"Tour a Portland Brewery A trip to Widmer Brothers Brewing Company is a pilgrimage for many, but you don't have to be a card-carrying beer geek to enjoy this romp through suds and stainless. The guides who explain the intricacies of creating German-inspired beers know the landscape here in Beervana. You'll learn about brewing, the ingredients, and keg-filling robotics. At the end, you'll be rewarded with samples from the brewery's innovative portfolio. Your only test is keeping up with the pours. And you get to keep the Widmer tasting glass. The craft brewers of the Northwest redefined and revitalized the art of small-batch specialty beers in the mid-1980s. Kurt and Rob Widmer were early pioneers in this revolution, which continues to grow. Make a reservation a week in advance to ensure a spot. The Saturday tour lasts about 45 minutes, and the Gasthaus brewpub is just down the block for more “product research” to pair with the food."

"Warm Beery Night With more than 60 breweries, Portland has more than anywhere else in the world. If you do not start drinking at dawn, and drink at lunch, and drink through the evening, you are not doing your part."

"Beer on the Move Finding great beer is rarely about the destination and more about the journey. There are no shortage of trails to take you on beer expeditions in Portland , with Migration taking its place among the best. Locally sourced, owned, operated and distributed, the beers coming out of this brewery are broad and balanced. The brewers embrace the importance of innovation, while staying true to styles that span centuries. The beer menu is all Migration, all the time, with seasonal and special batches breaking into the lineup on a regular basis. The IPAs are hoppy and the stouts are, well, stout. Keep track of your alcohol content (always posted along with bitterness values) if you plan on operating machinery after a couple rounds. Some styles creep up into the double-digit range. You'd swear the folks serving the beer are the ones making it, based on their knowledge and expertise in pairing your taste to their brews. The other benefit is a great pub menu with something for everyone. Try the pulled pork nachos or hypocrite burger to give your cold one something to wash down. The pet-friendly patio seating is lively rain or shine and the beers are on sale during televised local sports team events. Plenty of onsite bike parking, too, if you decide to two-wheel it in."

"Grab a Beer on the Porch We were out at Kruger Farms on Sauvie Island for a summer evening concert when we came across the Captured by Porches beer bus. Parked amid the farm-fresh veggies, burger stands, and roasted corn on the cob, the beer line seemed manageable for as hot as it was. The beer bus tenders were friendly and knowledgeable, recommending their cool, crisp Kolsch to start things off. It wasn't long before I was on the bus. Their IPA was next on my list, and it fit the bill as the evening cooled down. Went really well with the ear of roasted corn I couldn't get enough of. You can find the bus year-round in a number of locations around town. The NoPo locations include the pod out on N Lombard, also NE 23rd and Alberta . The cart pod up on Lombard is cool and mellow with good food and a nice beer garden on sunny afternoons and warm evenings. Check their website for hours and other bus stops. Captured by Porches is certainly one of the oddest brewing sensations in Beervana and worth a ride if you're in the neighborhood."

"Barrel-aged Beer in Portland Hair of the Dog was the most fun (and perhaps the most risky) stop on our Portland bicycle brewery tour. The beers are delicious, unique, and each named after the brewers—which makes it especially fun to get a flight and compare them. I liked "Fred," a sugared-up Belgian, and my next favorite was "Adam," a chocolaty stout. They have a high alcohol content, so take that into consideration when ordering."

"Found in Space Celestial is the vibe at Ecliptic. And with a sky's-the-limit attitude, NoPo's busy brewhouse delivers on a number of innovative fronts. There's nothing special about the tilt-up concrete warehouse where Ecliptic does its magic. It's all about what goes on inside. Brewmaster/owner John Harris has an elder statesman level of integrity in the NW craft brewing world. Carving out a new brand in the Beervana universe is not for the faint of heart, and differentiators start with a brewing calendar that has twice the number of seasonals. The beers rotate through the brewpub at an interstellar clip compared to the competition. Another big "what?" on the traditional PDX pub concept is offering cocktails, making Ecliptic a bar in pub's clothing. It's an option that's a bit of a heresy in some beer circles, but it's a bold statement about being unique. The food menu is focused and functional. Specialties like cauliflower escabeche, the Farro burger, a trout po'boy and porcini kebbeh pair nicely with the mix of pale ales, IPAs, and porters, by design. The space and decor are on the sterile side, but the bar is friendly and service snappy. There's both kid-friendly and adult space in the restaurant and on the menu. Happy hour hops, so early arrivals get the best seats. Start light and go dark on your beer rotation. Keep an order of fries handy for their excellent alcohol-absorption abilities. You'll find it becomes very easy to make an evening out of your visit to Ecliptic."

"Pub Grub Redefined When it comes to pub crawling in Portland, Deschutes Brewing is a classy stop to regroup and recharge in the Pearl. With more than a dozen taps pouring the usual suspects along with a collection of seasonal and experimental brews made specifically for Northwest tastes, the bar has something for every beer lover. The kitchen serves fresh, sustainable fare, including vegetarian and gluten-friendly options. Try the beer-battered halibut or the smoked brisket. The steamed clams with a side of sweet potato fries will also keep you going until your next destination."

"I'll Try Them All One of my favorite ways to sample a city is to taste its micro-brews. So when I'm in Portland , my number-one stop is the Rogue Distillery and Public House. The beer is so spectacular I lugged home several pints. With so many to choose from, I didn't know where to start, but luckily I was there with a friend, so we both ordered a sampler of five beers each. Neatly organized on a wooden palette, they came in the spectrum of golden hues. While it was hard to choose a favorite, I can suggest one to bypass: the VooDoo Donut tribute maple bacon ale. If you like applewood smoked bacon, perhaps you'll enjoy this pink-bottled beauty. Of course I, like many, had to try it and you likely will too."

"Busload of Beer You're either on the bus or off the bus and in the case of BREWVANA, climb aboard. This beer tour includes some of Portland 's best breweries like Hopworks and Coalition. The route usually has four stops with lunch, snacks, and chachkas included. The tour guides are the key to both entertainment and information on this tour. They love to spin a bit of NW brew history to get everyone up to speed, then it's on to the nuts and bolts, or grain and hops, of the beer here. The tours range from custom packages for you and 13 of your friends to the weekly offerings that rotate through select breweries. They also launch special tours that embrace the season, food pairings, and featured brewmasters. The only effort involved on this tour is having fun. Patrons get the backstage-pass treatment at the breweries, and samples are ample and eclectic. You get to drink on the bus if you can't finish the flight's last pour; just be aware the alcohol levels in some of the brews are double digit. There is a feeling that more time could be spent at stops later in the trip. That might be due to the group's tendency to get comfortable as the blood alcohol rises. It's a good idea to cab it back to your domicile. BREWVANA delivers as promised, giving folks great entertainment value and a wonderful taste of Portland's premiere brewing industry."

"Peddle-Powered Party For two-plus hours of tooling around NW Portland on a cycle with 15 of your newest, closest friends, it's the BrewCycle. The cycle is really a covered surrey of sorts, built out of many recycled parts, with seats for pedal pushers and a bench in the back for passengers. Folks are happy to switch around so everyone has a chance to burn off some of the beer calories accumulated along the way. The cost covers your seat on the cycle—all other expenses are on you. There is also a limit on the pedaling for folks under 5'3" tall. The other limit is the 30 minutes allotted at each brew stop, so it's a good idea to get something to eat before the tour. Northwest is relatively flat for cycling, but there are inclines. That makes this activity a bit of a workout, depending on the overall gross weight of the cycle fully loaded, and I mean that literally and figuratively. Dress comfortably and note that sensible shoes go a long way in the cycling world. The people who pilot this craft are smart, silly, and sophisticated when it comes to beer. Our guide had an advance degree in herding cats based on being able to keep us on schedule. There is no shortage of strange looks you'll get from the sidelines. And if you're looking for value on your travel dollar, the math on this is a no brainer: PDX + Cycling + Beer = are you kidding me… Finish that beer and climb on."