Olivia and I are in Portland for a couple of days to help my dad celebrate his 70th birthday. One of the things I learned upon our arrival yesterday (from my Aunt Kathy) is that Portland now also known as Beer Town.
Friday afternoon, Mayor Tom Potter [officially declared] Portland “Beertown,” where he will serve as honorary mayor. To kick off the city’s new title, the mayor will pour the first ceremonial pint of Beertown Brown, the new seasonal debut from BridgePort Brewing Co.
Portland is known all over the world as “Beervana,” largely due to the 28 breweries operating within city limits, more than any other city in the world. This title does not include the eight breweries that operate in the surrounding metro area.
There are three more breweries scheduled to open in 2007, making Portland the largest craft brewing market in the country.
Someday, if Texas microbrewers have anything to say about it, maybe Houston can challenge them for that title. It’s a nice dream, isn’t it?
Houston has a long way to go. When I lived there, not only were there plentiful microbreweries and brepubs, but also lots of “nano-brewers”–guys who would brew up small batches of specialized beers that they sold to select bars. They were a missing link between homebrewers (Portland has a lot of them, as well) and microbrewers.
Hey, if you’re in Portland, then take your family to the Kennedy School brewpub. It’s one of the McMenamin’s pubs. Seriously. It’s the best family-oriented pub I’ve ever seen. An historic old school that has been renovated into a pub, community center, and hotel. My kids who are that age love it. They have a gym even and long halls to run down. And the food is great.
http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=57&category=Location%20Homepage