Portland is home to a lot of local treasures—our coffee scene, for example, is among the best in the country! However, we’re not just known for our fantastic roasts. Portland is full of talented people who brew their own craft beers! That’s right—if you’ve ever been interested in visiting the Portland area, you’ve heard about the amazing craft beer scene. People far and wide come to visit and taste what Portland has to offer. Whether you’re looking for a new kind of pale ale, a lager, or even a cider, the Northwest is home to some of the best breweries around. However, finding the best one to suit your needs can be hard with the scene being as popular as it is.
Just over the last couple of years the amount of breweries in Portland has nearly doubled, bringing 73 local breweries to the area! Between using locally run brewery tours and your own personal taste as a guide, finding something that you’re sure to like with so many options for you to choose can be overwhelming. So, that’s why we’ve done it for you! I’ve gone out and found the 10 best breweries in Portland—from ales to lagers, to sours, and everything else, these 10 breweries offer the best that the Northwest can offer and are guaranteed to show you a good time. Let’s get started!
1: Ecliptic Brewing
One of the best breweries in Portland, Ecliptic Brewing, offers a wide variety of their best craft beers as well as exclusive seasonal favorites! Founded in 2013, head brewmaster John Harris has put his 20 years of experience in the brewing field to use by fulfilling a lifelong dream of opening his own brewery! Ecliptic Brewing works on the old calendar—ecliptic refers to the travel of the Earth around the sun—and offers exclusive seasonal items based on things like the Winter Solstice, the Summer Solstice, and more!
Additionally, they’ve always got their tried and true favorites on a rotating draught, making tasting both new and classic flavors easier than ever. Ecliptic Brewing also offers food from their in-house kitchen so you can turn the entire experience into a night on the town! Make sure you give them a visit and check out what they’re serving!
2: Deschutes Brewery
A unique and amazing destination for anyone in the Portland area, Deschutes Brewery is a must-see! With 26 rotating draughts full of classics, seasonal flavors, and exclusive experimental beers brewed in-house for their Portland location, it’s easy to see why Deschutes is one of the best breweries in Portland.
From sours and IPAs to collaborations of amazing flavors, it’s easy to see why Deschutes Brewery has a near flawless 5-star review on Yelp! In addition to their amazing beers and their food, Deschutes is also a leader in sustainability, having won several awards over the years, and actively promoting sharing their amazing creations with people across the country in the safest ways possible for the environment! Make sure you look through what they’ve got and given them a visit when you’re in the area.
3: Little Beast Brewing Beer Garden
With a founder that’s built his brewmaster status on 25 years of experience, Little Beast Brewing is proud to produce original and unique flavors of beers for the Northwest, easily making them one of the best breweries in Portland. With 9 beers on draught, as well as their year-round flagship brews, Little Beast is proud to offer their own taste of beer in an area that celebrates diversity and creativity.
In addition to their unique flavors, make sure you stop by for a taste from their kitchen, pairing their delicious beers with something appetizing. Little Beast also offers cider for those who prefer something sweet (and gluten-free), as well as seasonal flavors that come and go, so make sure you check out what they’re offering and when that offer ends to get a taste of something special!
4: 10 Barrel Brewing
Started in 2006, 10 Barrel has since made a name for themselves in the Northwest, and their Portland location is a staple for anyone looking for a good place to try some amazing beer, enjoy some food, and relax in the Portland atmosphere! Run by brewmaster Whitney Burnside, who got her start in 2010, 10 Barrel is a staple of success, and definitely one of the best breweries in Portland.
With flavors exclusive to their Portland location, you can browse their menu before visiting to give yourself an idea of what you want to try, and what to expect upon visiting their location! From beer, to wine, to beer infused cocktails, 10 Barrel is one step ahead of the brewing curve, bringing their unique style to beer with their exciting flavors! Pair your favorite with a bite to eat, sit back, relax, and enjoy for the night when you visit.
5: Base Camp Brewing
Founded in 2012, Base Camp Brewing has been dedicating themselves to the craft beer industry for decades. Their flavors and amazing creations certainly show it! With a team of well-experienced brewmasters, an amazing selection of beers—both on draught and available in cans (and 22 oz bottles)—and a perfect location, it’s easy to see why Base Camp Brewing is one of the best breweries in Portland!
What’s on draught contains a large assortment of flavors, from tried and true classics like their S’more Stout, and new flavors they’re trying to make a splash with, giving you a chance to try through their samples and see what strikes a chord with your taste buds. Taking that flavor home is also easier than ever with bottles and cans available for beer tasters on the go! Make sure you check them out to see what interests you!
6: Modern Times Belmont Fermentorium
With amazingly intuitive and unique flavors and a plant-based food menu that pairs perfectly with anything you’re willing to try, Modern Times Fermentorium is a must-see location and certainly one of the best breweries in Portland! In addition to their own amazing creations, Modern Times also hosts a few guest beers from other breweries in the area to promote the community and give everyone a chance to shine in a place where craft beer has really cultivated a following!
From beers to ciders, and everything in between, Modern Times gives you a variety of samplings to choose from when you visit their brewhouse. Their infusions are a combination of flavors that some might not expect when grabbing a beer—like Druid Heights, which infuses pistachios and coconut, or Deeds & Exploits, which combines vanilla and coffee to give your beer an extra kick! Their food menu is also expansive and affordable, making them a must see when visiting the area!
7: Breakside Brewing
With a current and updated rotating draught list, plenty of food and bites for everyone to enjoy, and a special menu of things that are offered early and go fast, Breakside Brewing is easily one of the best breweries in Portland. With their Portland location only going up just over a year ago, Breakside Brewing features a full-service restaurant, two levels of enjoyment, and custom-built vessels for the best brewing possible, giving them an amazing chance to serve the Northwest area in style!
16 beers rotate on draught at Breakside Brewing, giving people a chance to sample anything they’d like. From IPAs to pilsners, to rosé and more, Breakside makes some of the best beer in the area. Additionally, you can enjoy your samplings both in and out of the building, with exquisite outside seating and private rooms for families, small groups, and parties! Make sure to check out their menu to see what they’re offering next, and pay them a visit when you can!
8: Cascade Brewing Barrel House
A brewery focused on the tart, sour flavor that beers can contain, Cascade Brewing Barrel House is one of a kind with its unique selection of beers that are just that: sour! Sour beers are an entire subsection of flavor when it comes to what you’re looking for, and fans of a more tart taste are sure to get a kick out of Cascade Brewing, making them not only one of the best breweries in Portland, but truly a shining example of creativity!
With flavors that only exist in-house, to a list things available to take home, Cascade offers you some of the best when it comes to sours. For those looking for something a little easier on the taste buds, there’s also a few options that are non-sour, making the trip easy and enjoyable for everyone involved. Additionally, there’s a full kitchen and a wonderful menu, with entrees, apps, and desserts, as well as limited time kitchen creations that you should try to get your hands on! Lastly, make sure you check out their Tuesday Tap Club, where you can get some tips from the experts on brewing, creativity, and flavor creation!
9: Ruse Brewing
With a strong focus on community and the craft that goes into craft beer, Ruse Brewing produces small-batch beers for the Portland area to enjoy, making them one of the best breweries in Portland. By collaborating with people in the area—artists and musicians especially—to help promote events in the area and bring a flavor to what they design, Ruse has proved themselves as a staple in the Portland area and their beer brings a sense of recollection among those who drink it.
Co-owners and founders Shaun Kalis and Devin Benware developed their own special yeast to create their beers by collaborating with a local lab, Imperial. These strains, called Stargazer and Suburban Brett, allow for a smoother taste, making their beers easy to enjoy without any residual funk. These special creations allow them to brew beer exactly they want they want to and has produced some of the best farmhouse ales in the Portland area. Make sure you check them out to get a taste of something special.
10: Hopworks Urban Brewery
A full tasting room with offers of beer on draught, seasonal flavors, amazing ciders, and a full menu that allows you to create your own meal, it’s easy to see why Hopworks Urban Brewery is one of the best breweries in Portland! Their menu is large and expansive, giving you a full experience beyond just trying new beers. Pizza, burgers, salads, daily specials, and the option to create your own calzone is just the beginning when you visit Hopworks—their amazing atmosphere will leave you wanting more, and give you an amazing experience of what the craft beer scene has to offer in the Portland area!
In addition to their amazing food, they have a full list of all available beers to try on draught—with IPAs infused with fruit, to their tried and true organic IPA classic that’s a guaranteed bestseller, you can get your hands on something delicious and new when you stop by for a visit! Check them out as soon as you can!
The Best Breweries in Portland: Taste, Relax, and Enjoy
And… that’s all she wrote! Portland is a largely populated area when it comes to breweries and brewhouses, and finding one that you gel with completely can be a bit overwhelming. That’s where this list will come in handy—by compiling some of the best breweries in Portland, we’re hoping that the very idea of traveling, visiting, and engaging with this amazing craft beer community is easy, stress-free, and enjoyable! After all, when you’re going out for a beer, you’re trying to relax in the first place, and finding the best place possible to enjoy yourself shouldn’t be a task that’s too daunting to complete. Let us, and these amazing establishments, help you have a good time, and enjoy the Portland area in the process!
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