Hoppy Thanksgiving from Thebeerchaser

Posted on November 24, 2025 by Thebeerchaser

Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this post through an e-mail, please visit the blog by clicking on the title at the top to see all of the photos and so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post) (#1)

Rather than focus on a bar or brewery in this post, I’m going to end November with some miscellaneous tidbits I’ve been saving for you – trying to emphasize the positive – at least for the most part…..

Here’s to the Scouts!

My two brothers and I participated from the time we were in grade school in Ohio (where our wonderful mom, Frannie was a Cub Scout Den Mother) and during early years of high school in Oregon. We went camping, hiking, earned merit badges and did community projects and our Dad (FDW) was also an encouraging influence and helper.

My late brother, Garry, went to the Scout National Jamboree in Valley Forge and earned his Eagle Scout. This was, in part, a pathway to his appointment to the US Military Academy, where he graduated (1972) and became commissioned.

Similarly, my youngest brother, Rick and I were able to secure four-year NROTC scholarships and commissioning in the Navy and our scouting background helped in that selection process.

(Rick was career Navy and retired as a Captain after he served as skipper of the nuclear sub USS Spadefish – SSN-668). Read about his remarkable career in this article from “Deep Dive” – the newsletter of the Deep Submergence Group Association.)

I even found the one remnant from my scouting history – a medal our troop received when we completed an eleven-mile hike along the Whitewater Canal Trail in Indiana after an overnight camping trip when I was ten.) (#2)

Two years ago, my wife and I were walking through a development near our new house on Veterans Day and noticed that almost every house in the two cul-de-sacs had an American flag in its parking strip.

Upon inquiry, I found that this was a project of a West Linn Scout Troop. For an annual fee of $50, the scouts place a flag in your parking strip on four holidays – 4th of July, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Labor Day. At the end of the holiday, they return to pick-up the flag and store it.

I asked them if they would expand to include our neighborhood and it is gratifying to see flags in front of houses regardless of party affiliation or political beliefs. These are people who love America and want to support the young men and women in their endeavors.

Terms of Endearment!?

While in Lincoln City along the Central Oregon Coast, I passed the following street sign outside of a Valvoline Oil Change outlet on Valentine’s Day. To Janet’s chagrin, I insisted on stopping and taking a photo for a later blog post.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Honey – it’s full-synthetic 30-weight….

As Janet scoffed, I theorized that this begged the question as to whether on the 10th anniversary, he presented a transmission repair and on the 25th, new Michelin tires.

Speaking of Lincoln City

I like many homeowners in the Roads End district of Lincoln City are somewhat puzzled at what is purported to be the solution to speeders along a main residential street along the ocean. While there is a need to mitigate the excess speed problem along Logan Road, the solution seems a bit convoluted.

Rather than put speed bumps across the entire intersection, they staggered them. And in what seems like a matter of common sense, 95% of the cars (including me) veer into the other lane to avoid the bump. I guess, at least if there’s going to be a head-on collision, it will be at a lower speed.

One of my sons-in-law is a traffic engineer and I’m waiting for him to explain the rationale.

No More Flack!

I was sorry to see the passing of American vocalist Roberta Flack in February at the age of 88. Not only did she have a few wonderful tunes such as “The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face,” but in a sort of peculiar and perhaps morbid way, I felt a personal connection, of sorts, based on of all things, a one-vehicle auto accident I had in 1974.

I had moved back into my mom’s house in Oregon City after my dad’s untimely passing in 1974. I was returning in my subcompact car from a date in Canby – about nine miles south of her house. It was very late and I took a bypass along a rural road to save some time.

Having burned the midnight oil during the past week, I was pretty sleepy, but it was only a twenty-minute drive and I thought I would be fine. Well, when the road curved, I went straight because I had momentarily dozed off. Rolling across the gravel side of the road immediately woke me up.

It was surreal – like being in a slow-motion movie…Although the car didn’t role, it tipped and bumped through the ruts in a field. A projector in the back seat went flying by my head into the front windshield.

My vivid recollection is the song on the radio – Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” – 1974 Grammy winning Record-of-the-Year. (#3 – #5)

In a brief moment of lucidity and insight while contemplating that if the car rolled, I might not survive, I remember thinking, “That would really be ironic in light of the song playing, but no-one would ever know!”

Fortunately, the car stopped – tipped at an angle. I reached up to turn off the headlights cutting my hand in several places on the glass fragments from the cracked windshield. I climbed out the driver’s side, walked through the field, crossed the road and knocked on the door of a rural house (at 2 AM in the morning.)

The sleeping occupants didn’t answer and unfortunately, a decent amount of blood from the cuts in my hand stayed on their doorsill. I imagined what they’d think when they came out on their front porch the next morning – was this a re-enactment of the Children of Israel story in Exodus?

“And the blood on the doorposts will be a sign to mark the houses in which you live. When I see the blood, I will pass over you and will not harm you when I punish the Egyptians.”

My neighbor, the stepfather of my best friend, was the Chief of Police in Oregon City and I called him to see if I could get the car towed and not have to make a police report. He told me to wait until the next morning, and it didn’t require any filing.

I thanked the Lord the next morning when I saw the tire tracks through the gravel – I had missed hitting a telephone pole head-on by about six inches.

Farewell to Rogue Brewing – We Mourn the Passing of Dead Guy

Beer drinkers in Oregon, throughout the Northwest and beyond were shocked and saddened by the abrupt closure of Rogue Ale and Spirits in mid-November. The company shut down its operations in Newport, Oregon and all of its pubs in the state. Rogue was a respected and admired company, founded in 1988 and one of Oregon’s top ten craft beer companies.

“It is uncertain what the financial state is of the company, but breweries have been a difficult market lately. Six of the 10 biggest craft breweries in Oregon saw sales decline in 2024, according to data from the Brewers Association.” Oregon Live 10/19 (#6 – #8)

The testimony to Rogue’s legacy may be best summed up by Jeff Alworth, one of the nation’s foremost beer experts, in his Beervana Blog 11/17

“We shouldn’t lose sight of its legacy as one of the most important breweries in the early craft era, or why people once thought it was so special.

Thirty-five years ago, most of the people making and selling beer were thinking small. Not for nothing, their businesses were called ‘microbreweries.’ But Rogue thought big at a time when the industry needed to see ambition in order to grow. Its importance was much greater than its absence today.”

Non Alcoholic?

Not only the pandemic, but other factors have added to the struggle of craft brewers – one of them being the trend to avoid alcohol. And Rogue never merged with a larger brewery or produced non-alcoholic beer:

“The push into nonalcoholic beer is a reminder of how much the industry is struggling. Craft beer peaked. The hard seltzer boom fizzled. Younger adults are going out less. Legalized cannabis is replacing six packs.

Weight-loss drugs are a threat. Global beer volume has declined the past two years. Meanwhile, stocks of the world’s big brewers haven’t returned to their pre-pandemic levels.” Bloomberg.com 7/9/25

Lest you think this just an American phenomenon, check out this excerpt from a recent New York Times article “Germans Are Going Off Beer. That’s Forcing Brewers to Adapt or Go Bust.”

“Alcohol consumption in Germany has been sliding for decades. But the sudden, accelerating drop has caught brewers and bar owners by surprise. Out of approximately 1,500 breweries in Germany, more than 50 have closed in the past year.”

Good Taste or Taste Good?

My wife and I have tried some NA beers – on weekdays if we drink – and they are fine e.g. Athletic and Best Day Brewing. And Deschutes Fresh Haze IPA (.05ABV) is the best NA beer I’ve tried. (#9)

And Then There’s Sam Adams

Founding Father, Samuel Adams, took risks when he became a leader in the American Revolution and rebelled against the British. While his patriotic role is well known, many are unaware that Samuel Adams inherited his father’s brewery in Boston and also worked as a brewer or maltster.

The American brewery named after him has also shown audacity and is bucking the trends mentioned above with its 2025 release of its limited-edition Utopias. You can pay $240 for a bottle of this barrel-aged brew:

“Utopias has a staggering ABV of 30%. The company’s website claims it is ‘perhaps the strongest beer on Earth.’ In fact, it’s so potent, it’s illegal in Oregon and 14 other states that have caps on how high a beer’s alcohol by volume can be.” Oregon Live 11/6

I will not soon forget one time when I did buy a Sam Adams. I still laugh about when Portland Mayor, Sam Adams (2009 though 12/31/12) and I Beerchased at the Tugboat Brewery (RIP) in downtown Portland. (#10)

Our visit occurred soon after he left office and became the Executive Director of the City Club of Portland in spring of 2013. The big grin on Matt, the Tugboat bartender’s face when the recently departed Mayor with a straight face said, “I’ll have a Sam Adams,” was priceless.

Oh, for the Love of Beer!

Happy Thanksgiving

External Photo Attribution

#1. Bing AI Images

#2. Wikimedia Commons (White water canal trail Inc. – Trails, Hiking/Biking) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Attribution: Chris Light at English Wikipedia – April 2006.

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Roberta Flack 1976.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1930 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. For further explanation, see Commons:Hirtle chart as well as a detailed definition of “publication” for public art. Source: Atlantic Record – 26 April 1976.

#4. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (File:Killing Me Softly with His Song by Roberta Flack US vinyl.png – Wikimedia Commons) This logo image consists only of simple geometric shapes or text. It does not meet the threshold of originality needed for copyright protection, and is therefore in the public domain The depicted text is ineligible for copyright and therefore in the public domain because it is not a “literary work” or other protected type in sense of the local copyright law. Source: Atlantic Records – 1973.

#5. Gemini AI Assistant Image Generator

#6. Wikimedia Commons (File:Rogue Ales in NW Portland, Oregon in 2012.JPG – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: Another Believer – January 2012.

#7. Wikimedia Commons (File:Dead Guy Ale (5913690805).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Source: Dead Guy Ale – Author: Erik Cleves Kristensen – 5 July 201.

#8. Wikimedia Commons (File:Astoria Pier 39 (Clatsop County, Oregon scenic images) (clatDA0065).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) The copyright holder of this file allows anyone to use it for any purpose, provided that the copyright holder is properly attributed. Redistribution, derivative work, commercial use, and all other use is permitted. Attribution: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives.

#9. Wikimedia Commons (File:Best Day Brewing beers – January 2024 – Sarah Stierch.jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Attribtution: Sarah Stierch (CC BY 4.0) – 27 January 2024.

#10. Wikimedia Commons (File:BTA’s Alice Awards 1 (7172943200) (cropped).jpg – Wikimedia Commons) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Team Sam Adams – 10 May 2012.

The Coast is Clear……..Reflections

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Thebeerchaser

(Welcome back to Thebeerchaser. If you are seeing this through an e-mail, please visit the blog to see all of the photos and read the story by clicking on the title above so the post is not clipped or shortened.)

Well Beerchaser followers, I’ve told you since March that I’ve not been to any new watering hole because of the lockdown and pandemic.

To be safe, we have just stayed away and confined our consumption of my favorite beverage to Happy Hours on our back deck with the exception of one visit to the Benedictine Brewery in Mount Angel, Oregon. (see below)

We added to that one exception on October 15^th however, when we went to the Oregon Coast for a few days. On a beautiful fall Friday, my spouse convinced me to break away from the Siren Call of “Breaking News” on cable television and drive down the Oregon Coast from our base in Lincoln City on the Central Oregon Coast.

A beautiful sunset the night before helped me to fully grasp the natural treasure that we have in our own backyard.

We drove about 50 miles south along Oregon’s amazing scenic coastline momentarily escaping thoughts of COVID and focusing on breaking waves, seals and gulls populating dramatic rocky cliffs and the surrounding lush forest which complements the ocean views.

And all the while, we remembered the legacy of Governor Tom McCall, whose actions in 1967 preserved public access to the beaches in the Oregon Beach Bill.

On our 2017 road trip

Yachats Brewing was not a new establishment for us – we had stopped here during a road trip in 2017 which I highlighted in a November blog post – it was a wonderful place to have lunch. Still being cautious about COVID, we ate on the patio which is right on Highway 101.

We split a tasty pint named “Bestest Mensch” which is a hoppy and delicious collaboration with the innovative Wolf Tree Brewery a few miles up the road. Our server was friendly and helpful.

I had a delicious brisket sandwich while Janet’s chicken-salad sandwich was also a winner. Yachats did a great job observing preventive and cautionary COVID measures so we were buoyed, so to speak, by the fact that this coastal brewery appeared to be thriving during these challenging times.

It was a wonderful day and we realized how fortunate we are to be able to have a day like this and will continue our prayers and support for those who are struggling with the pandemic.

A Quick Watering Hole Update

Bars, breweries and restaurants are some of the hardest hit businesses during the pandemic and I was saddened to see that Bailey’s Tap Room and it’s upstairs annex, the Upper Lip – reviewed in the early days of Thebeerchaser – closed permanently.

Bailey’s featured twenty-four rotating taps of great microbrews and was a repeat recipient of Draft Magazine’s 100 Best Beer Bars in America.

I won’t go into all of the closures in Portland but to give you an idea of the breadth of this economic downtown for the hospitality industry, other shut-downs include Back Pedal Brewing on NW Flanders, Grixen Brewery – a SE Portland brewery established in 2013 which was:

“….one of the area’s most striking brewpubs with open-beam high ceilings and old-growth timber repurposed into table tops and other accents. Modern-industrial custom metalworks graced the space, with rolling bar-table frames and a 600-pound lighting trust above the length of the bar.” (Oregonian, 8/19/20)

We visited Grixen early this year as my neighbor was one of the three owners, but I didn’t have the chance to write a Beerchaser review.)

Another innovative brewery – Base Camp – which is owned by Justin Fay, a graduate of the Oregon State University Fermentation Science Program and opened in 2012 by some Klamath Falls friends, shut down its Buckman Neighborhood brewery:

“The taproom with its spacious outdoor areas, fire-pit and food-cart pod, was a popular spot for years, attracting neighborhood regulars and drawing from Portland’s beer tourism as the scene exploded around it, all while spreading the outdoor life mantra.” (Oregonian 8/19/20)

Even some of the stalwarts of the Oregon Craft Industry are having to revamp their operations to cut operating costs because of reduced patronage. For example, Rogue Brewing shut its public house in the Pearl District in September after 20 years (Willamette Week) although its two other Portland locations will remain open.

The BeerMongers

With the closures above, I was heartened to see that another early destination when I started Beerchasing – The BeerMongers – celebrated its tenth anniversary last year.

I went to this eastside bottle shop and taproom with former Portland Mayor Sam Adams, in 2014 right after he assumed the Executive Director position of the City Club of Portland.cxcvx

The BeerMongers is “known for its artfully curated selection of beers, being named the Best Beer Bar in Oregon by Craftbeer.com in 2018.” (Oregonian 8/30/19) The owner of Porto Bello, the pizzeria – a vegan trattoria in the same building as the bar in between BeerMongers and a tattoo parlor next door – came over to our table and said:

“Sam Adams, we really miss you. I want to buy you guys a pizza!”

Sam Adams and Porto Bello owner

She came back ten minutes later with a delicious complimentary pizza which meshed perfectly with the pints we drank.

Unfortunately, it appears that Porto Bello wasn’t still around to celebrate with its neighbor in 2019.

The Monks’ Legacy Continues

Some of you know that I was involved as a volunteer in the planning of the Benedictine Brewery and St. Michael’s Taproom, which opened in the fall of 2018 on land owned by the Mount Angel Abbey and Seminary in the rural area east of Salem.

The community effort in erecting the structure in late 2017 is a wonderful story (check out the videos in the post below) and it’s one of only three breweries in the US owned and operated by Benedictine Monks. https://thebeerchaser.com/2017/11/21/the-benedictine-brewery-beam-me-up/

A skilled brewer – Father Martin Grassel

And former Beerchaser-of-the-Quarter, Fr. Martin Grassel, the Manager and Head Brewer reported that the first year of operations was a great success. He brewed 118 barrels with sales that greatly exceed expectations that year.

When the pandemic hit in March and with the lockdown, only take-out sales were allowed for ten weeks in 2020, but since reopening, the Brewery continues to thrive with August being the highest month of sales since opening in 2018.

My wife and I can confirm that the Taproom was very cognizant of COVID measures and has an expansive patio area which allows social distancing. The Taproom will soon have a permanent heated pavilion tent above it during winter months.

And the best part of was taking the short hike up to the Abbey Hilltop and strolling around the campus with outstanding views. The beautiful chapel has also reopened.

While the ambiance and the scenery is a real draw, the key is Fr. Martin’s growing skill as a brewer.

With over ten beers now on tap, this former software engineer has drawn rave reviews for the quality and taste of his brews with the St. Michael’s Helles being the most popular although the flagship Black Habit is also a favorite.

And take a look at the charcuterie plate that you can enjoy while drinking one of Fr. Martin’s beers.

Survival of the Fittest?

Speaking of the pandemic, there’s nothing remotely funny about this global tragedy, but maybe it helps a little to try to look on the light side when one can – for example, this post from one of my favorite dive bars.

Darwin’s Theory is in downtown Anchorage and owned by a fellow Oregon State University alumnus. This “story” was in it’s latest newsletter.

Darwin wrote: “We were in the 11th day of self quarantine. As I saw my wife quietly standing in front of the living room window staring off into space with tears running down her face, it was breaking my heart. I was trying to think of some way to cheer her up. In fact, I almost considered letting her inside, but rules are rules!”

Maybe he named his bar Darwin’s Theory because of his adherence to the concept “Survival of the Fittest”.…

“Dough nut” Follow This Example!

In a previous Beerchaser post where I cover the legal profession and how I enjoyed working with lawyers for over thirty-five years, I mentioned some bizarre cases. Some of the most recently appreciated essential workers have been emergency responders although this 2001 incident reported by MyPlainview.com addresses an incident some years ago.

The incident precipitating the lawsuit was bizarre:

“An ambulance driver was fired after being accused of stopping for doughnuts while taking a patient to the hospital….The incident occurred while (he) was taking a boy to the hospital with a leg injury. The injury was not life threatening. The boy’s mother filed a complaint.”

“Eat one whenever you want”…Not!”

But perhaps more bizarre was the fact that the driver then filed suit against the City of Houston for intentional infliction of emotional distress and racial discrimination.

While initially a judge rejected the City’s effort to have the case dismissed and ordered the plaintiff to amend his lawsuit, all of the claims were ultimately dismissed in July 2002. (I’ve been saving that one up for a long time….)

Cheers and Stay Safe!

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

—–

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

Produce Row Café – Take a Hike and have a Brewski!

Posted on December 7, 2015 by Thebeerchaser

Originally opened in 1974 and now resurrected (again) in 2014

Originally opened in 1974 and now resurrected in 2014

“There are so few of these elusive establishments, the everyday-worthy ones that time and time again just hit the spot with reliable food and atmosphere. I suppose you could find that at a super $$$ place with staff wearing coattails if you’re the 1%, but this is real life, and I don’t know how to use silverware properly.

Produce Row is one of my special oases of goodness in a world full of soggy fries and loud bars with sports on TV. I had only been to the Row about 3 times in the year before it was shut down so abruptly, to my dismay.” (Yelp 8/21/15)

While Portland has many new and interesting bars and pubs, Thebeerchaser’s favorites are generally the old, and many times, historic, watering holes that have been around for decades.

The Mock Crest Tavern, the White Eagle Saloon, Kelly’s Olympian and the Lutz, to name a few, are joined by the original Produce Row Café down in the Industrial District on Portland’s East Side. (See the links above for prior Beerchaser reviews on these bars.)

Kelly’s Olympian – another historic bar

It opened in 1974 and according to a 9/2/14 Oregon Live article “One of the first owned by Mike McMenamin (yes, that McMenamin) – one of Portland’s first bars devoted to ‘good’ beer — i.e. quality imports and craft beer.” Produce Row was sold by the McMenamins to the bar’s employees in 1978 because the McMenamins could not brew beer at that location.

Alan Davis, who now owns the Multnomah Whiskey Bar, purchased and remodeled the café in 2008. He closed it suddenly in the fall of 2014 only for the bar to be resurrected in 2015 by Josh Johnston and James Hall, the owner of Paddy’s Bar and Grill and several other Portland bars. Produce Row Café is now thriving and a bar worth visiting.

Historic industrial surroundings in the 1940’s – Portland Archives – Vintage Portland

While we were dating in the late 1970’s, my wife and I used to hit the original establishment for a good draft beer and buy a few of the many bottled beers they sold, followed by a stop at Corno’s Market to pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables.

The Produce Row District served farmers and industry well because it was accessible both by truck and the Willamette River besides having economical real estate.

Now, a resurrected Produce Row Café (see details below) joins other popular eateries such as Olympic Provisions, Bunk Bar and Clark Lewis, to name just a few, in an Urban Renewal District formed in 2012.

The area is now:

“….home to a vibrant mix of more than 1,100 creative and industrial businesses, spanning such industries as athletic and outdoor, software, clean tech, advanced manufacturing, design, professional services, and food and beverage…….

‘More than any other neighborhood in Portland, Produce Row embodies a mindset of resourcefulness, creativity, and, above all, visionary innovation that inspires business growth,’ said (former) Portland Mayor Sam Adams. ” (Portland Development Commission newsletter 3/2/12)

Great views from Tilikum Crossing

What has become a walking group of Beerchaser Regulars (David and Kate Dickson, Roy Lambert and his spouse, Mary Maxwell and Dave and Nita McAdams) had drinks and dinner at Produce Row after a stimulating several mile walk.

Starting at the east side of the Tilikum Crossing Bridge, we walked through Tom McCall Waterfront Park and across the Steel Bridge. Then south along the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade before our final destination – Produce Row Café. The scenery reaffirmed how scenic Portland can be.

We ordered off a reasonably priced menu and all of us were pleased with our selections of appetizers (a plus for the fried Cauliflower, salads (the Chicken and Apple got an A+), sandwiches (the Row Burger) and entrees which included outstanding Beer Cheese Mac and Meat Loaf.

Orders Up – the Beer Cheese Mac was the most popular!

This Nikasa Dawn of the Red IRA was great

This Silver MoonVoodoo Dog ISR was great

The draft beer selection was robust with 23 beers and 2 ciders on tap.

Nita and Dave McAdams and Manager, Marcus Chase

A bonus was a conversation with Produce Row’s Manager, Marcus Chase, a product of Pleasant Hill High School, whose parents farmed hazel nuts in the same area in Washington County as Dave and Nita, both of whom have other careers (Dave, a tax attorney and Nita, an educator).

Dinner and beers after a good walk

The patio in the rear part of the bar has not changed much. It is spacious and was filled with patrons: “The back patio, a snug oasis of sunshine and wood tables hidden amidst neighborhood warehouses and train tracks, was among the city’s best.” Oregon Live 9/2/14

One of the most enjoyable parts of Thebeerchaser Tour, initiated in 2011, is the stimulating people I have met in every bar ranging from the regulars, the bartenders and the managers. This was reaffirmed when I returned to the bar and had an extended conversation with Marcus, who was joined by Nick Guest, the Bar Manager, who came to Produce Row in April, 2015.

Marcus and Nick with Thebeerchaser logo

Both were very knowledgeable about beer. Marcus started his journey while being “hungry for knowledge” and living in Australia.

When asked about those who made social media comments about yearning for the original Produce Row, he responded that they want to hold on to the nostalgia but add energy through good food, creativity in their beer selection and an atmosphere that makes people want to return. Nick stated, “Our goal is to stay relevant in Portland’s burgeoning beer culture.”

The Beer and Whiskey Pairings are a good example. A concept initiated by Alan Davis that Marcus expanded and refined when he came to the bar. “The beer and whiskey are chosen to complement each other.”

The eight pairings are interesting and diverse ranging from $8 (“The Departed” – Guinness Stout and Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey) to $19 (“Werewolves and Vampires” – Silver Moon Voodoo Dog ISR and Blood Oath Whiskey – a blend of three (6 yr old wheat whiskey, 7yr old rye and 12 yr old rye).

It appears that Marcus and Nick are succeeding based on my two visits which generated the same reaction as this review Yelp review on 6/18/15:

“Traveled from the east coast and met a local couple here for dinner recently. Very eclectic atmosphere. Great staff, very helpful and friendly. Each of us had something different, and no one was disappointed. Great stop in a really nice town.”

And if you visit Produce Row or one of the other good eateries or bars in the Produce Row Industrial District, consider exploring the Esplanade and learning more about this vibrant area of the Portland landscape:

“More recently, that combination of access and affordability has attracted the city’s savviest entrepreneurs and forward-thinking creative professionals. These businesses have benefited from Produce Row’s adaptable urban landscape, potential for repurposing buildings, and proximity to the scenic views of the Willamette River from the Eastbank Esplanade.”

And as an aside, having two tax lawyers (Dave and Roy – now retired) added to the conversation on the hike. I am now well-versed in the nuances of the Trade Priorities and Accountability Act as well as the IRS repair regulations project for the widely discussed and closely related Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System. Both made me thirsty!