America’s Best Beer City

Tasting room glory at Boneyard. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Beverages of all kinds share cultural importance in Oregon, but beer and coffee are my favorite. Case Study's Ethiopian sundried prepared as a Chemex pour-over might have been the best cup of coffee in all of Portland. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Case Study is less than five minutes from the wonderful Laurelwood Public House & Brewery. Beers and an early lunch? Yes please. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Copper pipe tap handles at Laurelwood. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Perhaps the best beer at Laurelwood, aptly named Green Mammoth. Sticky hop resin infiltrates the nostrils and upon sipping, the palate too. A good representation of the hop-forward leanings of the Pacific Northwest. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Northeast Portland boasts a number of fine coffee and brewery establishments. Arugably my favorite of the bunch was Breakside Brewery, whose sampler is pictured here. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Draft list at Breakside Brewery. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Open air view from NE Dekum St into the Breakside Brewery tasting room. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

It's the final round of WTOP's Beer Bracket. Vote for your favorite local brew and stay tuned for the winner. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Much like the Boneyard beers themselves, their merchandise is appropriately awesome. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Case Study Coffee is a wonderful roaster in Northeast Portland. Other than the almighty Stumptown, this may be the other best roaster in the city. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

At Boneyard. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Bend is a strangely captivating place. A town of about 80,000 boasts 17 breweries, the highest per capita concentration in the country. I had to cross these by foot to get from Boneyard to Crux Fermentation Project. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Crux was a great mixture of families, 20 something beer geeks, and others simply out for good beer and good food. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Running the gamut of styles from pilsner to IPA to Belgian Quad, this sampler at Crux won me over given the quality of beers across seemingly disparate styles never once wavered. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Single-hop Galaxy IPA on the left, Robust Porter on the right. Both beers were exemplary for their respective style. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

This was my afternoon-cap during day one of my Bend stay. Maker's Mark bourbon barrels contributed lush coconut, dark caramel, and toasted oak while post-fermentation additions of cherry bark and coffee added a beguiling dimension to the flavor profile. What a beer. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Beautifully vibrant, sun-drenched open air bar at 10 Barrel Brewing Company. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

The Black IPA (Cascadian Dark Ale) was my favorite of the bunch. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Within walking distance of Hair of the Dog, Cascade is the sour darling of Portland. Most of what they make is soured with lactic-acid producing bacteria and barrel-aged. Also, most (if not all) of what they make is absolutely delicious. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

 Although Deschutes offers a variety of styles, over half of the offerings were hop-forward, which was perfectly fine with me. (WTOP/Rob Fink)

WTOP/Rob Fink

Of these six, the absolute standout was Not the Stoic. A Belgian Quad aged in both pinot noir and rye whiskey barrels, Not the Stoic exhibited lush cherry and grape red fruit flavors atop a bed of vanilla and toasted oak. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Facing east on SE Belmont Street. A block which, in part, epitomizes Portland. A vinyl record shop, wine store, and coffee roaster (the almighty Stumptown) could all be found within a few steps. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Arugably the best breakfast of all time. Stumptown double espresso, fresh croissant, and lemon seltzer water. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

No visit is complete without a doughnut. Blue Star's doughnuts were exquisite and on top of it, they served Stumptown. That's a automatic win-win. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Hair of the Dog is replete with barrel-aged strong ale deliciousness. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Some of the beautiful fermented wares of Hair of the Dog. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Enjoying my first beer on my birthday. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Arguably the best beer of my entire trip to Oregon. Matt, an American strong ale aged in both apple brandy and bourbon barrels, was nothing short of spectacular. Bursting with smokey, phenolic apple undertones and bourbon laced caramel sweetness, no wonder you can purchase this for on-site consumption only. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

America's Best Beer City Fresh off the plane and eager for thirst-quenching craft beer. The Deschutes Portland brewpub most certainly did not disappoint. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Sours on the left and everything else on the right. Not to diminish the wonderful non-sour beers that Cascade does make, but I stuck with just sours on my visit; they were too good to pass up. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Sour and barrel aged, but this bourbon barrel-aged beauty is nothing like what you'll find in Belgium. Honey, ginger, and lime make into the bourbon barrel along with souring bacteria. Refreshingly tart and oh so tasty on a beautiful Portland afternoon. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Looking down the sour spectrum at Cascade isn't such a bad thing. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

Urban Hopworks pumps out respectful interpretations of a variety of styles, from German lagers to sours to American IPAs. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink

The daunting and varied draft list at Urban Hopworks. (Courtesy Rachel Nania)

Courtesy Rachel Nania

Some of the many barrels at Upright Brewing Company. Largely inspired by the brewing traditions of France and Belgium, Upright is perfectly content experimenting with souring bacteria and funk-laden yeast strains. (Courtesy Rob Fink)

Courtesy Rob Fink