Established in Northeast Portland in 2010, local favorite Breakside Brewery offers a number of ways to engage with their brand. For a chill, neighborhood vibe, visit their original location on NE Dekum. Looking for more of an upbeat scene? Their Slabtown location is always poppin’. Want to get up close and personal with their brewing process? In Milwaukie sits a taproom connected to Breakside’s main production facility. Their new Lake Oswego location is great for an intimate sip sesh in a tendy area and for the most unique beer experience of all, visit the Breaksider Beer Cart - 8 taps sticking out the side of a 1972 Winnebago!

“Drink Beer, Do Good.” That’s the slogan and vibe when you walk into Ex Novo. When the doors opened in 2014, Ex Novo became one of the first non-profit breweries in the world and has since donated almost $100,000 to charities and community organizations across the globe. With an extensive menu of craft beers, delicious food, and plenty of non-beer options (pro tip: try their slushies), all three of their Metro locations are ready to welcome you and your friends. Stop by their N Flint location before a Blazer game at the Moda Center or check out their Beaverton taproom when you’re in the burbs. Their newest Hillsboro location is a beer garden! And believe it or not, they now have a location in Corralles, New Mexico 🌵.

At their three different locations Portland proper, Baerlic serves up award winning craft beer and a little bit of grunge on the side 🤘. You’ll see most of their friendly and hilarious staff rocking cut-off jean vests with all the flare. The original brewery now shares space with wildly popular Ranch Pizza. Beer and slice? Sounds so nice. The Barley Pod is a great place to stop by on a bike ride for a drink and some food at any of the 10 food carts. And their newest location on NE Alberta has a gilded tap column, a cute and cozy indoor space and a HUGE beer garden with a ton of picnic tables so you don’t need to worry about there not being space for your group.

The hidden gem on our list here is Culmination Brewing, tucked discreetly around office buildings just south of I-84 in Portland. It may not look like it at first glance, but award-winning beers are churned out of this place on the regular. With a recently renovated taproom, a solid outdoor patio, and plenty of parking around the area, Culmination is an easy after-work pit stop. They even can and label their beer on-site, so make sure to pick up a couple of IPAs on your way out.

Rocking one of the largest spaces on our list is none other than the out-of-this-world space-themed brewery Ecliptic. Started in 2013 by Oregon craft beer legend John Harris, Ecliptic is known for several really solid flagship beers such as Starburst IPA and Carina Peach Sour. At their enormous “Mothership” near the bottom of N. Mississippi in Portland, you’ll also get to experience innovation with taproom exclusives and an extensive food menu. Space nerds and beer geeks alike, this is the spot for you.

Why have only one uniquely-structured brewery on the list when you can have two? We give you Portland’s only certified B Corp brewery, Hopworks. Here you can drink all you want and feel good about it… at least until the next day. You’ll probably see Hopworks cans in stores all over the Northwest, but you have to visit their Portland location to find some truly unique and innovative beers and delicious food. This brewery space on SE Powell has a total seating capacity of over 200, so bring your crew!

The next brewery might have the coziest location of all. Operating out of a beautiful old craftsman home on SE Division, Little Beast Brewing offers a chill, shady spot with an expansive patio for you to sip their unique brews. They offer a small, yet delicious menu of small plates and shareables, which changes seasonally. If you like sour ales, this is your spot! They have a great selection of sours, saisons, and goses featuring fruity flavors that will make your tastebuds sing with satisfaction! For those of you who like to stay out in the burbs, their production brewery and tasting room in Clackamas is definitely worth a visit.

Producing some of the best IPAs Portland has to offer, Migration Brewing easily makes our must-visit brewery list. They’ve been producing delicious beers in town for over a decade and always seem to be growing and innovating. In addition to the three permanent locations in town (NE Glisan, NE Williams, and Gresham production facility), they also post up at the Portland Saturday Market March-December and the Washington Square Beer Garden. They even popped up temporarily on the rooftop of a brand new office building across the street from Providence Park where the Portland Timbers play soccer. Catch them migrating to a location near you!

Patio lovers rejoice! Wayfinder built one of Eastside Portland’s best outdoor patios and it’s waiting just for you. They even took home the 2022 Oregon Beer Award for Best Brewpub Experience. This is the place to go in Portland for German-style beers. Lots of lagers and cold, crisp beers perfect for sipping in the sunshine. Be sure to go inside and check out their impressive brewing system. Their friendly brewers are more than happy to tell you what they’re cooking up!

The newest brewery on our list rounds out this incredible selection of local brands. Ruse Brewing stands out from the rest of these breweries by one main fact - they only brew in small batches. That means you likely won’t find them on the shelves of your local grocery store, so make that in-person visit count! Their taprooms in Portland and Vancouver focus on what they do best - beer. You won’t find any fancy patios or food cart pods, but you will find well-designed, delicious craft farmhouse beer. Go for the beer, stay for the beer, and leave with some beer. No tricks here, just Ruse. And good beer.

Portland has so many incredible breweries and we know we left some real gems off of this list. This is just a guide to get you started! Get out there and explore all of the beer the city has to offer!

As always, feel free to reach out and please give us a follow on social media @sporkbytes.

The Spork Bytes Team