[Matt Landes]

Originally posted on 01/13/2018:

Matt, if I'm not mistaken, you haven't come to Oregon for a single beer this year. How can you ignore the (admittedly arguably) epicenter of the craft brewing world? You've got two more weeks!

You will be pleased to know that Matt and Allyson are on their way to Portland next weekend, which will almost assuredly include some of the best in local hops, and likely something that makes the Beer of the Week list for the ensuing House of Yards.

Anything the Pfriem Brewery does is magical. It, let alone the windsurfing is reason enough to travel to Hood River. Their Belgian Special Dark (widely available in bottle) is beyond outstanding. If you can get your hands on a Winter Ale, mmmmm...House of Yards worthy. Not available in bottles, but Matt should look for Barley Brown's Pallet Jack IPA out of Baker Oregon near the Idaho border. You can find it on tap if you look and it's worth lookiing for. We in Portland are extremely proud of the Breakside Brewery. The Pelican Brewery out at the coast does a really nice Tsunami Stout. This is just a small sampling, but the first and foremost which jump to mind.

Pfriem is awesome. Absolutely a must and stopped by in the spring after climbing Mt Hood last May.

As Dave noted I'll be in Oregon this time next week, so two weeks is all we'll need to finally feature one of the best places in the world for beer.

I could ramble on about Fresh Squeezed by Deschutes in my sleep, having occasional access to it both in L.A. and Las Vegas, but what will be really exciting is to enjoy some of Oregon's finest fresh from the source. We'll be based in Portland and have Great Notion, Upright, Hair of the Dog, and Cascade at the top of the list. Unfortunately we'll just miss both the final days of The Commons and the opening of the new Modern Times location in the same space, but Breakside was also on the radar so we'll bump it up the list - thanks for the tip.

Thanks to your guys' Pfriem recommendations I'm extremely jealous we won't be up there long enough to make it out that way, although we do have a day trip to Tillamook reserved for de Garde and will also check out Pelican's tasting room literally just around the corner. Hood River and Bend will be priorities next time we make it up to Oregon.

So while it's been quiet on the Oregon scene up to this point, it'll take restraint not to over-do it in the near future. Especially if the Eagles and Vikings provide a little more bankroll for beer.