Everyone knows that if your looking for the best in coffee, you go to Seattle. For wine, you go to California. When it comes to the best in beer, you go to Portland Oregon, where your never more than 15 minutes away from a quality brewpub.
The Williamette Rive in western Oregon has been the center of hop growing and brewing since the days of the pioneers. When the microbrew revolution began, the history and the hops were already there, along with the spring water, the grain, and the fruit for summer beers. As a result, regional brewers and microbrewers began to pop up all over the place.
After that, it didn’t take long at all for the brewpub to follow. These beers weren’t just for washing down food anymore. The hand crafted beers could be used in cooking, just like wine. In the brewpubs of Portland, the beer also forms a base for salad dressing, spices up marinades, and even helps to sweeten the desserts as well.
Many brewpubs will offer a sampler of the best in beer tasting. You can think of it as wine tasting without the snooty steward. You sip on small amounts of a variety of brews to see what the brewer can do, from the light and hoppy to...