Have you experienced
Brewvana yet? If not, you are missing out. I have to admit I was a little skeptical at first. I mean, I have been to most of the breweries, craft beer bars and bottleshops in Portland, so why did I need to take a special tour? To challenge my own question and stubbornness, I booked a tour with fellow friends and did it! Looking back, it was one of the most memorable Portland beer experiences I have ever had. The bus, Angel, our guide, Ashley and the tour combined to create a trifecta of fun.
Angel, the bus, was the coolest thing I had ever ridden in. It was equipped with drink holders, a fridge, interior rope lighting, a great ceiling mural and lots of other groovy, beer related knick-knacks. When you go, make sure you read the 'The Rules' of the bus above the rear emergency exit; serious, but entertaining. I think Shaggy Rogers, the owner of the Mystery Machine would proud of Ashley's decked out Beer Machine.
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| The Goonies with Angel. |
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| Only the cool people got to ride in the back. |
Ashley, our brew-venture guide was awesome. She knew mucho about beer and the brew scene in Portland. She has worked at
Hopworks Urban Brewery (HUB) since it sprouted up on Powell and has been involved in the industry since age 17. You can not shake a stick at that. Ashley did an excellent job at sharing information with us along the tour, but she was never overbearing. If you asked her a question, she had the answer. She kept the tour relaxed. It actually felt like she was part of the group; something we all appreciated.
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| Our kick ass guide and owner, Ashley. |
The overall tour schedule was well planned. We started at HUB on Powell in their downstairs, secret brewing empire. From here, we were handed over to Brew Master guru, Walker who filled our complimentary Brewvana glasses with samples and lead us on an amazing tour of their environmentally friendly facility. I thought this was a great way to kick off our outing. It was the educational section about how beer was made and the different tastes that result from combining various ingredients; it was the prelude to the rest of the afternoon. Our hats go off to Walker who did an outstanding presentation job.
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| Walker was da man! |
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Drinking from the source...it doesn't get
much better than that! |
The next stop was
Belmont Station. Not a regularly schedule stop on the tour, but Ashley can arrange whatever you like. At Belmont Station, we enjoyed a full beer of choice and were given ample time to chit-chat. Everyone was amazed at the incredible draft and bottle selection and loved the beer paraphernalia that scattered the walls. Before leaving we snagged (2) bombers of Hale's Supergoose to enjoy on our ride to Breakside Brewery. I think I forgot to mention that you can drink on the bus! Yet another reason why Angel is so cool.
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| The crew at Belmont Station |
Breakside Brewery was our lunch and beer pairing stop. Ashley phoned in our lunch order in advance to make sure Breakside would have our food ready to go when we arrived. Sure enough, the food was promptly delivered after we were seated and it looked incredible. As we began to dig in, Scott, the owner, and Ben, the Brewer came by and provided each person with their own (6) glass taster tray. Each beer was explained to us by Scott; a nice touch.
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| Awesome Mac-n-Cheese + Great Beer = Happy Belly |
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| Breakside's main man, Scott delivering the goods. |
With our bellies happily full of Breakside's delicious food and brew, we set off to our final stop,
Old Lompoc's, Sidebar. The Sidebar was a perfect way to wrap up the tour. The intimate setting gave us a chance to talk about what an excellent day we had while enjoying a few more generous pours of fine beer.
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| Serious beer talk. |
