# Are Portland and Denver still the microbrew capitals? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 30, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317 "2010-05-30T21:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/21 "2010-05-30T23:42:23Z")
Portland is still considered Brewvana, but there are tons of good craft breweries all over the place now. There are about 5 here in my little Willamette Valley burg. Agree with Dr. Chicago about Mac & Jacks African Amber. Mighty fine ale. If you get to the south end of the valley check out Hop Valley, Oakshire, and Ninkasi. You will not be disappointed. Steelhead’s great too. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2010, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/22 "2010-05-30T23:53:07Z")
> [@Arrendajo](#): > > Portland is still considered Brewvana, but there are tons of good craft breweries all over the place now. There are about 5 here in my little Willamette Valley burg. Agree with Dr. Chicago about Mac & Jacks African Amber. Mighty fine ale. If you get to the south end of the valley check out Hop Valley, Oakshire, and Ninkasi. You will not be disappointed. Steelhead’s great too. Also, within a few hours of Portland, there’s Rogue Ale in Newport, the Deshutes Brewery in Bend, and the aforementioned Full Sail in Hood River. ---
**Author:** ![Fang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fang)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/23 "2010-05-31T00:33:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Stone Brewing is in San Diego like Full Sail is in Portland. 😛 Are you referring to their location? Most of the good breweries in SD, outside of Ballast Point, are in North County. Pretty much the only reason for me to head up into boring ol’ suburbia. > [@](#): > > eta: Stone as #2 on a list? Blasphemy! You clearly have not enjoyed an Alesmith My Bloody Valentine or Horny Devil. I would actually put Stone even further down the list as far as beer quality (not that they’re bad but SD has some greats), but I do give them credit for really kicking off the craft brewing revolution in San Diego and establishing a national market for their beers. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/24 "2010-05-31T00:42:41Z")
Alesmith is a good brewery, but Stone has them beat hands down. Not even a contest. Aren’t arguments over personal tastes fun? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/25 "2010-05-31T06:29:52Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Vermont has the most micro-breweries and brew-pubs per capita than any other state, though they are kinda spread out…but I’d say 80% of them are within an hour of Burlington. > > Magic Hat > Otter Creek > Switchback > Vermont Pub and Brewery > The Alchemist > Zero Gravity Brewery > Rock Art > Three Needs Sorry, that turns out not to be the case: Population of Vermont July 2009 = 621,760 Breweries (listed above) = 8 ratio: one brewery per 77,720 citizens Population of Oregon July 2009 = 3,825,657 Breweries (listed below) = 62 ratio: one brewery per 61,704 citizens 4th Street Brewing Co. 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Alameda Brewhouse Ambacht Brewing Co. Amnesia Brewing Company Astoria Brewing Company / Wet Dog Café Barley Brown’s Brewpub Beer Valley Brewing Co. Bend Brewing Co. Big Horse Brewery Bill’s Tavern & Brewhouse Block 15 Restaurant & Brewery Bridgeport Brewpub Calapooia Brewing Co. Caldera Brewing Co Cascade Lakes Brewing Deschutes Brewery Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom Elliot Glacier Public House Eugene City Brewery Fanno Creek Brewpub Fort George Brewery + Public House Full Sail Brewing Company Golden Valley Brewery and Pub Hair of the Dog Brewing Company Heater Allen Brewery Hop Valley Brewing Hopworks Urban Brewery Laurelwood Brewing Co. Lompoc Brewing Lucky Labrador Brewing MacTarnahan’s The Mash Tun Brewpub McMenamins Mia and Pia’s Pizzeria & Brewhouse Mt. Hood Brewing Ninkasi Brewing Co Oakshire Brewing Old Market Pub & Brewery Oregon Trail Brewing Pelican Pub & Brewery Raccoon Lodge and Brewpub Pale Horse Brewing Rock Bottom Brewery Rogue Ales Roots Organic Brewing Co. Seven Brides Brewing Siletz Ales Silver Moon Brewing Southern Oregon Brewing Co. Standing Stone Brewing Co. Steelhead Brewing Terminal Gravity Brewery The Creamery Brewpub and Grill The Ram Restaurant & Brewery Three Creeks Brewing Co. Upright Brewing Vertigo Brewing Wakonda Brewing Co. Walkabout Brewery Widmer Brothers Brewing Company Wild River Brewing & Pizza It’s to the point in Oregon that towns like Hood River (population 2009 6,925) have three breweries within walking distance downtown: Full Sail, Double Mountain and Big Horse. Towns as small as Enterprise (pop. 1,975) and Parkdale (pop. 400) have their own brewpubs. (Terminal Gravity and Elliot Glacier, respectively.) Let me call your attention to the [Oregon Brewer’s Festival](http://www.oregonbrewfest.com/) an absolute must if you’re planning a trip here in the summer. A tent city springs up on the grass along the Willamette River in the heart of downtown Portland and much good fun is had by all. I will agree with many posters above that the microbrewery movement has spread to just about every corner of the country, and there are wonderful surprises to be had in small brewpubs everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/26 "2010-05-31T07:23:41Z")
> [@Dr\_Chicago](#): > > I’m from Seattle, and I’ve traveled around Europe, and now live in the Bay Area. Without a doubt, if a good beer is what you’re after, go for Mac & Jack’s in Redmond, Washington. The African amber is served throughout the state, but from the brewery is always best. **MY FAV!!!** 🆒 IIRC, British beer guru [Michael Jackson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson_%28writer%29) enjoyed beer from the NW. He commented that there are places that can match the quality but rarely can they match the quality among such a wide variety of beers than in the Pacific Northwest. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/27 "2010-05-31T12:02:08Z")
Depends on what you like. Mac & Jack’s is okay but not superlative IMHO. Although, after I relocate to Seattle, I will have to try the brewery. Anchor Steam is still the Amber by which all Ambers must be judged. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/28 "2010-05-31T12:19:05Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Ft. Collins is one of those towns north of Denver, right? I always go to Boulder when I’m in Denver and I think I’ve been by Ft. Collins once. And Longmont is on the way to Ft. Collins if you’re heading from Boulder, and they have the most excellent Left Hand Brewery. Make sure you’re going to the brewery itself - there’s also a brew pub called Left Hand (at least there used to be, 5-6 years ago) and it’s not the same as the brewery. I agree with all the Fat Tire dislike. It was never all that good, but it got really popular. On a completely different note, I was prepared to be disappointed beer-wise when we moved from Colorado to Michigan, but as it turns out, there’s a lot of excellent beers here in the northern midwest as well. Bell’s, Dark Horse, Jolly Pumpkin, Short’s, New Glarus, and many more definitely hold up or exceed the quality of beer we got in the west. ---
**Author:** ![santosvega](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@santosvega](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/santosvega)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/29 "2010-05-31T12:20:04Z")
Let’s not forget the other Portland. Some say Portland, Maine is actually the better Portland for beer, which is debatable but it gives Oregon a run for its money. Maine has (I believe) the longest established microbrew scene outside of the west coast, and it’s fantastic. Shipyard, Geary’s, Allegash, Casco Bay, to name a few, all great breweries, and a good number of Maine beers never make it outside of New England. The brewery scene there grew up in relative isolation, so they tend to buck a lot of the trends found in other brewing cities, eschewing the dry citrusy grapefruity hops finish that characterizes so many west coast beers in favor of a more subtle, balanced English approach. Shipyard, Geary’s, and Maine Beer Co, and probably some others, were founded with help from Alan Pugsley, the head brewer at the Ringwood Brewery in Hampshire, England, which was the UK’s first modern microbrewery. So if you like English beer, and especially if you prefer beers with a stronger malt backbone than most American micros, Portland, ME is where it’s at. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/30 "2010-05-31T12:33:12Z")
The recent [Australian International Beer Awards](http://www.beerawards.com/index.asp) has a PDF of all the beers entered. The majority of US beers are from Oregon, Colorado and California but there are others. Several were prize winners. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/31 "2010-05-31T12:37:39Z")
> [@santosvega](#): > > Let’s not forget the other Portland. Some say Portland, Maine is actually the better Portland for beer… Yeah, and some people put catsup on their hot dogs. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/32 "2010-05-31T13:15:50Z")
> [@Hometownboy](#): > > Sorry, that turns out not to be the case: > > Population of Vermont July 2009 = 621,760 > Breweries (listed above) = 8 > ratio: one brewery per 77,720 citizens > > Population of Oregon July 2009 = 3,825,657 > Breweries (listed below) = 62 > ratio: one brewery per 61,704 citizens Not to turn this into a pissing contest, but if you had done a quick google search on VT breweries as I’m sure you did for Oregon breweries, you’d find very quickly that there are 21 breweries that are members of the [VT brewers Association](http://brewersvt.com/index.php), which puts VT at one brewery per 29,607 citizens. **bouv** was listing breweries in and immediately near Burlington, VT, which is the population center of the state. At any rate, on the East coast, you can’t do much better than Burlington, and if you’re willing to drive an hour and a half, almost every brewery in the state is accessible from here. I’ve also heard good things about Portland, ME, though I’ve never been. If anyone does come to VT for beer, getting tickets to the [VT Brewers Festival](http://vtbrewfest.com/) in July is highly recommended. Scads of VT and other regional brewers. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/33 "2010-05-31T16:31:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Yeah, and some people put catsup on their hot dogs. 😃 I will at least give the “other Portland” props for Shipyard Brewing. Their Chamberlain Pale Ale is outstanding! One of my “must keep stocked” beers. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/34 "2010-05-31T20:32:54Z")
> [@Hometownboy](#): > > Population of Oregon July 2009 = 3,825,657 > Breweries (listed below) = 62 And that’s not even close to being an exhaustive list. There are new independent brewpubs cropping up overnight like chanterelles after a rainstorm. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/35 "2010-05-31T22:45:00Z")
While the east coast still lags a bit behind the west, it has a vibrant craft brew scene. There are hubs in Boston, Maine, and Vermont, with lots of breweries scattered throughout PA and upstate NY. That being said, the vast majority of the rare, expensive, good brews that many beer fanatics love (cask aged beers, sours, wild ales, etc) are produced on the west coast, but I’ll give it 5-10 years before the east catches up with that. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/36 "2010-05-31T23:25:38Z")
[It looks like OR is 3](http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/breweries-per-capita) and VT is 1 as of 2008 (Click for pdf, I didn’t link directly). > [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I have also never cared for Fat Tire, but it must be the most popular Colorado microbrew around, as everyone else seems to love the stuff. > > As I said in an earlier post, Odell’s 90 Schilling Ale is truly excellent, and knowing how you feel about Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, (which has a similar flavor to 90 Schilling) I am betting that you would agree… > > ETA—Full Sail is brewed in Hood River OR, about 60 miles upriver from Portland… You don’t like Fat Tire, but Sierra Nevada Heartburn Ale is good to you? Some people… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/37 "2010-05-31T23:42:23Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > [It looks like OR is 3](http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/business-tools/craft-brewing-statistics/breweries-per-capita) and VT is 1 as of 2008 (Click for pdf, I didn’t link directly). > > You don’t like Fat Tire, but Sierra Nevada Heartburn Ale is good to you? Some people… …have tastebuds? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![ThirdOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@ThirdOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThirdOne)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/38 "2010-06-02T20:52:21Z")
Also in Redmond, WA is Black Raven Brewing Company. They have a nice array and do a tasting tray of 4 or 5 that is a great way to find the one you want a pint or two of 😃 They don’t offer food, but a pizza company has their menus there and will deliver. The Elysian on Capitol Hill (Seattle) has a nice menu and their Dragons Tooth Porter is quite nice. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/39 "2010-06-02T21:02:14Z")
I’m on board with those who are underwhelmed by Fat Tire. It’s fine, and I’ll certainly drink it in preference to many other beers, but it’s not very exciting. I do like many of the other things that New Belgium does, though. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317/40 "2010-06-02T21:05:31Z")
> [@Hometownboy](#): > > I will agree with many posters above that the microbrewery movement has spread to just about every corner of the country, and there are wonderful surprises to be had in small brewpubs everywhere. What about Florida? When I lived in Orlando, there was only one craft brewery, on the grounds of Walt Disney World. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-portland-and-denver-still-the-microbrew-capitals/541317.md?page=3)