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.