Bikes 'n' Beers

[Alan]

Originally Posted by beelnite

Forum! Comon! We gotta get a life. What is Portland also famous for... perhaps secondly so to a robust daily cycling opportunity?

BEER!!!

I'm older, time limited and a parent so this isn't my area of expertise... but I'd like to know your thoughts and I'm sure our good friend from MT would appreciate a little guidance as well!

Best Places in Portland to Drink Beer and Socialize with Other Naysayers of the Automobile?

New thread anyone?

Yeah, new thread; old one was "Montanan moving to Portland w/ questions." Great suggestion for a topic!

Me, my favorite is the Lucky Lab on Hawthorne (they have several locations). Great beer, good sandwiches and pub fare, and they welcome dogs on the back covered patio (+1!). Whenever I've been there, there are bikes parked out back. They've sponsored a bike team and have a nice jersey I've been meaning to get.

#2 pick is Bridgeport. I liked it better before it was gentrified, back in the days of the truly immense urinals and the gravel alley. It's been awhile since I was there. But the upgraded one was nice last time I visited, retains those amazing solid timber beams, still has excellent pizza, and several of their beers rank among my favorites (not saying that narrows things down much, but they are great). Again, it's pretty routine to see bikes locked up either on Marshall or along the railing on the 13th side terrace.

Finally, while they're inarguably ubiquitous these days, I'm still a McMenamins fan. Their show-case places are always fun (Crystal Ballroom, Kennedy School, Edgefield, etc) but just as important to me, they brought civilized beer out to the 'burbs, within an easy enough pedal that my wife will accompany me to their local watering hole. Ours are usually the only bikes there but we always get smiles. "What's on nitro?" usually takes care of my beverage order.

Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) is on my 'gotta get there before long' list. I've tasted a couple of their beers; they were pouring from the Bar Bike at the holiday bike-craft fair. The IPA (I think it was) ran a bit over-hopped for my tastes--that seems to be the 'in' thing these days among Portland brewers--but their stout I really liked. It is notoriously bike-oriented, a frequent advertiser and supporter of BikePortland.

So, what's your favorite bike'n'brew location?

[Haven_kd7yct]

Here in Tigard, it's Max's Fanno Creek Brewpub.

Yummy, and during the summer there is plenty of outdoor seating and bike parking. Especially if you count the chain-link fence as eligible bike parking, which I do when there's a huge bikey crowd there.

[OnTheRoad]

The Lucky Lab on NW Quimby is quite a bit like the Hawthorne location, but it has one bike rack located inside the building.

The Apex at SE 12th and Division has many, many beers on tap, the longest bike rack I've ever seen, no parking for cars (but motorcycles ok) and cubby holes inside to stash your helmet and bags. Lots of picnic tables waiting for good weather, but the inside seating is a bit lacking. Has pinballs too.

[flying_dutchman]

Originally Posted by Alan

Lucky Lab on Hawthorne (they have several locations). Great beer, good sandwiches and pub fare, and they welcome dogs on the back covered ?

I am always happy to tip a pint at the Lab, but after finding a dead mouse on the floor I have ceased eating there.

Down in Sellwood I enjoy the Muddy Rudder, just east of the Springwater on Tacoma. Bike parking there is where you can find it, but that is an easy work-around.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by flying_dutchman

I am always happy to tip a pint at the Lab, but after finding a dead mouse on the floor I have ceased eating there.

Free-range tartare doggie snacks...yeah, that's a bit much around food service.

[OnTheRoad]

Originally Posted by flying_dutchman

I am always happy to tip a pint at the Lab, but after finding a dead mouse on the floor I have ceased eating there.

Maybe they should encourage people to bring their cats to hang out.

[boneshaker]

Ceravesa is awesome because if you don't like what's on tap you can reach into a cooler and grab any one of hundreds of bottles. Their taps are quite good though so it's tough to find something you don't like.

Amnesia is always a favorite of mine.

There's that place on Dekum by the old fire station.

The Radio Room on Alberta is bike friendly for sure. Lots of options on Alberta really.

In SE the Muddy Rudder has a place in my heart. In NW Dechuttes, Bridgeport or Rogue are pretty nice, but you have to be in NW, which means it's not as bike friendly. The East side is much more bike friendly IMO.

Beer is plentiful in this city... exploring is half the fun...

Oh, and Hub is coming to NE. That makes me a little giddy.

[wsbob]

You people seem to drink a lot more beer than I do. Used to like Bridgeport a lot for all the reasons Alan mentions...and more, until that gentrification crap swept in, messed up Bridgeport's timeless interior, and knocked down the beautifully decrepit mill building across the street.

I used to walk a lot downtown, and would stop in to Capt Ankeny's well for Spaten Lager and cheap pizza.

I'm not sure Beaverton's got anything good, but it should. I never go there, but there's some kind of strip mall place next to the crick with a back patio, southern exposure. Wonder if that might be good. I know...'strip mall'. But Beaverton be the land of strip malls, so there you go.

I'll digress a little....Beaverton's still got potential for 'down home' character. Right there on Broadway amidst Lamphere Land(the Honda magnate), aka Old Town, there's a row of crumbly old buildings, the back side of which fronts onto the east-west bound RR tracks. There's a bar in that row of buildings that has a back patio facing the tracks, for occasional viewings of really big rolling stock...and nightmare Farmington Rd just beyond. The city's paranoid though, about people from the businesses getting close to the tracks.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by wsbob

You people seem to drink a lot more beer than I do.

Only one way to find out for sure. Truth be told, I'm in 'Dutchman's "tip a pint" league, emphasis on 'a'. Seems to me like those who enjoy craft brews are more into flavor and less likely to be into drinking vast quantities just for the buzz. And those who plan to escape on two wheels have strong incentive to keep their wits about them.

I used to walk a lot downtown, and would stop in to Capt Ankeny's well for Spaten Lager and cheap pizza.

How's their bike-friendly rating?

I'm not sure Beaverton's got anything good, but it should. I never go there, but there's some kind of strip mall place next to the crick with a back patio, southern exposure. Wonder if that might be good. I know...'strip mall'. But Beaverton be the land of strip malls, so there you go.

What's the name of that place, any idea? There's a McMenamins in Beaverton; maybe more than one? Yeah, as far as structures, stripmalls and suburbia tend to be very bland. But within that constraint there are still plenty of places with enjoyable character and characters, including pubs.

[wsbob]

Capt Ankeny's for bike friendly? Well...just a couple staples out front...but down the street a block in front of Stumptown coffee, there's a big bike corral. Lots of people there to watch your ride.

I think the place in Beaverton is just the Broadway Saloon. Another place too...just across from the Beaverton Bakery...can't remember the name. Huge parking lot, but not sure there's much specifically for bike parking. If people really demanded the city or the businesses use their money to provide that kind of thing, it might happen.