The Great American Ale Trail - Christian DeBenedetti [17]
BREWERS UNION LOCAL 180
48329 East 1st St. • Oakridge, OR 97463 • (541) 782-2024 • brewersunion.com
You don’t need a union card to get in to this atmospheric brewpub established in 2008. You just need a thirst for some ultra-traditional British-style cask-conditioned beer, which brewer-owner Ted Sobel spares no effort to create, store, and serve. Out of the best traditional ingredients and gear, such as Maris Otter malts and torrified wheat, the resulting bitters, stouts, and a traditional ginger ale come in around 3% to 5.5% ABV, matching the English-type pub fare.
THREE CREEKS BREWING CO.
721 Desperado Ct. • Sisters, OR 97759 • (541) 549-1963 • threecreeksbrewing.com
If your trip to Bend from Portland takes you through Detroit Lake on the Santiam Highway, aka Highway 20—and it should, as it’s an incredibly pretty drive in good weather—you’ll pass through the historic town of Sisters (population: 1,700). Just south of Sisters, this big, comfortable log cabin–like brewpub opened in 2008 amid a stand of Ponderosa pines. A combination family restaurant, beer bar, and brewery, it’s got ten decent—sometimes good—taps. Try the 5.8% ABV Firestorm Red if Rudolph’s Imperial Red (8.6% ABV) isn’t on. With good burgers, sandwiches, steaks, and a sunny patio, it’s a great stop to make before the long trek back to Portland after a fun weekend in Bend.
Washington
SIP ON THIS: WITHOUT WASHINGTON’S CRAFT BEER REVOLUTION, Starbucks Coffee might never have gotten off the ground (read on to see why). The fact is, Washington’s beer history goes all the way back to the 1850s, but it’s the last couple of decades that tell the most about this beautiful and diverse state’s beer potential and how it’s now a part of daily life for many living here. With a gold mine of hops from the Yakima Valley (the country’s biggest hop-growing area and second largest in the world, after southern Germany), this was fertile ground for Red Hook, the first microbrewery to make a major impact in the early 1980s. In converting beer drinkers from the classic, if underflavored Northwest beers like Rainier and Hamm’s, newcomers like Red Hook, Pike, Hales, and later pathbreakers have carved out quite a legacy. Now Seattle is a genuinely great beer bar town, and all around the state new breweries are popping up. So what if it rains all the time?
ITINERARIES
1 – DAY
Beveridge Place Pub, Elysian Brewing, Quinns, Naked City Brewing
3 – DAY
One-day itinerary plus Parkway Tavern, Brouwer’s Café, Pike Brewing, Latona Pub
7 – DAY
One- and three-day itineraries plus Red Hook, Chuckanut, Diamond Knot
Seattle
BEVERIDGE PLACE PUB
6413 California Ave. SW • Seattle, WA 98136 • (206) 932-9906 beveridgeplacepub.com • Established: 2003
SCENE & STORY
If for nothing else, step inside this West Seattle landmark beer haunt (on the corner of California and SW Beveridge Place, hence the name) to check out the 11-foot-high, 20-foot-wide back bar, a turn-of-the-twentieth-century showpiece salvaged from a defunct Kent, Washington tavern called the Buzz Inn. At first, its three mirrored archways and gorgeous carvings were stained a deep brown (thanks to a century of cigarette smoke), but after three months spent cleaning the patina, a sumptuous cherry-stained tiger maple was revealed. A local metalsmith provided a custom tap tower and today the 25-tap, 100-plus selection of bottles draws a steady crowd of loyal locals.
PHILOSOPHY
Owner Gary Sink was inspired by a trip to the British Isles; the bar exudes community with couches, books, darts, a few (but not too many) TVs, well-maintained pool tables and retro video games—Tron, anyone?
KEY BEER
The list focuses on Washington crafts and international bottles, with casks frequently.