bar Club 21 in 2014 – gone but not forgotten!

It should also be noted that notwithstanding the title, this blog is primarily about bars – not the beer itself.

I spend most of my time in the watering holes, nursing a pint while talking to the bartender and the regulars about the history of the bar, the distinguishing characteristics and noting the signs, memorabilia and décor – which in most bars and a lot of brew pubs is distinct and worth talking about. (The picture from the Club 21 is a great example of the great people I’ve met.)

And, of course, on the majority of visits, I am with friends where the conversation and comradery are paramount and the beer secondary – notwithstanding this photo of former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter Jim Westwood with members of the Jack Faust clan at the Yard House in Portland! (Although the company was great, the Yard House is on Thebeerchaser’s “No Return” list of bars to be published in the future.

As an example, how can you be overly concerned with your brewski when you are listening to former Mayor Bud Clark, explain the amazing history of the “Expose Yourself to Art” poster while we were at the Goose Hollow Inn (See the picture above)

Jim Westwood, Kevin Fischer, Amy Faust, Jack Faust and Thebeerchaser

The armchair philosopher who stated, “A bar is better than the newspaper for public discussion.” was correct and we should add the social media to that quote. So I will plug on with Thebeerchaser’s Tour of Bars, Taverns and Pubs – only about 400 left to explore in Portland!

Cheers!

Cheers from Thebeerchaser

Thebeerchaser’s 2017 Annual Report

Posted on January 5, 2018 by Thebeerchaser

Cheers from Thebeerchaser

I would suggest that 2017 was a year of good cheer – but isn’t that what you would expect from the author of a blog entitled “Thebeerchaser.” While there were national and international events which make me shudder, the following speaks strictly to my idiosyncratic retirement hobby i.e. visiting bars, taverns and pubs and then blogging about them. The following is my rationale for asserting, “It was a very good year.”

Buffalo Bill’s Saloon in rural Beavercreek

Blog Statistics – while I would still pursue this hobby even if the only people reading my posts were family members (out of a sense of obligation), it is gratifying to see that the number visiting the blog has increased – a lot – each year from my first full year in 2012.

The chart below shows the total number of views with the darker blue being the number of visitors each year.

The unique Multnomah Whiskey Bar

For example in 2017, I had 24,577 views from 18,623 visitors – meaning each visitor looked at an average of 1.32 different posts.

This compares to 2013 when the views rang in at 15,223 by 10,031 people – a 60% increase in views over that four year period. My first full year, only 6,704 ventured in, so the increase has been gratifying.

Thebeerchaser’s Statistics from 2012 – 2017

Since its inception in August, 2011, I have published 189 posts – each one averaging about 1,500 words. In 2017, followers of the blog saw twenty-nine posts, which is pretty close to the annual average over the six full years I have been on this “Tour.” But in 2017, since we were on the road more, we visited more different public houses than in any prior year.

Wonderful scenery (and breweries) along the S. Oregon Coast

When we travel, I describe multiple bars and breweries in each post. For example, in September we headed down the Southern Oregon Coast through Redwood National Park to Eureka.

In three different posts, I described eleven breweries, one bar and one bottle shop that we visited on that trip including our favorite, Mad River Brewing in Blue Lake California.

Drinking with the friendly staff of Mad River Brewing

And I am always amazed to see the locations at which the visitors to Thebeerchaser are doing their Google searches which bring them to my domain.

For example, in 2017, 85% of the views were from the US, but 3% were from India, followed by 1.8% from Canada and even ten views from Saudi Arabia.

Known to roam both New Guinea and Khazakstan

Perhaps that’s some people getting vicarious thrills from reading about watering holes because Saudi Arabia has a complete ban on alcohol – it is illegal to produce it, import it, or consume it.

In fact, in 2017 I even had two visitors from New Guinea and one from Khazakstan. Perhaps they got to my blog by mistake and they meant to do a search for The boar chaser……

Thebeerchasing Itinerary

At the wonderful dive bar AC Tap outside Sister Bay in Door County, Wisconsin

My practice when Beerchasing in the Portland area is to generally visit an establishment at least twice – that gives me a better feel for the place and more opportunity to meet patrons and talk to the bartenders or staff about the bar or brewery’s history and distinguishing characteristics.

Now 2017 set a record for the most venues visited. Although the Portland area total was lower than most years at fifteen bars and breweries, this number was supplemented by twenty-seven outside Portland including multiple entries in Wisconsin, California and the Oregon Coast.

Lakefront Brewing in Milwaukee

You can see the list for both categories at the end of this post. And one brewery is in a special category – the Benedictine Brewery in Mount Angel which will be discussed below.

Friendly owner Tom O’Leary

For Portland establishments, I devote the entire post to one venue. For example, my favorite bar in 2017 of the nine Portland area watering holes, was TC O’Leary’s Irish Pub where I got to know the owner, Tom, a former star from Ireland’s most popular soap opera.

And the brewery which captured my imagination of the five Portland area enterprises reviewed was Tigard’s Flyboy Brewing. The outstanding people in these establishments gave them the nod plus you haven’t lived until you have tasted their Pilot’s Peach Pale Ale.

Michelle Faubion and Mark Becker of Flyboy Brewing

Beerchasers-of-the-Quarter

Each quarter I also write about an individual or group for which I bestow the “honor” Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter (BOTQ). In the past, these have included authors, athletes, war heroes, media personalities and even my graduate school Professor of Public Finance, Portland State’s Dr. John Walker.

The only Beerchaser-of-the-Year was named in 2016 – my wife of thirty-eight years, Janet, who has shown the patience and given her support for the time I spend checking out these colorful and many times historic, public houses.

The only Beerchaser-of-the-Year

Fortunately, she has grown to have a fondness for IPAs (Buoy Brewing’s of Astoria is her favorite) – a change from generally consuming an Oregon Pinot when we dined out in prior years.

Amy Faust of 99.5 – The Wolf

I was somewhat remiss this year and only named three BOTQ – Portland radio personality, Amy Faust, of the Mike and Amy Show and then a tribute to the late author and my friend (as a result of this blog) Brian Doyle.

And then there’s Father Martin Grassel, who is the head brewer at the Benedictine Brewery at the Mount Angel Abbey (in addition to being the Procurator for the Abbey – a very big responsibility.) He is a wonderful man with a fascinating background.

Father Martin of the Benedictine Brewery

Stay tuned for a catch-up effort in 2018, when my first BOTQ will be Portland developer and civic leader, Mark Edlen.

For a list of past recipients of Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, see the tab so designated on the header at the top of this post. These people are interesting and have compelling stories and you probably know some of them.

Looking Back and Reflecting……

Dave Booher and Steve Larson at the Central Pastime Tavern in Burns

Since my visit to the Brooklyn Park Pub in August, 2011, my first bar on what has been a six and one-half year journey, I have visited and reviewed a total of 257 different watering holes.

While my initial intent was to restrict these visits to Portland locations, our retirement travel was conducive to telling you about bars in Europe and Alaska, Hawaii, Montana and a bunch of other states in addition to saloons all over the state of Oregon – from the coast to John Day and Baker.

The personable Phoebe of the Brooklyn Park Pub

By the way, I was very happy that I returned to the Brooklyn this summer and had a visit with their wonderful bartender Phoebe Newcombe, one of my favorite of many dynamic personalities (also third place in Willamette Week’s Best- of-Portland Bartenders) I have had the pleasure of interviewing since 2011.

Darwin’s Theory – An OSU Beaver in Anchorage

So of that total (257) 114 have been in Portland and 143 in the aforementioned other geographical locales. (Sometime if we have a beer, I will tell you about our visit to the bar right below the summit of top of Mt. Schilthorn in Switzerland – at an altitude of 9,744 feet.)

Or there was my favorite dive bar of all time – Darwin’s Theory in Anchorage, Alaska – owned by an Oregon State University alum.

The Schilthorn Taverne in Switzerland

You’ve got to be kidding? Beer at 9,500 feet!

The List of 2017 Venues

The charts below show the name, location type of establishment and date of the post for each place reviewed in 2017 – separated by those in the Portland metropolitan area and those outside the Rose City.

Name of Venue	Location	Type	Date of Post
Multnomah Whiskey Library	Downtown	Whiskey Bar	January
Nineteen 33 Taproom	West Linn	Neighborhood	February
Buffalo Bill’s Saloon	Beavercreek	Neighborhood	February
Ancestry Brewing	Tualatin	Brewery	February
The Independent	Downtown	Sports Bar	March
NEPO 42	Northeast	Neighborhood	April
Burnside Brewing	East	Brewery	April
Gil’s Speakeasy	Southeast	Dive Bar	May
Flyboy Brewing	Tigard	Brewery	May
Cascade Brewing Barrel House	Southeast	Brewpub	June
Labrewatory	North	Brewery	June
Renners	Multnomah Village	Dive Bar	August
Slow Bar	Southeast	Neighborhood	October
TC O’Leary’s Irish Pub	Northeast	Neighborhood	October
ZARZ	Downtown	Whiskey Bar	December

Wisconsin Beerchasing

On the Oregon Coast

Name of Venue	Location	Type	Date of Post
Nauti Mermaid Beach Club	Lincoln City, OR	Neighborhood	July
Scooters Pub	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	July
Dukes on the Water	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Dive	July
Water Street Brewery	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Brewery	July
Badger State Brewery	Green Bay, Wisc.	Brewery	July
Hinterland Brewery	Green Bay, Wisc.	Brewery	July
Door County Brewing	Bailey’s Harbor, Wisc.	Brewery	August
AC Tap	Sister Bay, Wisc	Dive	August
Coyote Road House	Bailey’s Harbor, Wisc.	Neighborhood	August
Cornerstone Pub	Bailey’s Harbor, Wisc.	Neighborhood	August
Pourman’s Bar	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	September
Lake Front Brewing	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Brewery	September
McGillycuddy’s Bar	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	September
Bar None	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Neighborhood	September
The Aly Asylum Riverhouse	Milwaukee, Wisc.	Brewpub	September
Yachats Brewing	Yachats, OR	Brewery	November
Defeat River Brewing	Reedsport, OR	Brewery	November
Seven Devils Brewing	Coos Bay, OR	Brewery	November
Bandon Brewery	Bandon, OR	Brewery	November
Broken Anchor Bar and Grill	Bandon, OR	Neighborhood	November
The Beverage Barn	Bandon, OR	Bottle Shop	November
Arch Rock Brewing	Gold Beach, OR	Brewery	November
Chetco Brewing	Brookings, OR	Brewery	November
Six Rivers Brewing	McKinleyville, CA	Brewery	December
Humboldt Regeneration	McKinleyville, CA	Brewery	December
Lost Coast Brewery	Eureka, CA	Brewery	December
Mad River Brewery	Blue Lake, CA	Brewery	December
Benedictine Brewery	Mount Angel, OR	Brewery	November

The Benedictine Brewery

Sign designed and created by Brother Andre’ Love

Fans of great beer and the rich history of brewing can look forward to the opening of the Benedictine Brewery and Taproom in mid-2018. After an incredible community timber raising on November 11th, the Brewery is now framed and its flagship beer, Black Habit got a wonderful review at this link in Willamette Week. http://www.wweek.com/bars/beer/2017/12/12/in-a-bavarian-village-in-oregon-you-can-drink-beer-brewed-by-benedictine-monks/

I have been working as a volunteer on this project for the last fifteen months – it’s a vision of Father Martin Grassel. When completed, it will be the only brewery west of the Mississippi in which the ownership and brewing is by monks – in this case those at the Mount Angel Abbey, established in 1882.

To see some videos which will amaze you and give you an idea of the energy and spirit shown at the timber raising at which about 100 monks, seminarians and friends from the Mt. Angel community worked as a team all day, check out the following link from my post on 11/21.

Updated picture from 1/4/18

https://thebeerchaser.com/2017/11/21/the-benedictine-brewery-beam-me-up/

Happy New Year!

Thebeerchasers List of Bars, Taverns and Pubs – the US and Europe

Posted on January 14, 2016 by Thebeerchaser

(For a list of all Portland bars reviewed, see the blog post dated 12/26/2015 immediately below this post.)

Those who follow this blog know that Thebeerchaser’s journey, begun in August 2011, was intended to be a tour of Portland bars, taverns and pubs with observations posted on the blog. Since we had just retired and started traveling with much greater intensity than during working years, the hobby expanded to include watering holes throughout the United State and Europe. You can probably understand how that might happen!!

Beerchasers-of-the Quarter, John Terry and Jim Westwood in our 2012 visit to the historic Goose Hollow Inn

Beerchasers-of-the Quarter, John Terry and Jim Westwood with former Portland Mayor Bud Clark in our 2012 visit to the historic Goose Hollow Inn

The “dedication” to Portland watering holes has not been compromised during the ensuing four and one-half years as evidenced by the list of 69 Portland establishments listed by sector of the City on Thebeerchaser post dated 12/26/15. The list of the bars outside Portland through August 2016 – five years since the “journey” commenced – is at the bottom of this post.

Dave, Steve and animals at the Central Pastime in Burns

A 2013 trip to Central and Eastern Oregon with my brother-in-law, Dave Booher and his good friend, Steve Larson from Pendleton was so enjoyable that it “compelled” me to expand the geography on the bars visited. For example, stories from the Central Pastime Tavern in Burns and the Long Branch Saloon in LaGrande just had to be told.

When my wife and I visited Europe for the first time in 2013 on a Rick Steves’ Best of Europe tour – six countries in twenty-one hectic but glorious days – our experience at the Devil’s Forest Pub in Venice, the Publican Bar in Beaune France, having a brewski at 9,700 near the summit of Mt. Schilthorn, as well as being chased out of the Beer Station in Paris (the only establishment in 53 months that objected to me taking pictures in their bar) also deserved relating.

Bier at the top of Mt. Schilthorn in Switzerland

Bier near the top of Mt. Schilthorn in Switzerland

Well, you understand the story….the next year, Dave, Steve and I repeated our prior three-day journey to Oregon’s desert country in 2013 with a similar sojourn along the Central Oregon Coast.

Aided by studying the wonderful blog of author and journalist, Matt Love, entitled “Let it Pour – An unconventional drinking guide to the north and central oregon coast” – a worthy predecessor to my blog – we hit thirteen taverns in three days in Lincoln City, Newport, Depoe Bay and Pacific City.

The legendary "Death Tank" at the Tide Pool Inn in Depoe Bay

The legendary “Tank of Death” at the Tide Pool Pub in Depoe Bay

We tasted the wonderful pizza and marveled at the Tank of Death at Depoe Bay’s Tide Pool Pub “a salt-water glass coffin….. packed with all manner of marine creatures caught by local fishermen who bucket in their curious finds and dump them in. Eels, crabs, sea bass, perch, Dick Cheney, octipi and urchins all end up in the mix.

According to the bartender, aquatic creatures regularly stage a battle royal to the death and the tank serves as a Roman arena of savagery and merciless predation – with bets slapped down and accelerated drinking when the water turns a creamy, cloudy red.” (Matt Love – “Let it Pour” blog)

We heard stories about Paul Newman’s inebriated exploits during the filming of “Sometimes a Great Notion” in Newport, by Steve the friendly bartender in the historic Bay Haven Inn and we reveled in the great bars along the coast.

Tales of Paul Newman while filming Ken Kesey’s classic

Oh yeah, I forgot the “splendor” of one of the West’s great dive bars – the Sportsman Pub and Grub in Pacific City.

Dave and Steve at the Sportsman Pub and Grub in Pacific City

As I have stated before, I owe much of the “success” of this blog – 17,906 views by 14,179 visitors in 2015, to my wife, Janet’s, (Beerchaser-of-the Year in 2014) willingness to switch from her preferred beverage of wine to beer when we visited breweries.

New Belgium was our favorite in Fort Collins, Colorado. We raised mugs and talked to wonderful people in bars in Alaska (2014), Colorado (2015) and the Southeast U.S. (2015 – Atlanta, Asheville, Charleston and Savannah).

The New Belgium Brewery in Ft. Collins

And the summer of 2015 also included outstanding visits to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks after visiting some great bars and brewpubs in Missoula and Helena, Montana. The narrative was posted in 2016.

Listening to live music in the bar at Jackson Lake Lodge in the Tetons

Some great Montana beer!

A bar with Southern charm in Charleston, South Carolina

Janet has one inviolate rule – “No dive bars for her!” I might add that this is notwithstanding my explanation on the ambiance and hospitable nature of dive bars as asserted by the author of this quote:

“Dive bars can be a wonderful thing — I’m not talking about the type of place where you’re afraid of getting a shiv in the bathroom, but a comfortable, neighborhood establishment where locals go to enjoy each other’s company and a drink or five….It’s like sitting in your own living room – only with a bunch of surly strangers who are on the verge of inebriation.”

The Ship in Multnomah – one of my favorite dive bars

Well, the end result appears below in a chronologic listing of bars visited outside Portland – broken down by state or country – a total of ninety-six during the 53 months of Thebeerchaser’s tour.

—————-

Stay tuned for the posting on this Poulsbo, WA. brewery

How to Use This List of Bars Outside Portland

The month of the posting (not the date we visited it) for each bar or pub on the list below is in the far right column, so if you want to glean some details or see pictures of a particular bar, just click on the link of the applicable month and year shown in columnar form on the right side of your computer screen and you will see each of the bars reviewed in that particular month.

You may also want to do a search in the box at the top right of the blog header although a number of the bars are mentioned in multiple posts and you might not get the most comprehensive review unless you scroll down a bit. And if you want to receive an e-mail with a link each time I do a new Beerchaser post, sign up in the small box labeled “Follow” at the lower right hand side of your screen.

Cheers!

1	2012	Port Townsend, Washington	Pour House	August
2	2012	Astoria	Desdemona	September
3	2012	Astoria	Wet Monkey Cafe	September
4	2012	Joseph	Embers Brew Pub	October

1	2013	Prineville	Solstice Brew Pub	November
2	2013	Prineville	Horseshoe Tavern	November
3	2013	LaGrande	Long Branch Saloon	November
4	2013	LaGrande	Hideout Saloon	November
5	2013	LaGrande	10 Depot Bar	November
6	2013	Baker City	Bull Ridge Brewery	Closed in 2014
7	2013	Baker City	Mt. Emily Ale House	November
8	2013	Burns	Central Pastime Tavern	November
9	2013	Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland	Horner Pub and Tavern	September
10	2013	Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland	Mt. Schilthorn Tavern	September
11	2013	Arnheim, Austria	Bier Brewery	July
12	2013	Rothenburg, Germany	Hell’s Tavern	July
13	2013	Amsterdam, Netherlands	Café Karperschoek	June
14	2013	Vernazza, Italy	Blue Marlin Café	September
15	2013	Beaune, France	Publican Bar	September
16	2013	Rome, Italy	Miscellana Café	September
17	2013	Venice, Italy	Devil’s Forrest Café	July
18	2013	Venice, Italy	Bacaro Jazz Café	July
19	2013	Paris, France	Beer Station	September
20	2013	Paris, France	La Vin Cover Café	September

1	2014	Anchorage	Darwin’s Theory	July
2	2014	Anchorage	Humpy’s Great Alaskan Ale House	July
3	2014	Anchorage	Pioneer Bar	July
4	2014	Anchorage	Glacier Brewery	July
5	2014	Anchorage	Snow Goose Brewery	July
6	2014	Haines	Haines Brewery	July
7	2014	Juneau	Red Dog Saloon	July
8	2014	Lincoln City	Old Oregon Saloon	September
9	2014	Lincoln City	Rusty Truck Brewery – Road House 101	October
10	2014	Pacific City	Sportsman Pub and Grub	October
11	2014	Pacific City	Oar House	October
12	2014	Pacific City	Pelican Pub and Brewery	October
13	2014	Lincoln City	Snug Harbor Bar and Grill	November
14	2014	Lincoln City	Nauti Mermaid	November
15	2014	Lincoln City	Cruise Inn	November
16	2014	Depoe Bay	Tide Pool Inn	November
17	2014	Newport	Hoovers	November
18	2014	Newport	Bay Haven Bar	November
19	2014	Newport	Mad Dog Country Tavern	November
20	2014	Dundee	Lumpy’s Landing	November

1	2015	Boulder	Crystal Springs Brewing	February
2	2015	Boulder	The Sink	February
3	2015	Boulder	Avery Brewing	February
4	2015	Boulder	Gravity Brewing	February
5	2015	Boulder	Post Brewing	February
6	2015	Fort Collins	New Belgium Brewery	May
7	2015	Breckenridge	Gold Pan Saloon	May
8	2015	Fort Collins	Town Pump	May
9	2015	Fort Collins	Mayor of Old Town	May
10	2015	Colorado Springs	Ritz Bar and Grill	May
11	2015	Colorado Springs	Phantom Canyon Brewing	May
12	2015	Breckenridge	Angel Hollow Bar	May
13	2015	Breckenridge	Apres’ Handcrafted Libations	May
14	2015	Breckenridge	Ollie’s Pub and Grub	May
15	2015	Dillon	Dillon Dam Brewery	May
16	2015	Breckenridge	Breckenridge Brewery	May
17	2015	Breckenridge	Broken Compass Brewery	May
18	2015	Atlanta, Georgia	Max’s Wine Dive	July
19	2015	Atlanta, Georgia	Eleventh Street Pub and Bistro	July
20	2015	Atlanta, Georgia	The Nook on Piedmont Park	July
21	2015	Asheville, North Carolina	Wicked Weed Brewery	July
22	2015	Asheville, North Carolina	Lexington Avenue Brewery	July
23	2015	Asheville, North Carolina	Jack of the Woods Public House	July
24	2015	Charleston, South Carolina	Blind Tiger Pub	September
25	2015	Charleston, South Carolina	Charleston Beer Exchange	September
26	2015	Charleston, South Carolina	The Gin Joint	September
27	2015	Charleston, South Carolina	South End Brewery and Smokehouse	September
28	2015	Savannah, Georgia	Pinky’s Master Lounge	September
29	2015	Savannah, Georgia	The Boar’s Head Grill and Tavern	September
30	2015	Savannah, Georgia	JJ Bonerz Sports Bar	September
31	2015	Savannah,Georgia	Moon River Brew Pub	September
1	2016	Missoula, Montana	Tamarack Brewery	February
2	2016	Missoula, Montana	Stockman Bar	February
3	2016	Missoula, Montana	Big Sky Brewing	February
4	2016	Missoula, Montana	Flathead Lake Brewery	February
5	2016	Missoula, Montana	Draught Works Brewery	February
6	2016	Missoula, Montana	Kettle House Brewing	February
7	2016	Missoula, Montana	Charlie B’s Bar	February
8	2016	Missoula, Montana	Oxford Bar	February
9	2016	Missoula, Montana	Plonk Wine Bar	February
10	2016	Helena, Montana	Blackfoot River Brewing	July
11	2016	Helena, Montana	Lewis and Clark Brewery	July
12	2016	Grand Teton Natl. Park	Jackson Lake Lodge Bar	July
13	2016	Jackson, Wyoming	Local Restaurant and Bar	July
14	2016	Jackson, Wyoming	Gather Food and Drink	July
15	2016	Jackson, Wyoming	Million Dollar Cowboy Bar	July
16	2016	Jackson, Wyoming	Melvin Brewing	July
17	2016	West Yellowstone, Wyoming	Wild West Pizzeria and Saloon	July
19	2016	Lihue, Kauai	Kauai Beer Company	May
20	2016	Lihue, Kauai	Dukes Bar and Grill	May
21	2016	Port Allen, Kauai	Kauai Island Brewing Company	May
22	2016	Lihue, Kauai	Nawiliwili Tavern	May

Cheers!

Outside the Horner Pub in Lauderbrauden, Switzerland

Outside the Horner Pub in Lauterbrunnen , Switzerland

53 Months of Thebeerchaser’s Tour – Where we’ve been and you should go!

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Thebeerchaser

Thebeerchaser outside Crackerjacks Pub - probably his favorite bar on the Tour to this point!

Thebeerchaser outside NW Portland’s Crackerjacks Pub – probably his favorite bar on the Tour to this point!

Denny Ferguson at the historic Cheerful Tortoise downtown

Since the inception of Thebeerchaser’s Tour of Bars, Taverns and Pubs in August 2011 I have had the pleasure of visiting and writing-up sixty-nine Portland establishments. And what was originally intended to be posts about the history, regulars and distinguishing characteristics of watering holes strictly within the Rose City, transformed into an expanded mission based on our retirement travel.

These trips resulted in visits to 97 additional saloons in Europe, Alaska, the Southeastern US, Montana, Wyoming, Washington and central and eastern Oregon and the Oregon coast described in Thebeerchaser posts.

Laura Williams, Ryan Keene and Kenzie Larson outside Stammtisch – a great NE Portland bar

Besides being able to list the alehouses visited, as a tool for Thebeerchaser followers and visitors I have now categorized those Portland watering holes by sector of the city for those who are looking for a place to raise a mug in a certain geographical area.

Former Portland Mayor, Sam Adams, Beerchasing at the Beer Monger in SE

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They are broken down into Northeast (10 bars), Southeast (23 bars which includes the fabled Barmuda Triangle) North (11 bars in the vicinity of Mississippi, Killingsworth and Interstate Avenues and St. John’s), Northwest (13 bars) and Southwest (10 bars which includes downtown or the Central Business District and Multnomah).

There was one bar in the suburbs (Brannons in Beaverton which unfortunately is now closed) and the Pedalounge – a traveling chariot which visits several bars on its amazing tour of Southeast Portland. Towards the end of this post, the bars and brewpubs outside the Portland area are listed.

University of Portland’s Dr. Sam Holloway and Brian Doyle at the St. John’s Pub

The 2016 Addendum is enumerated at the bottom of this post.

How to Use this Chart

If you are interested in finding more about one of the taverns on the list below, there’s two ways to do this:

In the second column on the listing below, you will see the year and the month of the post for the bar. On the right side of your computer screen, you will see an enumeration of the years and months of all the Beerchaser posts. Click on the month to get to the write-up. There may be several posts that month so you might have to screen down.

Just go to the upper right corner of your screen and enter the name of the bar in the search field and those posts were it is mentioned should show up.

#	*Year/Month*	Area	Name	Type
1	2012 – 2	NE	Migration Brewery	Brewery
2	2012 – 2	NE	Laurelthirst Pub	Neighborhood
3	2012 – 6	NE	County Cork	Neighborhood
4	2012 – 7	NE	Bottles	Bottle Shop
5	2012 – 12	NE	1856	Bottle Shop
6	2013 – 12	NE	Church	Neighborhood
7	2014 – 2	NE	Sandy Hut	Dive
8	2014 – 7	NE	Stammtisch	Neighborhood
9	2014 – 9	NE	Club 21	Dive
10	2015 – 3	NE	Oregon Public House	Neighborhood

1	2011 – 11	SE	Coalition Brewery	Brewery
2	2011 – 8	SE	Brooklyn Park Pub	Neighborhood
3	2011 – 8	SE	Yukon Tavern	Dive
4	2011 – 9	SE	Gladstone Street Tavern	Neighborhood
5	2012 – 3	SE	Hawthorne Hideaway	Neighborhood
6	2012 – 4	SE	Muddy Rudder Public House	Neighborhood
7	2012 – 8	SE	Lutz Tavern	Historic
8	2012 – 10	SE	Gold Dust Meridian	Neighborhood
9	2012 – 10	SE	Bar of the Gods	Dive
10	2012 – 11	SE	Claudia’s	Historic
11	2013 -1	SE	Grand Café *1	Historic
12	2013 – 3	SE	Belmont Inn	Neighborhood
13	2013 – 4	SE	Belmont Station	Neighborhood
14	2013 – 4	SE	Tanker Bar	Dive
15	2013 – 4	SE	Beer	Neighborhood
16	2013 – 5	SE	Horse Brass Pub	Historic
17	2013 – 8	SE	Slammer	Dive
18	2014 – 1	SE	Nest	Neighborhood
19	2014 – 4	SE	Bazi Bier Brassiere	Neighborhood
20	2014 – 6	SE	Beer Monger	Bottle
21	2014 – 11	SE	Richmond Bar	Neighborhood
22	2015 – 4	SE	Double Barrel	Neighborhood
23	2015 – 12	SE	Produce Row	Historic

1	2011 – 9	N	Twilight Room	Historic
2	2011 -11	N	Amnesia Brewery	Brewery
3	2011 – 11	N	Prost	Neighborhood
4	2012 -5	N	Mock Crest Tavern	Historic
5	2012 – 5	N	Interurban	Neighborhood
6	2012 – 11	N	White Eagle Saloon	Historic
7	2013 – 6	N	Sidecar 11	Neighborhood
8	2014 – 3	N	Saraveza	Neighborhood
9	2014 – 6	N	Lost and Found	Neighborhood
10	2015 – 5	N	Ecliptic Brewery	Brewery
11	2015 – 11	N	St. John’s Pub	Historic


1	2011 – 9	NW	Joe’s Cellar	Dive
2	2012 – 2	NW	Dixie Tavern	Dive
3	2013 – 2	NW	Davis Street Tavern	Misc.
4	2013 – 10	NW	Slabtown *2	Historic
5	2014 – 1	NW	Skyline Tavern	Historic
6	2014 – 4	NW	Bailey’s Tap Room / Upper Lip	Misc.
7	2014 -4	NW	Crackerjacks	Neighborhood
8	2014 – 4	NW	Quimby’s	Neighborhood
9	2014 – 4	NW	Sniff Café	Misc.
10	2014 – 12	NW	Marathon Taverna	Sports
11	2015 – 6	NW	Low Brow Lounge	Dive
12	2015 – 6	NW	Pope House Bourbon Lounge	Misc.
13	2015 – 11	NW	Lompoc Tavern	Historic

1	2011 – 11	SW	Buffalo Gap Tavern	Historic
2	2012 – 2	SW	Ash Street Saloon	Misc.
3	2012 – 6	SW	Cheerful Tortoise	Historic
4	2012 – 7	SW	Goose Hollow Inn	Historic
5	2012 – 12	SW	Ship Tavern	Dive
6	2013 – 3	SW	Tugboat Brewery	Brewery
7	2013 – 7	SW	Sasquatch Brewery	Brewery
8	2014 – 2	SW	Cheerful Bullpen	Sports
9	2015 – 5	SW	Yamhill Pub	Dive
10	2015 – 8	SW	Kelly’s Olympian	Historic

1	2015 – 3	Burbs	Brannons in Beaverton *3	Brewery

1	2014 – 8	—	Peda Lounge	Misc.

*1 Franks Peters’ Grand Café closed in 2014 and Pour Sports has now opened in the historic building.

*2 The historic and iconic Slabtown closed in 2015 and unfortunately has not reopened.

*3 Kevin Brannon’s brewery and pub – Brannons’ in Beaverton closed in 2015.

The Dicksons, Lamberts and McAdams at Produce Row

And in closing this post and 2015, it needs to be stated that besides the adventure of exploring so many new and interesting saloons, it has been wonderful meeting the bartenders, the regulars and sharing stories with those who have Beerchased with me.

The Faust clan, Jim Westwood and Jennifer Johnson at Kelly’s Olympian

Swift, Eller and Jones with waitress, Jennifer, at Pope Bourbon House

Swift, Eller and Jones with waitress, Danielle, at Pope Bourbon House

Proost! Salud! Skal!

And finally – a special thanks to the 2014 Beerchaser-of-the-Year, Janet Williams, my spouse of 35 years who has good naturedly switched from wine to beer when we have visited watering holes in Oregon and all over the U.S. and Europe.

2016 Addendum

1	2016-7	SW	MoMo Bar Maximo	Dive
2	2016-6	SE	The Ranger Station	Neighborhood
3	2016-5	N	The Rambler	Neighborhood
4	2016-4	SW	The Yardhouse	Misc.
5	2016-3	NW	Life of Riley	Dive
6	2016-3	SW	Barlow Artisenal Bar	Misc.
7	2016-2	SE	Hair of the Dog Brewery	Brewpub
8	2016-2	SE	Sloan’s Tavern	Neighborhood
9	2016-1	Lake Oswego	The Hop’N Cork	Neighborhood