Portland Monthly Overlooked a Few
When the July issue of Portland Monthly Magazine arrived in the mail this week, with a mouth-watering photo of a frothy pint and the words Oregon Beer on the cover, I was eager to dig into the cover story. The article touches on various aspects of the Oregon beer scene, including discussion of some breweries, pubs and brewers. I was most interested in what the article referred to as The Perfect Oregon Case. This list of 48 beers represents the writers' "absolute favorite Oregon beers."
Overall, I think the list does a good job offering a spectrum of quality Oregon beers that are readily available in Portland. Are they the most noteworthy, innovative or exceptional beers brewed locally? No. But given the Magazine's audience, I was happy to see that the list wasn't simply a compilation of the most popular beers from the area's most well-known breweries.
While I appreciate the attempts to include a variety of beer styles and breweries from across the state on the list, I couldn't help but wonder about a few notable breweries that didn't make the list. Sure, the list was supposed to include only those beers that are available on tap or by the bottle in Portland, but even then, exceptions were made. The most obvious exclusions in my mind include: Fort George, Barley Brown's, and Block 15.
Each of these Oregon-based breweries brews great beer and has a reputation for doing so. Some would argue that these three breweries are among the best in the state. If nothing else, these breweries could have been put on the list in place of some others who (in my opinion, did not deserve to) made the list twice.
Portland Monthly is inviting feedback through this poll. What do you think?
June 25th, 2010 - 09:59
yeah, ouch, they didn’t include those three. Those can be found in tap at various times in various places in PDX. I haven’t read the article, which three would you have removed from their list?
June 25th, 2010 - 10:40
Good question.
Personally, I would have found room for Fort George, Barley Brown’s and Block 15 in place of one of the following brews:
Wakonda Brewing – Beachcomber Cream Ale or Sneaker Wave Pilsner
Rogue – Dead Guy Ale or Irish Lager
Ninkasi – Radiant Summer or Tricerihops Double IPA
Personal taste aside, check out the following long list of breweries that were featured twice on the list with the following beers:
Widmer Brothers – W’10 & Deadlift Imperial IPA
Heater Allen – Coastal Lager & Schwwarz
Alameda – Black Bear Stout & Klickitat Pale Ale
Hair of the Dog – Ruth & Fred
Hopworks – DOA & Organic Lager
Southern Oregon – Pin-up Porter & Na Zdravi
Terminal Gravity – ESG & IPA
Lompoc – Special Draft & Proletariat Red
Pelican – Kiwanda Cream Ale & Tsunami Stout
Deschutes – Black Butte Porter & Mirror Pond
Laurelwood – Free Range Red & Workhorse IPA
Gilgamesh – Mamba & Hopscotch Ale
Caldera – IPA & Lawnmower Lager
Oakshire – Vit & Espresso Stout
10 Barrel – Sinistor Black Ale & Apocalypse IPA
The three overlooked breweries mentioned in my post certainly make some beers that are as good, if not better, than some of the beers included in this list. In an article about Oregon’s best, I feel like Portland Monthly really missed an opportunity to highlight three breweries that are brewing some great beer, pushing the envelope, and really helping to shape the future of beer in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.
June 25th, 2010 - 14:00
I don’t remember reading one word written about Heater Allen on any Portland/Oregon beer blog. I know I haven’t been reading them for years and years, but it seems like they don’t get much press at all. Is there a reason for that? I mean, besides the fact that they don’t make overly bitter ales?
June 27th, 2010 - 07:52
Shawn, a quick Google search for Heater Allen returns some good posts written by local beer bloggers about some of HA’s beers. I’m not sure if Heater Allen really does get any less press than other smaller breweries. Most bloggers write about beer and breweries that are new and/or noteworthy for one reason or another. While HA makes good beers, its line is relatively small, its not releasing as many seasonals/on-offs as some others in town, and its focus on Lager style beers in a market that tends to favor bigger beers may contribute to the fact that we don’t see as many posts about Heater Allen.
June 28th, 2010 - 09:21
I’ve been a big fan of H/A since they started:
http://beervana.blogspot.com/search/label/Heater%20Allen%20Brewing
As for the PoMo story, I have some thoughts, too. These things are generally designed to start conversation, not act as definitive lists, and apparently they’re getting that part right!
July 1st, 2010 - 13:34
LOL. I have been promoting them (Heater Allen) for a year or so. Then again, my stuff isn’t just Oregon,
.
Cheers
July 4th, 2010 - 15:00
I can’t for the life of me figure out why Barley Brown’s Turmoil and Tankslapper aren’t on this list.