Don’t Jump When You Can Dive!

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Thebeerchaser

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Those who follow Thebeerchaser blog know that I have an affinity for all watering holes, but a special fondness for dive bars. And of the 400+ establishments I’ve visited during my now twelve years pursuing this hobby, I’ve gravitated to the less refined rather than the more polished brewery or pub.

That said, I enjoy the atmosphere and camaraderie encountered in both although they are distinctly different.

There’s a distinct difference, but both are good!

Resources

Since I worked in a large Northwest regional law firm (Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt) for twenty-five years, I know both the need and the value of thoroughly researching one’s topic. When commencing my Beerchasing days, I had some outstanding authorities not only to educate me, but direct me to iconic dive bars in Portland, along the Oregon Coast and throughout the US – most notably in Colorado and Montana.

More recently these storehouses of bar erudition included Willamette Week’s “Deep Dive: Our Guide to More Than 40 of Portland’s Oldest, Dankest Dive Bars” and Portland Eater’s “The Ultimate Guide to Portland’s Iconic Dive Bars” – both on-line compendiums published in the last several months.

While I’ve not had a chance to do a “deep dive” in these publications, a cursory look indicates that I’ve been to slightly over 50% of those reviewed So I still have a lot to explore! (#2 – #4)

Photo Dec 28, 8 40 53 PM

The books shown in the photo above, although published years ago, were still wonderful guides in Colorado, but especially in Montana. I had an elucidating phone conversation with author, Joan Melcher, before commencing my solo road trip in Montana for six days in 2019.

During that span, I hit thirty bars and breweries, including my Beerchasing all-time favorite – The Dirty Shame Saloon in Yaak Montana.

Before moving on, I have to give special credit to my friend and prolific author, Matt Love, owner of the Nestucca Spit Press – a small publishing house on the Oregon Coast. Matt’s former blog Letitpour.net and his publication Oregon Tavern Age were both primary motivations for my Beerchasing hobby. (#5)

Matt Love (left) enjoying a beer with Jim Westwood and me at Falls View Tavern in 2021

Dive Bar Descriptions

One has to be careful in stereotyping what constitutes a dive bar. There may be a few adjectives or characteristics that typically apply, but in my exploits, I’ve found each one had its own ambiance, idiosyncrasies and traditions that made them unique.

Take the priceless description by Mike Seely in Seattle’s Best Dive Bars – Drinking and Diving in the Emerald City)

” “Some dives have vomit-caked toilet seats in the bathroom; others have cracked vinyl booths in the barroom. Some have nicotine-stained murals dating back to the Depression; others have drink prices that seemingly haven’t wavered since then…

…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.” (Seattle’s Best Dive Bars by Mike Seely – pages 9-10)

I save what I consider to be the quintessential descriptions of dives for ongoing reference. For example, one of my favorite Portland dive bars is Joe’s Cellar – I reviewed this watering hole in 2012, only one month after I started Thebeerchaser.com.

It helped set the standard. I loved this Yelp review:

“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. Joe’s Cellar, thankfully, belongs in the latter category.” (#6)

A New Depiction

I came across a wonderful new portrayal of both a dive bar and a trendy brewery in a novel by Harlan Coban that I just finished.

I’ll add them to my collection and share them with you in Part II of this post.

However, since I’ve plunged into the topic, I thought I should first regale you with my favorite dive bars – not only in Portland, but throughout Oregon – especially the Coast and then some from other parts of the US.

But first, my choice for the most literal dive bar I’ve visited. This one is in Sacramento, California and we stopped there on a 2016 road trip to Yosemite National Park:

I asked Jason, the bartender how the title of the bar was derived. He immediately responded:

“Take a glance upward. You see that 7,800-gallon aquarium. (To put in perspective, that would be about 1,006 kegs of beer!) A few nights each week, we also have ‘mermaids’ swimming in that tank. Now do you understand how we got our name?”

Portland Favorites

In 2019, I listed my four most iconic dives in Portland. I’ll simply list them below in no ranking and you can read a summary of each one at this link or if you want the details, at the link over the title of the bar.

https://thebeerchaser.com/2019/02/09/thebeerchasers-best-portland-dive-bars/

The Ship Tavern 2012

The Mock Crest Tavern 2012

The Standard 2018

Gil’s Speakeasy 2017

I’ve added two more to this list. I shouldn’t have left Renner’s off the original post. According to Willamette Week, “The Epitome of a Dive Bar with None of the Pretension.”

I discovered Yur’s in 2020, which Willamette Week accurately described as a “Perfect Dive for Daytime Drinking”. And Yurs – owned by a former NFL lineman – is!

Renner’s Grill 2017

Yurs 2020

I would also strongly disagree with one reviewer on the subject opining on Portland dives. If you check out my reviews of those above, you will understand why:

“I’m beginning to understand the formula for what constitutes a popular dive in Portland….Make it dark, create some reason for the service to suck and make PBR cheaper than soda….”

(Photos clockwise: The Ship, Mock Crest, The Standard, Renner’s, Yur’s and Gil’s Speakeasy)

The Oregon Coast

Four of the following gems were visited in a three-day trip with my brother-in-law, Dave Booher and another friend, Steve Larson, in the summer of 2014.

The Desdemona Club, better known by locals as “The Dirty D,” was a 2012 trip – again with Dave – he also feels a kinship with dives.

The Desdemona Club (“The Dirty D”) Astoria

The Sportsman Pub and Grub Pacific City

The Old Oregon Saloon (“The Old O”) Lincoln City

The Tide Pool Pub and Pool Depot Bay

Mad Dog Country Tavern Newport

(Photos clockwise: Desdemona, Sportsman, Tide Pool, Mad Dog and The Old O) (#7)

What About the Rest of Oregon?

Central and Eastern Oregon are two regions which still need Beerchasing exploits based on what we discovered on another three-day road trip in 2013.

And the iconic Lumpy’s Landing was one of the two bars that I visited before I retired which gave me the idea to make a bar tour when I retired. (The other was the Rod and Gun Saloon in Stanley, Idaho. (By the way, you missed the ice-fishing contest this year).

Central Pastime Tavern Burns 2013

Long Branch Saloon LaGrande 2013

Hideout Saloon LaGrande 2013

Horseshoe Tavern Prineville 2013

Lumpy’s Landing Dundee 2014

(Photos clockwise: Central Pastime, Horseshoe, Hideout, Lumpy’s, Buffalo Bills)

Stay tuned for Part II on dive bars – this time for my favorites in Montana and Colorado – rich in iconic dives and then a few from our travels around the rest of the US.

In my effort to further educate on the topic, take a look at this interesting Thrillist article about fake dive bars:

Signs You Are in a Fake Dive Bar – Thrillist

“If a place is actually calling itself a dive by name, that’s a surefire sign that some hipster who’s never been in a real hole wanted to open a bar but didn’t want to invest in a vacuum or nice lights. Lots of ferns, though.

There’s always money for ferns. Most light should be provided by slightly broken neon signs, not something weird like an Edison bulb or, ugh, a window.”

Cheers

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (ttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Diving-board,_feat,_bathing_suit,_springboard_Fortepan_25241.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author: FOTO:Fortepan — ID 25241: Adományozó/Donor: Tari Örs. 1937.

#2. Willamette Week “Deep Dive” (Deep Dive: Our Guide to More Than 40 of Portland’s Oldest, Dankest Dive Bars (wweek.com).

#3. Portland Eater “Dive Bar Guide” (The Ultimate Guide to Portland’s Iconic Dive Bars (eater.com).

#4. Willamette Week Annual Bar Guide (Willamette Week Guides (wweek.com))

#5. Nestucca Spit Press (Oregon Tavern Age – Nestucca Spit Press)

#6. Joe’s Cellar Facebook Page ((1) Joe’s Cellar | Facebook

#7. Desdemona Club Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=275454077925770&set=pb.100063835381277.-2207520000&type=3.

Dual Tributes and Farewells

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

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Claudia’s Sports Bar and Grill – We’ll never forget you!

I’ve filled you in previously on some noted bars and breweries that have closed – most pandemic related – but I’m heartsick since Claudia’s poured it’s last pint on October 9th.

Sarah, my server in 2012 with the former Beerchaser logo

As reported by noted NW journalist and author, Kerry Eggers in his 10/15/23 column:

“Claudia’s Sports Pub closed its doors after 65 years in business. Claudia’s, on Southeast Hawthorne Blvd., was the city’s original sports bar, established in 1958 by restaurateur Gene Spathas.

It remained a family-owned business, taken over by Gene’s youngest son, Marty, who ran the place for the last 35 years.”

I have been in many sports bars and pubs – not only in Portland – but across the country. None had the historical ambiance and interesting regulars one encountered at Claudia’s.

The bar was named after Gene Spathas’ first wife. As I stated in my 2012 blog post:

“According to Gene’s Washington High School classmate and SAE fraternity brother at OSU, Oregon City attorney, (and my family’s attorney since the 1960’s) Don Bowerman, ‘Gene was a gifted businessman and Claudia Mickelson was an intelligent, classy and beautiful lady.'”

Upon reflection, naming a bar after a wife named ‘Mildred’ or ‘Gertrude’ would not be a good thing regardless of her attributes. Claudia was different.

The Annual Willamette Week Bar Guide has always been a valuable resource for my Beerchasing research and this excerpt from 2011 was no exception:

“Claudia’s is the best sports bar in Portland…..Every year it seems like more new, hip sports bars open, but at the end of the day, there’s only one place I want to go when the game is really close.”

claudia-trophy-case

And the trophy case was unforgettable. Claudia’s’ was like a mini-Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. The gigantic trophy case, in what was the poker room, was stuffed with hardware from the victorious AAU Basketball and other sponsored teams which were a hallmark of the pub for decades.

You can also see basketballs signed by John Wooden and legendary announcer, Dick Vitale.

The Basketball Team

The sports bar was known for it legendary Claudia’s AAU basketball teams, which had numerous former college hoop stars and Portland Trailblazer alums including Greg Smith, Dale Schlueter, LaRue Martin, Leroy Ellis, Jim Barnett, Phil Lumpkin, Cincy Powell.

Don’t forget Steve and Nick Jones, Frank-the-Flake Peters, Steve Pauly, Jimmy Jarvis, Ray Blume and Mark Radford (the last five, all former Oregon State stars.) (#1)

Dale Herron – No. 34 – Coach Spitznagel – Back right

And a key factor for the team’s success was it’s coach – Walt Spitznagel – labeled “a character” by everyone who knew him. “Spitz” coached the team for twenty-three years:

“Spitznagel’s career included stints working as a longshoreman, as a pari-mutuel clerk at Multnomah Kennel Club and operating a grocery store. But his avocation was coaching….

Spitznagel’s credentials are shiny. Under his direction, Claudia’s won 14 city league (Portland Basketball Association) championships, eight state AAU titles and one Northwest Regional crown… (Kerry Eggers Column 9/28/22)

He was an incredible recruiter and gifted in handling the egos of multiple stars competing for playing time.

Dale Herron – A Notable Athlete and Coach

I reviewed Claudia’s in a 2012 blog post entitled, “Claudia’s Sports Pub and Grill – Oh the History!!. I have a special affinity for the bar because my dad and our lawyer were friends and fraternity brothers of the late owner, Gene Spathas.

In addition, my high school basketball coach at Oregon City in 1966, Dale Herron, who starred at the University of Oregon, played for Claudia’s (see photo above).

Coach Herron, who passed away late in 2022, led the Ducks in scoring in 1959 and was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 1997.

As a testament to his athletic prowess, after his basketball eligibility ended, he accepted a one-year football scholarship and played in the 1960 Liberty Bowl. (#2 – #3)

When he was in his mid-twenties, he coached us to the OC’s first TYV League Basketball Championship in twenty-one years in 1966. He pushed us hard, but he and his Assistant Coach, Dick Arbuckle, were great motivators and made the most of the talent they had.

Arbuckle (photo below) was also a 1960 U of O grad and football letterman and coached varsity football at OCHS besides being the JV Basketball Coach. He had an outstanding career in high school and college coaching. (#4 – #6)

(#7) TYV Tropy

I remember seeing Claudia’s iconic coach, Walt Spitznagel at our high school games and at the 1966 Oregon State High School Basketball Tournament – where he did not pay to gain admission. As Kerry Eggers stated:

“…..we should mention Spitznagel’s propensity for landing free tickets to sporting events. There may never have been a bigger freeloader at Blazer games in Memorial Coliseum, or anywhere else.”

As an aside, Kerry Eggers is a six-time the National Sports Media Association’s Oregon Sportswriter of the Year, winning in 1981, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2011 and 2018.

I heard the same sentiments from another prominent Oregon sportswriter and broadcaster recently who told the story of how Spitznagel fabricated a press pass at a professional playoff series to gain admission.

Dale Herron After Athletics

Coach Herron had a remarkable career in both athletics and secondary education as a coach and principal and was known for mentoring students with great skill and compassion. (#8 – #10)

I reached out to one of my OCHS teammates, John Davidson (#30!) for some recollections as I knew he was close to Dale Herron .

(John was a much better basketball player, but I had a quicker first step to the hoop.) Notice the cool Chuck Taylor Converse All-star Black High-tops we wore. (#11)

Thebeerchaser (left) and John Davidson (#30)!

And as evidence of Dale Herron’s influence, John, who is now retired, had a long and very successful career as a teacher, coach and school principal – similar to his mentor!

He offered me this quote on the impact of Dale Herron:

“We all have people in our lives who are very influential. At the top of my list is Dale Herron because of his kindness, guidance, leadership and for being an amazing role model.

He was an inspirational basketball coach who went above and beyond in helping me in many ways. Mr. Herron guided me to his Junior College (Grays Harbor). I shudder to think what my life would be like without his influence.

I’m sure that I am one of many that had the great fortune to have Dale Herron in their lives.”

And he also mentioned Spitz:

“He would always yell at refs and call them ‘Stripes.’ I knew Spitz well as we worked on the Portland waterfront for years as checkers for Longshoremen.” (#12 – #13)

John shares my drink of choice – gin martini – up with olives

In Closing

Gene’s son, Martin announced on social media:

“’It has been a privilege to be a part of the community all these years,’ Spathas wrote. ‘While this difficult decision marks the end of an era, the spirit of Claudia’s will live on in Portland lore. The stories, bonds, and history made within these walls will never be forgotten.'”

And I will close with this thought – one that hit me initially, but had to modify slightly after some more research. Not only is it distressing to see Claudia’s closing, but a 10/11 Oregon Live headline announced:

“Wild’ Portland karaoke bar set to replace 65-year-old Claudia’s.”

The hallowed space at Claudia’s, which was a favorite bar for athletes, coaches, announcers, sportswriters, referees, fans and Walt Spitznagel, will now primarily host intoxicated bad singers.

This seems simply incompatible with the legacy of the bar.

That said, the 2009 Willamette Week Bar Guide did reveal that there is some history with sing-along at the bar:

“When all the (athletic) contests are concluded…how do they keep the beer-sodden spectators in their seats….? Claudia’s, the dowager of Portland sports pubs has devised a resourceful solution:

After the last out, the bar switches to karaoke, projecting lyrics onto its largest screen. It’s an ingenious idea, not least because it allows crestfallen fans the chance to constructively vent.

Claudia’s needn’t worry: It continues to pack ‘em in with high def TVs, cheap pints and its claim to fame – high-backed green captain’s chairs lining the bar.”

I don’t think Claudia’s followed that practice for very long and notwithstanding this history, I cannot envision athletes such as those mentioned above belting off-key versions of some of the Top 45 Karaoke songs such as “I Will Survive”, “Dancing Queen”, Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” and “Sweet Caroline”. (#14)

And to give some additional context, can you imagine now 73-year old, 6’11” – 208 pound – former Trailblazer, Larue Martin, crooning Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off?’

I stay out too late
Got nothing in my brain
That’s what people say
That’s what people say
I go on too many dates……

Now John Davidson owes me a steak dinner and onion rings at Portland’s famous Ringside Steakhouse on his next trip up from California. After finishing martinis and dinner, we will head to Suki’s Bar and Grill in Claudia’s former space.

One of John’s best games in high school was against the Tillamook Cheesemakers – I think he had a triple-double. To acknowledge this memory, I’ll get up on the stage and give an off tune rendition of “I Will Remember You.”

Cheers!

External Photo Attribution

#1. Claudia’s Sports Bar and Grill Trophy Case

#2 – #3. Dale Herron Obituary (https://funeralalternatives.org/tribute/details/305447/Dale-Herron/obituary.html)

#4. – #6 The Oregon City Elevator – High School Newspaper for OCHS

#7. The Oregon City Enterprise Courier

#8. – #10. Dale Herron Obituary (https://funeralalternatives.org/tribute/details/305447/Dale-Herron/obituary.html)

#11. Oregon City Enterprise Courier

#12. 1966 Oregon City High School Yearbook

#13. Courtesy of John Davidson!

#14. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BillyJoel2016MSG.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: slgckgc – 15 April 2016.

#15. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LaRue_Martin.png) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published in the United States between 1928 and 1977, inclusive, without a copyright notice. Author: Unknown – 1973.

Summer Simmers III

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

From Bumpass Hell in Lassen Volcanic National Park

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 so the narrative is not clipped or shortened. (External photo attribution at the end of the post.)

In my first “episode” of “Summer Simmers” I stated that I was going to end some future posts with three items from my vast collection – bar jokes, lawyer jokes and quotations. Well this one ends with a combined “story” of each of these three elements.

It’s courtesy of my friend of more than fifty years, attorney Mark O’Donnell, who is one of the best business, land-use and real estate lawyers in the state. His robust practice also includes legal work for non-profit organizations. Besides his skill as a lawyer, Mark is also a wonderful human being.

He’s a guy who shows compassion, a dry and sophisticated sense of humor and an ethic which involves helping others on a daily basis. (I realize that these traits apply to most attorneys….) (#1)

Attorney Mark O’Donnell

In 2013, he received the Sam Wheeler Foundation Freedom Award for his commitment to AA and his work in the community:

“Mark is an inspiration for many, and the support of his friends, family, and colleagues at the event made it clear that he has made an impact in our community,”

In September 2018, the Northwest Pilot Project presented him with the Agency Impact Award to commemorate his service to the organization, which provides affordable housing to seniors in Multnomah County:

O’Donnell’s commitment has prevented 450 low-income seniors from becoming homeless.” …He also partners with SE Works, De Paul Treatment Centers and other organizations that serve at-risk kids and low-income seniors.”

Stay tuned below for the closing story, but first some quick news about two watering holes:

Sasquatch Brewing – Since the pandemic, I’ve chronicled bar and brewery closures although trying to stay positive and letting you know of some openings such as Crux Fermentation’s SE Portland Pub and a pair of small Oregon Brewery Success Stories (The Benedictine Brewery and Beachcrest Brewing).

Remembering a great Beerchasing visit in 2013

Since I covered Sasquatch in 2013 – about two years after it opened “Sasquatch Brewery – Anything but Abominable!”, I was saddened to see the Oregon Live headline last November:

“Sasquatch Brewing to shut down brewery, cidermaking operations, keep SW Portland pub”

It was a great little pub and brewery in SW Portland and I enjoyed a beer with my friend, David Kish, who had a distinguished career in public service both for the State of Oregon and the City of Portland including serving as Portland’s Director of General Services under legendary Mayor Bud Clark.

David Kish – a distinguished career in public service

And Sasquatch has a great story:

“In 2012 (Tom) Sims – former weld-grinder, former beeper salesman, soon-to-be former homebrewer – opened Sasquatch Brewing, and the brewpub quickly caught on in the Hillsdale neighborhood.

It proved to be such a hit that in 2017 Sasquatch’s owners opened a second pub, returning to Sims’ roots in Northwest Portland, where the co-founder had years earlier plied his trade.” (Oregon Live)

David and I talked to Tom, a fellow Oregon State grad (David graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst) and based on his initial success, he had plans to expand – these came to fruition.

After the closure news late last year, I was then happy to see just a couple of months later, Willamette Week’s story:

“Sasquatch Brewing Will Start Producing Beer Again at Its Hillsdale Flagship.”

Experienced brewer, Nick Scandurro, plans to be “…brewing in Hillsdale this fall and have at least 12 in-house beers by spring 2024.”

Tom Sims made heroic efforts, but the pandemic, cost of materials and related issues made it impossible to continue. I hope he continues brewing in some capacity.

The Sandy Hut – A Portland dive icon that I visited in the early days of my Beerchasing journey – epitomized why I started this retirement pursuit.

Known by regulars as “The Handy Slut”, this excerpt from “Willamette Week’s 2008 Bar Guide” (that was three years before I started Beerchasing) will convey why it’s so well loved:

A classic resource for Thebeerchaser from 2008

2008 – “The Handy Slut, as regulars and the bar’s merchandise call it, is a lurid, windowless utopia. It looks like it once housed the Rat Pack—and hasn’t cleaned since the party ended.

The drinks pack enough alcohol to fuel a racecar, and often mere eye contact constitutes consent. The east side loves you, Sandy—you dirty little slut.”

My first foray was in 2014 with one of my favorite attorneys and frequent Beerchasing companion, John Mansfield. John has never been shy about having his photo appear in this blog and the second photo shows him with Kevin, a friendly regular we sat next to at the bar.

He welcomed us and stated he has frequented the bar since 1979 when he moved from Phoenix.

JM in front of the iconic Al Hirschfield exterior

I was thus very concerned about the rumor shortly afterwards that The Slut was going to be demolished and become a high-rise condo.

It was purchased in 2012 by two of Portland’s dive bar saviors, Warren Boothby and Marcus Archambault. And as with their other acquisitions, they went to work

” And in 2018 restored an Al Hirschfield mural of celebrity caricatures, uncovered a glass brick wall by the old entrance and improved the food and drink menu with recipes nodding to the establishment’s Mid-Century glory days, when it was known as The Wolf’s Den.” (Oregon Live 7/18/23)

And as it celebrated it century year in August, does it still have a community following? Well, take a look at the photo below and the description of the event and it’s obvious:

“I’m so in love with this portland community. thank you so much for supporting sandy hut and helping to make portland a great place to live. no arguments, no fights. just 2000 folks showing up to have fun, rock out, and be present. thank you to the vendors, staff, and food carts that made this event a success! ….we love you all!” (#3)

370437164_857649625875497_4447498946348435004_n

And as Promised Above – The Story and Mark O’Donnell

Mark, being a compassionate guy and believing in contrition has forgiven me for my letter after I first met him in 1979 when I worked for the Clackamas County Commissioners in Oregon City.

He was appearing before the Board on behalf of a client who needed a conditional use permit for a mobile home on an expansive rural property. (At that time, they were labeled “house trailers.”)

Fortunately, I had worked with a number of lawyers in the DA’s Office who were were known for their well-honed cynical, sarcastic senses of humor. I speculated, with some risk, that Mark might share this same trait.

So with an elevated attitude of righteous indignation, I sent him a letter castigating him for trying to turn the park across from my Mom’s residence and most of my Oregon home town into a massive trailer park. (#2)

Mark responded, in kind, and this started a long-term friendship where we debated everything from religion to politics to land-use planning at periodic lunches.

Our relationship was characterized by letters and e-mails that many (most notably the secretaries who opened my mail) would view as acrimonious. All of these missives are still in my collection of “treasured” documents and I’ve included a few examples below.

In a letter to me dated 2/21/1979 to the Local Government Personnel Institute (my then employer) he again referenced my “concern” about my mom’s residence, he stated:

“(Your mom) called us bleeding liberals and said she agreed with every policy decision of her “former” son. (In the preceding paragraph, he asserted that Mom disclaimed ever having a son.) I then apologized for my single issue approach and we had a nice talk.

In the course of leaving the premises, she mentioned to me that while she always agreed with your great plans for our society such as clean air, transit malls, snow-capped mountains, clean water, mediocre schools, demise of the family unit, open space and farmland, she did miss the feeling of self-respect, dignity and independence.”

When I started work as the Business Manager at the Oregon State Bar, he did not disappoint me as you can see by the address on the envelope below:

Capture

Of course, Mark wanted to raise the standard higher and got one of his firm’s associate attorneys involved. I knew Martha Hicks from her work as a Deputy DA in Clackamas County when I worked for the County Commissioners. (Ironically, she now works as an Assistant Disciplinary Counsel at the Oregon State Bar!)

In a letter dated 8/7/1979, Martha wrote, in part:

“Attorney Mark O’ Donnell has forwarded to me your letter. He has also explained to me in detail your views on land use planning, government expenditures, tax relief and continuing support for elitist goals.

I have explained to Mr. O’Donnell your ‘spoon-in-mouth’ childhood, education and employment patterns. I have also admitted to Mr. O’Donnell that this does not excuse you, but that he should show more compassion and appreciation for your views.

I suggest you consider the following:

‘From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs.'” (#3)

The first time I received a letter quoting Karl Marx

This initial series of letters culminated with Mark’s correspondence to me dated 7/11/1979. It was in response to a check I sent him for $1.07 for “legal services in kind.” The final paragraph in his letter stated:

“The El Gazebo Saloon has the finest super nachos that I’ve ever tasted. Please call me so that we may discuss these important matters over a plate of super nachos and large amounts of beer.”

He enclosed the following correspondence to Ms. Sharon Imholt, the Proprietor of the El Gazebo:

When we met for super nachos and mugs of beer, Mark gave me credit for $1.07 and paid the remainder of the bill. The El Gazebo went out of business long ago and has been resurrected several times since.

The structure that houses the bar has a long history as you can see by the photo below. It’s ignominious history may have come to a halt, however.

It became known as the Route 99 Roadhouse and closed temporarily in February 2021, when the Oregon Liquor Control Commission suspended its license for COVID violations:

“Per Gov. Kate Brown’s guidance, restaurants in ‘extreme risk’ counties cannot allow any form of indoor dining; in addition, all counties in Oregon must wear face coverings and follow social distancing guidelines when in restaurants or bars.

“The OLCC says it had reached out the bar before the in-person visit with educational information about the state’s safety protocols. According to the OLCC, inspectors who visited the bar for the follow-up evaluation found Route 99 packed with customers and staff, many of whom were maskless inside the bar.” (PDX Eater 2/5/21) (#4 – #5)

A watering hole with a long history including a meeting over super nachos and beer

It reopened, but the last Facebook post was in December 2021 indicating it was closing for good and the listed telephone number has been disconnected.

Objectively speaking, the above letters may appear like a foolish waste of time by two guys who don’t have enough to do, but they started a friendship that has endured for decades and transcends trite banter.

Mark followed our last lunch two weeks ago by sending me a booklet with David Foster Wallace’s essay:

“This Is Water: Some Thoughts, Delivered on a Significant Occasion, about Living a Compassionate Life.”

Wallace was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and university professor of English and creative writing who died by suicide at the age of forty-six in 2008.

The text originated from a commencement speech Wallace gave at Kenyon College on May 21, 2005.

“The speech covers subjects including the difficulty of empathy, the unimportance of being well-adjusted, and the apparent lonesomeness of adult life. It suggests that the overall purpose of higher education is to learn to consciously choose how to perceive others, think about meaning, and act appropriately in everyday life.

Wallace argues that the true freedom acquired through education is the ability to be fully conscious and sympathetic.” (Wikipedia) (#5)

The essay was controversial, as was its author, but received great acclaim. I could write another post on both of these, but I want to finish with my favorite part of the work below, and as I promised, it involves a bar!

“Here’s another didactic little story. There are these two guys sitting together in a bar in the remote Alaskan wilderness. One of the guys is religious, the other is an atheist, and the two are arguing about the existence of God with that special intensity that comes after about the fourth beer.

And the atheist says: ‘Look, it’s not like I don’t have actual reasons for not believing in God. It’s not like I haven’t ever experimented with the whole God and prayer thing. Just last month I got caught away from the camp in that terrible blizzard, and I was totally lost and I couldn’t see a thing, and it was 50 below, and so I tried it: I fell to my knees in the snow and cried out ‘Oh, God, if there is a God, I’m lost in this blizzard, and I’m gonna die if you don’t help me.’

And now, in the bar, the religious guy looks at the atheist all puzzled. ‘Well then you must believe now,’ he says, ‘After all, here you are, alive.’ The atheist just rolls his eyes. ‘No, man, all that was a couple Eskimos happened to come wandering by and showed me the way back to camp.'”

And In Conclusion

Cheers to Mark O’ Donnell and as he would advise you:

“Keep your eyes out for those Eskimos!” (#6 – #7)

External Photo Attribution

#1.O’ Donnell Law Firm LLC Website (https://www.odlf.net/about-us/professional-team/attorneys/mark-odonnell/)

#2. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buggenhoutse_woonwagen.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Milliped – 29 June 2022.

#3. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx#/media/File:Karl_Marx_001.jpg) The author died in 1901, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 100 years or fewer. Source: International Institute of Social History – Date: before 24th August 1875.

#4. Route 99 E Roadhouse (https://www.facebook.com/route99roadhouse)

#5. Wikimedia Commons (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Foster_Wallace#/media/File:David_Foster_Wallace.jpg) By Steve Rhodes – originally posted to Flickr as David Foster Wallace, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4788606.

#6. Mark.jpg (715×1016) (portlandsocietypage.com) Freedom Award honoree Mark O’Donnell Archives – Portland Society Page

#7. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Life_with_the_Esquimaux_-_1864_-_Volume_2_page_224.jpg) This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. Author: Charles Francis Hall – 1864.

Summer Simmers – Part I

Posted on July 2, 2023 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 above 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)

The word “simmer” is a transitive verb meaning “to stew gently below or just at the boiling point.” The usual context is cooking, although with climate change it describes the reaction in many parts of the country to elevated temperatures – now during a major portion of the year in many regions.

I prefer to use the term more intellectually, however – to describe my mental state when looking at many TV commercials, reading or listening to political commentary or just ideas for future Beerchaser blog posts. Ideas which simmer in my cerebellum…..

So this and a few more scattered posts this summer will just be an amalgam or fusion of miscellaneous topics – most not having to do with bars or beers.

Stay tuned, however, for reviews of two great bars I’ve visited in the last few months and deserve their own posts – both with the type of riveting histories that make conveying them in this blog, a fascinating hobby.

You will enjoy the sagas and character of both the Wildwood Saloon (top two photos) and the original Old Town Pizza and Brewing.

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

The author of the Gospel of Mathew who composed the above verse (Chapter 20 v 16) could have used this description for the 20th Century Oregon Legislature and voters. The state led the nation in some meaningful initiatives.

The Oregon Beach Bill was shepherded by Oregon Governors Tom McCall (R) and Bob Straub (D) – when bipartisanship was the norm!

“Thanks to Oregon’s landmark Beach Bill, passed in 1967, and a 1969 Oregon Supreme Court decision, the public’s right to access to all of the state’s beaches is guaranteed

…It established public ownership of land along the Oregon Coast from the water up to sixteen vertical feet above the low tide mark.” (Wikipedia) (#2 – #3)

Then there was Oregon’s Bottle Bill – introduced in 1971 as the very first bottle bill in the U.S. The bill was created to address a growing litter problem along Oregon beaches, highways and other public areas. (Oregon.gov).

It was again championed by McCall and former Senator and then State Supreme Court Justice, Betty Roberts. (#4)

So how does these mesh with the following two examples?

Oregon and Louisiana were the last two states to allow convictions from non-unanimous juries:

“For decades, Oregon allowed juries to convict people of felony crimes based on non-unanimous jury verdicts (for example 10 jurors agree to convict while 2 jurors vote to acquit). In 2020 the United States Supreme Court took up the constitutionality of non-unanimous jury verdicts in Ramos v. Louisiana.” (Oregon.gov) (#5)

764px-Balanced_scale_of_Justice_(blue).svg

And as reported in the June 23rd Oregonian after seventy-two years, the Legislature voted to end a prohibition on self-serve gas. Unless vetoed by the Governor, the law

“would require gas stations to staff at least half of their open pumps for people who want assistance. But it would allow other pumps to be open for self-service.”

But wait, it goes further! In a fit of progressivity, lawmakers included a provision that:

“….would also eliminate from state law language referring to coin-operated fuel pumps, perhaps in recognition of the fact that a $1 coin, the largest denomination in general circulation, would today buy two-tenths of a gallon of gas, and it would take more than 50 of them to fill an average tank.” (#6)

800px-Petrol_pump_mp3h0354

It’s a great comfort to me that Oregon changed this archaic prohibition before New Jersey – now the only state where one can’t pump his or her own gas.

This also makes me quite confident that the Oregon Legislature will make future leaps in solving some of the less significant issues such as climate change, homelessness, funding for public defenders (a crisis), timber and wildfire management and Oregon’s high school graduation rates.

The Good Ol’ Days?

How many times have we Baby Boomers reflected on how our parents used to say “goodbye” to us in the morning when we were on summer vacation from grade school? Our moms would then admonish us not to be late for dinner as we walked out the door for the day.

We would often pack a lunch and then wonder across busy streets through the woods to a pond or stream in which we fished or swam, have lunch in a makeshift treehouse and walk or ride our bike several miles to a hobby shop or Five and Dime Store in the center of town.

Now days, parents are understandably a lot more cautious about that kind of “adventure” without adult supervision. That said, I’m amazed at how young and how fast kids whiz by on electric scooters or motorized bikes – most of the time – but not always – with helmets. (#7 – #8)

My younger daughter is a pediatric Emergency Department nurse.

Maybe I should ask her although I think she’d probably reply, “Relax Dad. Go have a beer!”

Concluding Simmers

I’ve mentioned in recent posts that since we will be moving later this year, my wife has been relentless on reminding me of my task to go through my extensive collection of newspapers, magazines and old files with everything from college and graduate school papers to law firm e-mails which are often humorous and sarcastic (Go figure!)

But it’s not just reviewing this stuff, but the mandate is to recycle the great bulk of this “material” in filing cabinets in our garage, my home office, etc.

I talked about this in two blog posts in the last year (https://thebeerchaser.com/2023/01/02/de-files-de-files-part-ii/)

I’ve already given my daughters the stuff from their school years that occupied several file drawers, but I insisted on saving a valuable resource for my bar exploits – the Annual Willamette Week Bar Guides.

An invaluable reference since Beerchasing began in 2011

I did find three files that I also am inclined to keep entitled “Bar Jokes,” “Lawyer Jokes” and “Quotations.”

To assuage Janet’s concern that I will never look at these files and our daughters will eventully be forced to dispose of them upon our demise, I offer the following. Perhaps, I will provide one in each category to end future blog posts where I don’t review a specific bar or brewery.

Lawyer Joke

A guy walks into a lawyer’s office and says, “You’re a high-priced lawyer. If I pay you $500, will you answer two questions for me?”

“Absolutely,” says the lawyer. “What’s the second question?”

Bar Joke

A brain walks into a bar and says to the bartender, “Please give me a draft beer.” The bartender looks at him and says, “Sorry, I can’t serve you.” The brain asks, “Why not?” The bartender replies, “Because you’re already out of your head.” (#9)

Human_brain_NIH

Quotation

“Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. After that, who cares? He’s a mile away and you’ve got his shoes…..” Scottish Actor Billy Connolly

Cheers and Happy Independence Day

External Photo Attribution

#1. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grill_(PSF).png) This work has been released into the public domain by its author, Pearson Scott Foresman. This applies worldwide.

#2. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannon_Beach_(63902003).jpeg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Source: the Archive Team – 22 September 2006.

#3. The Oregon Encyclopedia (https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/oregon_beach_bill/) Courtesy: State of Oregon.

#4. Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (https://obrc.com/oregons-bottle-bill/history-of-oregons-bottle-bill/)

#5. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Balanced_scale_of_Justice_(blue).svg) This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Source: User:Perhelion, 12 March 2015.

#6. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petrol_pump_mp3h0354.jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 France license. Author: https: Rama – 2 January 2008.

#7. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lewis_Hine,_The_Swimming_Hole,_Westfield,_Massachusetts,_1916.jpg) This work is from the National Child Labor Committee collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known copyright restrictions on the use of this work. Author: Lewis Hines – 28 June 1916.

#8. Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Generation_Z_kids_on_Electric_Scooter_(48263543577).jpg) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. Author: Kristoffer Trolle from Copenhagen, Denmark – 6 July 2019.

#9. Public Domain – Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Human_brain_NIH.png) This image is a work of the National Institutes of Health, part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, taken or made as part of an employee’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. Source: National Institutes of Health.

Find Your Way to Wayfinder….

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Thebeerchaser

Since I started my Beerchasing exploits in 2011, I’ve reviewed slightly over 400 bars and breweries of which 119 were in Portland, Oregon. This blog is not a technical journal on beer or the science of brewing itself, but primarily about the history and character of the watering holes themselves.

Other than a few such as Bridgeport (closed in 2018), Blitz Weinhard (closed in 1999), Widmer Brothers and McMenamins, most Portland breweries don’t have the history or character of a bar – the focus, understandably, is more on the beer itself. (# External photo attribution at the end of the post. (#1)

They are typically more expansive than the stereotyped hole-in-the-wall dive bar such as the Mock Crest Tavern in the St. John’s area or the Yamhill Pub – a landmark right in Portland’s Central Business District.

The Yamhill, as I explained in my 2015 review, is actually one step below a dive – I classified it as a “grunge bar.” As described in a Portland Mercury review, “The Yamhill Pub is a glorious sh*t crater. It’s a hole, a mess, a f*ing dive.”

The breweries are often in former industrial or warehouse-type buildings with large garage doors that can open during summer months and accommodate crowds on adjourning patios – crowds that are often much younger than the typical demographic of a dive or a neighborhood watering hole.

That said, I’ve rarely “met” a brewery or brew pub that I didn’t enjoy. One such example is Wayfinder Brewery – one block off the Willamette River on SE Second near the Morrison Bridge.

Our experience in mid-November was the second time I had good beer and great food there while enjoying the ambiance, the friendly staff and impressive layout.

My first visit was about five years ago – shortly after it opened – with friends Charlie Rose and David Dickson. I was pleased that nothing much had changed. After our dinner, we caught an impressive jazz show at the Doug Fir Lounge (see below).

In November, 2022, on a Monday afternoon, I hit the brewery with four other retired friends (David and Kate Dickson, Roy Lambert and Mary Maxwell and my wife, Janet). We had a brisk walk along the River and then lunch. That’s right – David Dickson was on both visits – he’s a Beerchasing regular….)

Three of our group of seven participants in our walking group were gone, but our routine is to do about a 45-minute to an hour walk and finish with a beer and lunch/dinner at a brewery or bar. (There’s less guilt after some exercise.)

Most in the group have been participated since 2014 and we have hoisted mugs at great watering holes including Saraveza, Crackerjacks Pub, Hair of the Dog Brewery, Produce Row and many others. (Click on the links above to see the reviews.)

Entrepreneurial Endeavor

A very positive element in the Wayfinder story is the complementary skills and experience of the three partners – brewing, food and business. This was probably a primary factor in the Brewery’s success even during a global pandemic:

“Way finder found its roots in Charlie Devereux’s search for his next beer project after departing Double Mountain Brewing in Hood River. He quickly teamed up with Sizzle Pie’s Matt Jacobson, who he describes as a ‘serial entrepreneur.’ The third partner is Podnah’s Pit’s Rodney Muirhead. Yes, the menu calls for amazingly prepared meats, including house-ground sausage” (#2-3)

The Space

Besides the wonderful expansive heated wood-slat patio (with firepit) which can seat about 120, the 10-barrel brewery and pub occupy about 9,000 square feet. The brick walls are very attractive and skylights provide plenty of light.

Walking in, you face a very long and attractive bar with some booths on the opposing wall. A separate room houses numerous tables of different sizes and large glass panels show the brewing hardware – a nice touch.

While having no expertise (and according to others, no taste in art), I loved the posters and paintings displayed throughout and their classy merchandise is displayed in an attractive case.

Wayfinder was also named on the 2021 Oregon Beer Awards as having the best beer labels.) You can see Charlie and David arguing about various Euclidian principles in the photo below. (#4)

And the manner in which they differentiated the restrooms was also creative and funny and could generate more debate on usage……

The Food!

Often breweries will focus on brewing quality – food is an ancillary concern – patrons will choose from a limited pub menu or use nearby food carts.

Not only has Wayfinder been recognized with numerous awards for its beers (see below), but it distinguishes itself with the variety of its culinary offerings – many cooked on its wood-fired grill. The quality, as the following reviews attest, is quite good.

These excerpts are from one of my most reliable sources for objective assessments during the last eleven years – Willamette Week in its ongoing reviews and annual guides to Portland’s best bars, beers and food. Since the pandemic, these have either been pretty much discontinued, but see the consistency of comments from 2017-2020.

2017 Review by Martin Czimar – In this review shortly after Wayfinder opened, Cizmar advised patrons to avoid the fish, mashed potatoes and beer nuts (this was the only negative media review I could find on the food.) But he praised the nachos, sausage and burgers – “The dinner burger with blue cheese, might be the best brewpub burger in town..”

Since I had the mashed potatoes in my dinner in the 2018 visit and thought they were delicious, perhaps he just needed some menu items to criticize.

2018 Beer Guide – “The wonderful menu ranges from a delicious prime rib sandwich to a mountainous niçoise salad but the thing I find myself ordering most often is the brewery’s nachos….”

2019 – 20 Guide to Food and Drink – “Whenever asked which brewery in town also has good food – not just passable-for-a-pub food, but an honest-to-goodness recommendable menu, I almost always steer that person to Wayfinder.”

Our group on both visits concurred with the positive reviews. Most of us in 2022 had the burger special which runs all day Monday and on Tues – Thurs. from 8:00 PM to closing.

Where else can you can a burger with chips and a pint of beer for $14 ($1 extra to substitute fries)? The Chicken Schnitzel and the entre’ salads were delicious and nicely presented.

The Service

As was the case five years ago, our server, Jessica, was friendly, helpful and competent. She also gave a comprehensive and knowledgeable rundown of their draft beers which helped us make our selection.

Award Winning Beer

The number of medals received are too numerous to cite, but take a look at the listing of some of the accolades as listed on their website:

“Best New Brewers in the World” – Rate Beer, 2018
“Best Brewery”, “Best Brewer”, “Best Oregon Brewpub” – New School Awards, 2018
“Top 11 Best Beers in America” (Terrifico) – Bloomberg News, 2018
“Oregon Beer of the Year” (Hell Lagerbier) – New School Awards 2019
“Best Brewpub Experience” – Oregon Beer Awards, 2018-2019

You won’t find a lot of IPA’s at Wayfinder – a mainstay of a lot of contemporary craft breweries. Wayfinder’s specialty is lagers:

“(We are) a lager-centric brewery that combines old and new school lager techniques to push the envelope of what lager can be. The founders of Wayfinder, lager fanatics themselves and proselytizers of cool fermentation, installed a dedicated decoction vessel to achieve malt complexities otherwise unattainable.

The beers are a mix of tradition and science, a blending of ancient brewing tactics, newer Narziß-style German precision, and the swagger of American Craft. Although we are rewriting the definition of lager for the next generation of craft beer enthusiasts, we are bringing with it the traditions of Europe and America’s favorite beer.”

And let’s just take a quick look at one excerpt from the Willamette Week Guide to Portland Bars and Happy Hours:

“…….Wayfinder Helles is one of the few in America to ever match that deep bready malt and balancing light sulfur aroma that characterizes a freshly cracked bottle of Augustiner in Munich. It’s a portal to Bavaria where they drink beer-flavored beer.”

And the excellence in brewing has continued. In the 2021 Oregon Beer Awards, Wafinder garnered one gold, two silvers and two bronze medals for their brews in addition to being named as the Oregon brewery with the best beer labels. You can see why below: (#5-10)

Before finishing my comments on the Brewery, I want to mention our (David, Charlie and I) post dinner outing in 2018. It was to the Doug Fir Lounge – only eight blocks away in the Jupiter Hotel.

We were fortunate to see one of the Portland shows of acclaimed jazz saxophonist, Hailey Niswanger.

Hailey attended West Linn High School with our three daughters, but then went on to the prestigious Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship. The Berklee publication on distinguished alums states, in part:

“Hailey Niswanger’s trajectory as a jazz saxophonist resembles that of a shooting star. The young musician graduated in 2011 after studying jazz performance on a full scholarship. But by that time, she had already released the album, Confeddie, that prompted jazz critic Nat Hentoff to proclaim the 19 year old as part of the future of jazz.

She has appeared with Demi Lovato on Saturday Night Live and on other late-night TV shows. Niswanger was also the alto saxophonist in the Either/Orchestra, touring with Ethiopian stars and playing African, Latin, and jazz music in Europe and the United States. DownBeat magazine’s Critics Poll cited her as a rising alto and soprano saxophonist for 2013–2016.

A versatile artist, she also played flute on Terri Lyne Carrington’s The Mosiac Project, which won a Grammy.”

Now living in Brooklyn, New York, Niswanger is active teaching at seminars as well as continuing to tour with musicians such as pianist Mike Wolff and drummer Mike Clark in the Woolf and Clark Expedition. She also started a new band of her own, MAE.SUN, a contemporary, mixed-genre project.” (#11-16)

It was a marvelous performance and her range was incredible – she also vocalized. Before the show we had a chance to say “hello” to this musical prodigy, we’re proud to say, had her roots in our community. She is personable and humble.

2018-08-06 20.38.39

Surprisingly, there are numerous Portland breweries that have sprung up during the pandemic that Thebeerchaser has not visited at this point. That said, since both times I’ve been to Wayfinder, I ate inside and given the overall experience, I will be going back this Spring.

I’ll sit on the fabulous deck, drink a Hell – Lagerbier Helles (“Crisp, light, refreshing, brilliantly effervescent with a floral, noble hop aroma – ABV 4.7%”) or one of the other ten beers on tap. Did I also mention that they are known for their creative cocktails, for example the Midnight Trilogy?

“Blended Scotch, Laird’s apple brandy, Averna, Allspice Dram, Orange Bitters, Demerara.”

I have a feeling that it would pair very well with one of the large Bavarian pretzels with mustard which are only $6. (#17)

Perfektion!

Cheers!

External Photo Attribution

#1. Wikimedia Commons (File:Blitzweinhard brewery.jpg – Wikipedia) Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. Author:
w:User:Ajbenj 6 January 2002.

#2 -10. Wayfinder Beer Facebook Pages (Facebook) https://www.facebook.com/wayfinderbeer/photos/pb.100063601343176.-2207520000./2816).

#11 – 16 Hailey Niswanger Facebook Pages ( Hailey Niswanger | Facebook).

#17. Wayfinder Beer Facebook Page (Wayfinder Beer | Portland OR | Facebook)

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)

The Standard – It Redefines the Meaning of the Term

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Thebeerchaser

You last read about one of Portland’s fabled bars in the most recent post of Thebeerchaser – that being The Dockside Saloon and Restaurant. Located in an historic building, this classic bar has been owned by the same family since 1986. Well, the following narrative will tell you about another legendary bar you should visit – this one a dive bar in Northeast Portland.

Now when you see the term The Standard, (I’m choosing to capitalize both words throughout the post) you might automatically assume it references the Portland-based life insurance company. Indeed, “The Standard” is a marketing name for Portland’s own Standard Insurance Company, which was chartered in Oregon in 1906, now employs about 2,500 individuals and owns several high-rise buildings in downtown Portland.

Not a sparkling exterior

But The Standard you will read about below is 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. Why would you travel here and struggle for parking rather than hit one of the city’s many sparkling breweries or taprooms – some relatively close by including Upright, Laurelwood, Alameda and Culmination?

A spacious interior

The 2018 Edition of “The Bar Guide.”

Well, one of Thebeerchaser’s trusted resources during the seven years of this tour of bars, taverns and breweries is Willamette Week’s Annual Bar Guide. The 2018 Edition) – “Portland Bars and Happy Hours – the 101 Best Bars in Portland,” sums it up succinctly in a wonderful review written by the weekly’s former Project Editor, Matthew Korfhage:

“But the thing that made me treat this bar as an extension of my living room for seven years, what makes it different from every other bar with cheap drinks and a pool table and a covered patio in winter, is the simple decency of the place.

The Standard is one of Portland’s last true neighborhood bars, a ramshackle version of Penny Lane decorated in shattered CDs and corrugated metal……More than any other bar I know in Portland, it is a sodden vision of an ideal society.”

And, in fact, going back and reviewing past issues of the Bar Guide, The Standard, unlike most Portland bars, has made the list of top bars – usually around 100 establishments – each of the last five years. Now this may be in large part due to Korfhage’s long tenure at the weekly paper.

*Note: Since he wrote a majority of the reviews in the Bar Guide, he is an expert and has written the piece on The Standard each year. And you can see below that his favorable opinion has not changed. Whether The Standard will hit a sixth consecutive year in 2019, may be in doubt since Korfhage wrote his last column for WW in April.

Korfhage – writing will be missed.

This reporter, who in 2017, was awarded first place for his columns on food writing by the American Association of Alternative Newspapers, has lived in St. Louis, Chicago, Munich and Bordeaux.

He just moved to Hampton Roads on the East coast to become the Food Editor for the Virginian Pilot. It’s Virginia’s largest daily newspaper. His excellent writing will be missed in Portland.

As can be seen by viewing his first two months of columns in Virginia, he continues his interesting and creative, if not somewhat unhealthy lifestyle, writing about bars and restaurants on the East coast. For example, his May 26th column was entitled and ends the first paragraph with this sentence. “I sacrificed my own health to try hot wings at 22 spots all over Hampton Roads and picked the best.”

But you can see below, his praise of The Standard was unwavering through the years:

Bartender Tyler checks the reflection…

2014: “The Standard is what it says it is, ‘A neighborhood standard.’”

2015: “But The Standard is pure of heart, from its owner through its bar staff through the longtime patrons who took up a collection to buy a scooter for the retiring cook and bartender…”

Friendly staff appreciated by the regulars.

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

The Standard has a wide variety of games and was even recognized in the website “Four Square Lists” as one of “The Best Fifteen Places for Bar Games in Portland.” And it has a bunch ranging from Big Buck Hunter to the traditional Pac Man to pool tables to classic pinball games including Terminator 3.

Classic pin-ball machines to Big Buck Hunter

Last Call – Not in the Top 50 but…..

It even has a video puzzle arcade game named “Last Call.” While not on the list of the Top 50 which includes classics such as Trash Panic, Tetris Attack and Super Scribblenauts, it will probably keep you interested and occupied??!!

Or you can pick one of the many “treasures” in a vending machine that has everything from old Playboy Magazines to heart-shaped sunglasses to Nutter Butter candy bars to a mystery package which says “Porn Pin – Probably.”

(The only similar machine I’ve seen in eight years and visiting 120 Portland bars, was at Slab Town – a NW PDX dive bar with a once stellar reputation as an old-school rock and roll venue visited by Thebeerchaser in 2013).

Unfortunately, it became one of the classic Portland bars which poured its last PBR and hosted its last concert in 2017. In the Slab Town vending machine, you could even buy guitar strings and drum sticks – not the kind you eat……!

On the left “Porn Pin – Probably”

You can also have your picture taken in one of those old-fashioned photo booths.

Visiting The Standard that day with me were Beerchasing regulars, Jack Faust and Jim Westwood, both former Beerchasers-of-the-Quarter based on their compelling stories. They did outstanding appellate work during their careers at Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt and Stoel Rives respectively.

From left – Shannon, Charlie, Chuck Jack and Jim

In addition, three other friends added to the late afternoon gathering – Charlie Faust, a mortgage loan consultant and Jack’s son; Chuck Mitchell, another retired attorney and a trial lawyer who showed skill in the courtroom and Shannon Asato, who works in the Accounting Department at the Oregon Food Bank.

Shannon was the only Beerchasing neophyte and her good humor and competence when she worked with me for a number of years at the Schwabe law firm, made her a welcome addition to our crew.

“Standard” would not be an apt description for the exterior of the bar, and you might drive or walk right past it if you weren’t deliberately seeking it – in fact, Jack Faust was focused on joining us and drove past anyway. He then called his son to find out where we were and took static for his lack of punctuality when he got there. (Of course, he parked, before dialing his cell….)

A great covered patio for all seasons….

Individuals and groups sit at the picnic tables chatting or working on computers – often accompanied by their dogs and drink cheap beers or stiff well drinks.

“Abbreviated” shuffleboard

The inside of the bar is also spacious and filled with the type of stuff which endears us to this type of venue. Besides the old-style pinball machines and games, a pool table and a curiously-short shuffleboard, there are old beer signs, tacky art, an idiosyncratic (or bizarre) cracked mirror the full length of the bar behind it and, well, just a lot of stuff that makes you feel at home….

Careful – they sneak up on you….

There are too many features at The Standard to name them all including Jello Shots for $1, alcoholic Slushies, Sunday craft beers for $3, and a “Crappy Book Club – “Bring your crappy books, and trade them for other crappy books!”

And like a number of storied watering holes, the bar is a community unto itself. For example, there’s traditional Christmas decorations in season (also Santa Claus horror movies), an annual Chili Cooking Contest – the proceeds in 2018 went to Friends of the Columbia River Gorge – a Kentucky Derby Party and occasional golf tournaments – the proceeds last year went to the Oregon Food Bank.

Call for schedule of Santa horror movies

Another distinguishing characteristic is a noticeable affinity for Hamm’s Beer. This is manifested in its Wednesday all-day $1 Hamm’s pints, numerous logos and a notable stuffed “Hamms’ Bear” over the bar wearing a Portland Trailblazer jersey.

Trailblazer fan from Wisconsin

An affinity for Hamms

Don’t forget the sign on the two unisex bathrooms stating, “One at a Time,” possibly a concern that those imbibing in the $1 brews or jello shots may think they can join the “Mile High Club” without leaving terra firma.

And I don’t think you will ever see The Standard take the appalling route of one of Portland’s other bars – Saraveza. In 2015, perhaps to be trendy as quoted in New School Beer on 11/5/15:

“‘For seven years we have honored the world of domestic beer by always pouring a pint of Hamm’s alongside some of the best craft beers in the world.

It was important to me to acknowledge the industry that created a springboard for our recent craft beer revolution,’ said Sarah Pederson, owner of Saraveza Bottle Shop & Pasty Tavern. ‘Breakside’s Wisco Tavern Beer does the same thing for us, but with a new twist that we are proud to stand behind.’” (emphasis supplied)

Really??? (Maybe you want to change, Sarah, but don’t suggest that Breakside can replace Hamms!)

Founded in 1865 as compared to 2010….

The last time, I had a draft Hamm’s on tap was at a wonderful bar – The Coyote Road House, in Door County, Wisconsin. That’s right next to the “Land of Sky-Blue Water” which is home to the Hamm Brewery, founded in 1865 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Another place to get Hamms on Tap

Now, when Faust and Westwood first got to The Standard, the practice ingrained in them for so many years — each worked in different high-rises owned by Standard Insurance — got the best of them. Both took out legal pads and started billing time as they drank their $1 Hamm’s.

The Standard Insurance Center – home for Westwood at Stoel Rives

Since Chuck Mitchell worked in a small plaintiff’s firm in Clackamas County, he took a more relaxed approach and talked the other two into just considering this a pro-bono engagement.

Mitchell on the left advocates pro-bono

And Jack always gets a kick each time the famous French opera bearing his name comes to Portland. This time it was Portland Opera’s three and one-half hour rendition of French composer, Charles Gounod’s, “Faust,” in June.

In a deal with Mephistophele’s – the Devil, (a baritone in the opera), the protagonist, Faust, trades his soul for a chance at a second youth and the prospect of seducing a beautiful young maiden,

Mephistopheles is a baritone…

Charlie Faust became worried when he heard his father, quoting some lines from the opera, to wit:

“When will death free me from this burden? I curse happiness and knowledge, prayer and faith.“

We had to convince the younger Faust that his dad was not depressed, but just showing his erudition and cultural refinement in addition to his tendency to share his philosophy on the human condition, temptation, redemption, Goethe and the Oregon Supreme Court’s latest opinion on the Gun Control Initiative.

But we digress….The Standard is not going to be your go-to place for quality pub food. It’s line-up is limited and confined to items such as chips and salsa, a few sandwiches, mini-corndogs and fried ravioli(?)

Limited but cheap selections

They also have a drink special every day which includes the aforementioned Hamms’ special on Wednesdays.

Daily Drink Specials

The Standard was a great addition to the bars I have visited and all of us gave it a thumbs- up.

And you have to look hard for a social media review which is critical. Almost all reviewers love the character, sense of humor and charitable heart of this saloon. The few critical ones seem to be malcontents who didn’t like the service – kind of an anomaly when it is a self-service bar or maybe a bartender wasn’t as friendly as they would have liked. Or take this one going back to 2012. (I guess that’s not too bad…..):

“I have a hard time with this review. The location is really good and the people seem really cool. On the other hand their well rum was by far the worst rum that I have been in near proximity with.” (Yelp – 4/9/12)

Now Portland has over 700 bars, breweries and taverns, but if you haven’t been to The Standard, you should remedy that. And it does redefine the meaning of the word “standard” as there is nothing ordinary or typical about it.

While they have some good craft beer on tap, in the interest of history and honoring the character of this bar, belly up to the bar and ask Tyler for a draft Hamms’. If it’s Wednesday, it will only set you back $2 – a buck for the beer and a buck for Tyler.

The Standard 14 NE 22nd Ave. Portland

Jello Shots – Even better with pop rocks on top…

Mad Sons (Pub) with Happy Daughters…

Posted on September 21, 2016 by Thebeerchaser

A resurrected venue in Southeast Portland

You won’t find Madison’s Bar and Grill in any of the past Willamette Week Bar Guides even though it operated from 1997 until February 2014. The Bar Guide is the weekly paper’s annual review of about 100 favorite Portland bars and one of the ongoing resources for this blog.

WW described the predecessor, Madison’s B & G, in their review of its resurrection, of sorts, Mad Sons Pub, in its 8/26/14 review of the remade bar: “(Madison’s Bar and Grill was) a bar that looked like a Denny’s in West Virginia and attracted the same clientele.”

The sign with a minor change

The most noticeable change is on the bland exterior of the bar – the large neon sign near the entrance now has the “I” taped over, purportedly so it would not shine at night although some say that it just burned out and the name change then saved the owners money on signage. The real story is below.

I definitely liked the décor of the remade bar on our recent Beerchasing trip to its location at 1109 SE Madison. The large lot with free parking in an area where vehicle resting spots are at a premium was another plus.

WW speaks favorably of the new bar including the capital invested by the new owners:

“The new Revolutionary War-themed bar is a beautiful hardwood affair complete with 13-star flags, a hearth, a giant blue-felt billiards table and a picture of the signing of the Declaration of Independence burned into the wood of the bar’s service gate.”

And like some of the other “treasures” – bars or pubs I have discovered in the five-year Beerchaser Tour of Bars, Taverns and Pubs, I would not have had the pleasure of raising a mug – this time with great companions – if I had not initiated this idiosyncratic but interesting retirement hobby.

Jack Faust contemplates the beer menu

Joining me was one of the most frequent Beerchaser “regulars,” Portland appellate lawyer and former moderator of the award-winning public affairs program, Town Hall.

Jack Faust has joined me at visits to The Buffalo Gap, Bailey’s Tap House, the Rookery, Kelly’s Olympian, the Marathon Taverna and the lackluster Yard House. (use Thebeerchaser search function above to read reviews of these bars). He was also one of the more colorful Beerchaser-of-the-Quarters , which highlighted his notable legal (mostly at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt) , broadcasting and civic career (see post on 9/2/14)

Jack Faust

Speaking of the Schwabe firm, where I spent twenty-five years of my legal management career, Faust, a Portland native, joins two other former Schwabe partners as three of the Jefferson High School’s “Outstanding 100” – their most distinguished alums named at the school’s Centennial in 2009.

Retired US District Court Judge and decorated Viet Nam Veteran, Ancer Haggerty, and the late Congressman, Wendell Wyatt were also honored.

The late Congressman, Wendell Wyatt

Faust maintains he garnered the honor based on his accomplishments playing quarterback on the Democrat’s six-man football team, but I countered that it was the notoriety achieved by his home-brewed “Raspberry Red Ale” which contributed to Portland’s designation as a SuperFund site by the EPA.

As has been the case on several previous bar visits, members of the Faust clan – in this case son, Charlie, and daughter, Amy, were Beerchasing with us in addition to Charlie’s wife, Kristen, a first-time Beerchaser.

The final two companions that afternoon were the youngest – my daughter, Laura and her fiancé, Ryan Keene, slated for September 17^th nuptials at Vista Hills Vineyard and Winery west of Dundee – the home of one of my favorite dive bars – Lumpy’s Landing.

While we did not spend too much time trying to mentor and advise the young bride and groom to-be, they couldn’t go wrong listening to some words of wisdom, given that the cumulative total years of marriage for their elders was an astounding 139 years as follows:

An amazing couple

Jack and Alice Faust 60 years

Don and Janet Williams 36 years

Amy Faust and husband, Kevin 24 years

Charlie Faust and wife, Kristen 19 years

Charlie Faust, being a numbers guy, pointed out to Ryan and Laura that since the average time of marriage for those above has been 34.8 years while the median is still an impressive 30 years, they would do well to invite members of this group out for beers in the future to seek advice on marital bliss…..

Thebeerchaser with his daughter and soon to be son-in-law

Although Charlie and his dad have a great relationship, they agreed to pose while I took the picture below in an effort to get the pub’s owners to adopt it as a logo for their new moniker. In fact, in a moment of sentimentality, Charlie gushed:

“You know, I owe a lot to my parents – especially my Mom and Dad.”

It should also be noted that both my daughter, Laura, and Jack’s daughter, Amy, seemed to be pretty happy with their dads that afternoon and not just because we paid for the beers (I think….)

A new logo for Mad Sons??

Not only does Mad Sons have some interesting décor including multiple US Presidential portraits but the spacious game-room upstairs includes a billiard table racked for free pool, some nice booths to relax and some additional historical memorabilia.

I had a nice conversation by telephone with General Manager, Lavender Davis, who is one of five partners in Mad Sons. The remodeling took six months and was done by craftsman with the historic items throughout the bar coming from a variety of sources including estate sales. Some of the drapes are from her living room…..

She stated that the reason for the name change and blacking out the “I” in the Madison’s on the sign, was because of restrictions imposed by Portland’s Sign Ordinance (Perhaps a skilled lawyer could have overcome that challenge but the name change is a good thing.)

Blue felt and free

The upstairs has a long shelves filled with impressive volumes ranging from philosophical classics such as Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, Milton’s Paradise Lost and perhaps appropriately, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King to novels by Nobel Prize winners such as Steinbeck and Hemingway. Don’t plan to use the space as a reading room while you’re enjoying a mug, however.

The expansive volumes on the shelves are all firmly glued together. This is too bad because there was some fine literature on these shelves.

An impressive faux library…

Realizing these books were glued together and untouched, along with the thought of beer readily available, also brought back some unpleasant and possibly repressed memories from my freshman year at Oregon State.

The freedom to have an under-aged brewski at Price’s Tavern with the bros in Corvallis was like a Siren call while my freshman physics and calculus texts sat essentially glued together. Although they might have indicated an impressive academic regimen, at least part of the quarter, they mostly gathered dust.

Fortunately, my Navy ROTC advisor informed me in a direct manner that if I did not start putting some wear on the pages, I would not only lose my scholarship, but the Navy’s travel agent would be happy to book a free flight on one of its planes headed for the other side of the International Dateline. The motivational speech worked.

Limited but adequate patio

Mad Sons is a spacious, interesting and warm space to gather with friends on a fall or winter day – you might also want to take advantage of the limited but adequate patio during the spring and summer months.

The afternoon we were there, the bar was not hopping with patrons and WW alluded to the same situation in their multiple visits. And that’s too bad because Mad Sons also has a good selection of beers and a robust and very reasonably priced food menu described by the Oregonian shortly after it opened in 2014:

“A little New England, a little Old England with sandwiches, stews and other hearty plates of varying quality.” Oregonian 10/31/14

A nice selection of beers

There are eleven beers on tap, a rotating seasonal and nitro and a local craft draft root beer. (Our party had Priem IPA, Double Mountain IRA and Upright Pilsner.)

Kristin had a Grapefruit Shandy, which Thebeerchaser had never been exposed to previously. I learned that a Shandy is a combination of beer and either a soft drink or juice in approximately a 50/50 mix. Kristin approved of the Mad Son’s version.

Recent Yelp reviews looked very positive including these two:

“Clean with great vibes and plenty of space! Awesome selection of booze with excellent service at Mad Sons Pub. Free pool, pinball, games and a huge outdoor patio – (Thebeerchaser does not agree with this description) for summer! Definitely check this place out! No kids and parking for all. Love it!!!” 7/2/2016

2016-08-15-18-13-46

and

“This place is quality. Super chill, nice staff, good food and drink, their brisket is awesome. I really appreciate the ambiance here, they’re always playing good music, it’s nice and dark with the look of an old style pub, but a more modern vibe.” 7/23/2016

Also good comments on their Saturday and Sunday brunch (from 11 AM to 3 PM), which according to Lavender is “very popular” and one where those who prefer not to have children affecting the ambiance, can gather. The Chicken and Waffles looked promising as did the Beef Brisket Hash as well as the “You Build It” combinations.

This sign describes Mad Son’s pretty well. They have a DJ every Friday night and a nice Pandora selection otherwise.

As a departing note, Laura and Ryan’s wedding at Vista Hills near Dundee was a wonderful event, notwithstanding this particular Saturday being the only day with precipitation in the ten-day period preceding it. And was it rainy – which can be problematic in an outdoor venue. Fortunately, we had tents and a crowd with a great NW attitude.

Now while my wife may not think that it is appropriate to post some of the first photos of their wedding in a blog about bars and beer, I think after 36 years, she will probably let the proud Father-of-the-Bride go with this indulgence, given how much I love this young couple and want to show them off.

Rainy but a wonderful occasion

The old marrieds there that day talked to Laura and Ryan about the importance of good communication and listening, which opened the door to some of Thebeerchaser’s favorite quotes on that general topic:

“Don’t speak, unless you can improve the silence.”

“Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until they open their mouths.”

“A single fact can spoil a good argument.”

The beautiful Vista Hills setting

Mad Sons Pub 1109 SE Madison

Thebeerchaser

Bars, Breweries and Watering Holes – An Exploration

Tag Archives: Willamette Week Bar Guide

Don’t Jump When You Can Dive!

Dual Tributes and Farewells

Summer Simmers III

Summer Simmers – Part I

Find Your Way to Wayfinder….

The Standard – It Redefines the Meaning of the Term

Mad Sons (Pub) with Happy Daughters…