Hola Blog Readers!
As I write this and look out at the rain-soaked landscape here at ecoShuttle, I can’t help but pine for those days of sunshine and beer that are just around the corner in Portland. While the weather isn’t here just yet, I would like to list some delicious ORGANIC beers that are available in the Portland area, as well as some local brewpubs featuring organic beers that you can visit either on your own or as part of an ecoShuttle brew tour that we would love to help put together for you.
First off, some of my favorite organic beers have to be the ales produced by Fish Tale Organic Ales. The Organic India Pale Ale and Mudshark Porters are both delicious (I especially love how they’re able to combine two of my favorite things, sharks and Porters!), and these are both available at most Fred Meyer stores and some New Seasons groceries. Additionally, you can actually visit their brewpub in Olympia—they have an awesome Happy Hour too, featuring $3 16- oz. pints and half off on select appetizers. I’ve never been to this place but I think if you’re ever in the Olympia area that it is worth checking out.
Another favorite has to be the Bison Organic Chocolate Stout. If you don’t like darker beers you may not like this, but if you do, I suggest you check this out as it is very rich and flavorful. Another delicious offering is their Gingerbread Ale, and I haven’t seen this in the Portland area but according to their web site is available at New Seasons. Bison Brewing is based out of Berkeley, CA and does not have a brewpub for you to visit, but the Chocolate Stout can be found at most Fred Meyer stores, New Seasons groceries, and at the Grain and Gristle on tap.
Last but certainly not least is Hopworks Urban Brewery, aka HUB. HUB delivers many fantastic beers, and their brewpub offers delicious, affordable food. I think the coolest thing with HUB, however, has to be BikeBar, which opened last year their location on N. Williams. It’s a bar for cyclists, how cool is that?
Also, my co-worker Will owes me a growler of HUB beer because my Cincinnati Reds had a better record last year than his Chicago Cubs. Will, if you’re reading this, where’s my growler?!
Wow, this topic might deserve a part-two in the coming weeks; there are just so many incredible organic beers/brewers I didn’t get to in this blog, dang! We’ll get ‘em next time! Have a great weekend, and don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if you want to set up a brew tour to visit some fantastic brewpubs.
-Mark
PS- I’ve got to have this!
