The Best Beer in Oregon

The Best Beer in Oregon:

Walking into a bar in Oregon is just as normal as in every other state. You walk in, approach the bar tender, exchange friendly pleasantries and then he pops the question.

“What can I get you to drink?”

That’s when it hits you. You’re lost, confused, overwhelmed. As you scan the never-ending row of taps on display the question pops into your head, ‘If I can only pick one of these beers, which would it be?’

The craft beer scene in Oregon has exploded in the past 10 years. With some of the best beers in the world made right in our back yard it is almost impossible to choose what the best beer made in Oregon is.

With the abundance of unique hops to match some of the great brewer minds, Oregon is at the front of the craft brewery scene. With the nation wide success of Deschutes, Widmer Brothers, and Rogue,

beer advocates are flocking from all over the country to try some of the best beer in the nation.

To fully understand and appreciate different kinds of beer it takes time and acquired taste. Many first time craft beer drinkers don’t understand their first drink. But with time you can finally understand the difference between an IPA and a porter, IBU’s, and all the other confusing ‘beer lingo’ that goes into enjoying a craft beer.

Jeff Clawson is head of brew house operations at Oregon State University in the school of fermentation sciences. He gives student’s hands on experience in brewing beer and all the complicated steps including hop research, foam research, and fermentation.

Clawson and his students have worked together with some of biggest breweries in Oregon including Widmer Brothers and Bridgeport. When Bridgeport released their Trilogy series the fermentation students at OSU were involved. The Trilogy 3 beer, known as Brewers Class, was created in collaboration with OSU students in an attempt to look to the future of brewing in Oregon.

Clawson is happy to see the local breweries have so much success lately. He enjoys drinking Block 15, Flat Tail, and Calapooia.

Being a teacher of fermentation science the way Clawson looks at and drinks is a beer is important to take into consideration.

“Quality for me is the biggest factor I look at when I buy a beer,” said Clawson. “I want a good consistent quality beer.”

What Clawson means by this is when he drinks he beer he is always looking for it to taste and look the same as the last time he had one. He mentioned HUB, Double Mountain, and Good Life as local breweries that he thinks are doing an exceptional job at this.

Taking into account that it important to look for quality and consistency, the next question to answer is how in the world do I pick from all of these beers? It seems like every time you go to the store there is a new beer to try, and that is not by accident.

Brewmasters love the challenge of coming up with something new and innovative. Sure all of the big name breweries have beers that they produce year round, but the challenge is coming up with something for the here and now. People always want to try something new and nothing is better than a new beer.

Deschutes Brewery takes a unique approach towards determining what type and when to brew a new beer. They work side by side with their brewpubs to determine what to brew.

“With our pubs we allow brewers to brew a beer of their choice when we have space in the schedule. A lot of our brewers use this for an opportunity to brew a beer annually,” said Deschutes Head Brewmaster Brian Faivre. “Other brewers will use this as an opportunity to try something “new”. “New” all depends on the brewer, their current mindset and mood.”

Giving brewers at individual pubs has been a very successful strategy for Deschutes, but this is not they only way they come up with new ideas. When developing a big break through idea they try to work more internally.

“From a more strategic perspective, the R&D group, which includes myself, our pub Assistant Brewmasters, our President and Founder, get together weekly for brainstorming ideas. This leads to test brews at our pubs, which we taste throughout the process and make adjustments until we achieve what we had envisioned,” said Faivre.

Faivre and the brewers at Deschutes have come up with some of the most innovative and best tasting beers not only in Oregon, but also in the entire country. Picking his favorite is extremely hard and something that is often discussed amongst the employees of Deschutes.

“Your answer is going to depend on the brewer, their current mood and most likely the weather. For me, this is currently our Twilight Summer Ale, perfect for our current weather and my mood,” said Faivre.

With the information from Faivre and Clawson choosing a beer can be somewhat simplified. However, ultimately if you enjoy a beer that decision comes down to you. With that being said, with the help of others and my own experiences these are the best five beers made in Oregon.

1.     The Abyss-

Deschutes Brewery, Bend, Ore.

The Abyss is the crown jewel from the unprecedented Bend brewery. Described on its own label as, “It’s dark. It’s deep. It’s mysterious. This imperial stout has immeasurable depth inviting you to explore and discover its rich, complex profile. The flavor of this special brew draws you in further and further with each sip. The Abyss beckons. Enjoy the journey.” Upon the first sip there is no denying this is one of the best beers out there. The complex flavors and smells keep you coming back.

2.     RPM IPA-

Boneyard, Bend, Ore.

Boneyard may be a relatively unknown brewery on this list due to the fact that they don’t bottle. RPM is packed with flavor, but the hop profile is not to over powering. It is easily drinkable and will leave you wanting another. Beer Advocate, an online forum about beers rates this as the second best IPA produced by Boneyard with the first being Hop Venom. However, to the casual beer drinker Hop Venom could scare them away, with the double IPA being loaded with hops and heightened alcohol by volume. RPM could be considered the little brother, but in this case he is the favorite child.

3.     Sang Noir

Cascade Brewing, Portland, Ore.

This is the mother of all sour beers in Oregon. Cascade is quickly becoming one of the premier breweries in Oregon due to their delicious barrel aged beers. Sours beers have almost a cult following and upon first appearance and more importantly smell many people back away. However, if you can muster up the courage to try one of these beers Sang Noir is the one. Released only on a limited schedule Sang Noir is hard to get your hands on, but if you have the opportunity you won’t be disappointed.

4.     Fuss Off

Rogue Brewery, Newport, Ore.

This is another beer that is extremely hard to get your hand on. A maple Doppleback that is aged in Dead Guy Whiskey barrels, Fuss Off is only found at Rogue breweries and even then you need some luck. This is a complex beer with tons of flavor and an extremely smooth finish. Dark brown in color the Fuss Off appears more of a challenge to drink then anything else, but after the first sip you might not set it down again.

5.     Fresh Squeezed IPA

Deschutes Brewery, Bend Ore.

“This mouthwatering, delicious I.P.A. gets its flavor from a heavy helping of Citra and mosaic hops.” Once again the brew masters at Deschutes have delivered one of the better IPA’s on the market. Fresh Squeezed has everything an IPA lover wants and needs in a beer. It’s crisp, it’s refreshing, and it has a great color. Released last summer, Fresh Squeezed was so popular that Deschutes decided it needed to be available year round, and for that we thank them.

At a Glance:

Oregon craft beer has exploded in recent and with some of the worlds best hops being grown in region breweries are taking advantage and developing some of the best beers in the country.

Big name breweries such as Deschutes, Widmer Brothers, and Rogue have dominated the Oregon beer scene, but littler breweries such as Boneyard and Cascade Brewing are whipping up some of the best beers you will ever taste.

I have ranked what I believe to be the best five Oregon made beers. Making the list was tough, but with help from some reliable resources and just outright beer lovers I narrowed down the list.

So don't be afraid to try something new and go grab a cold Oregon made beer. 

Jeff Clawson was a big help in writing this article and loves talking to students and others about beer. 

 The Brew Masters at Deschutes are extremely passionate about their job and if you ever get the opportunity to talk to them on a tour of the brewery or elsewhere ask questions. Craft beer can be