Upcoming Events at Threshold Brewing

Join Threshold on Saturday, February 19th from 12:00 to 9:00 pm for a day of special beer releases, live music, PDX Boiled Nuts pop-up, with brewery tours and raffles throughout the day! Also, stay tuned for Pup Passport's first beer collab - with none other than Threshold! This collab brew will hit the pub sometime in March of this year.

Migration Brewing

Migration Brewing opened in 2010 after 4 friends came together over a passion for brewing craft beer and a dream of opening a pub of their own. Now in 2022, Migration has 4 pubs in Portland including a 9th floor, 2,000 sq ft rooftop patio called "Rooftop at Canvas," located in the Stadium District across from Providence Park, and their newest Williams pub is dog friendly, neighboring Grains of Wrath Brewing. Pup Passport members enjoy happy hour pricing on all food and drinks at the Williams pub. You can find a handful of their brews at most grocery stores nearby including their iconic Straight Outta Portland IPA.

Montavilla Brew Works

Lager lovers, this is your spot! Montavilla Brew Works was founded in July of 2015 by head brewer and owner, Michael Kora, with support from his wife. The brewpub is a refurbished 100-year-old auto garage featuring an array of lagers especially around fresh hop season, as well as other seasonal brews.

Montavilla's selection of lagers sets them apart from other breweries. Michael even mentioned that he has never brewed a hazy IPA! "My favorite part of the job is the people, the community, and the beer culture in Portland." Montavilla Brew Works has a Mosaic IPA featuring one of their 2 cats, which is sure to grab your attention on the shelves at New Seasons, Green Zebra, and other bottle shops. Check out Montavilla Brew Works social pages for upcoming releases, with plenty of brews coming this spring and summer!

Binary Brewing & Uptown Beer Co

Simply put: it's a 2 in one brewery and bottle shop that allows dogs! Binary Brewing is the brewery, and Uptown Beer Co is the taproom, all under one roof. “The fact that we are a taproom and a brewery at the same time, we have no competition,” says Josh Johnson, managing partner at Binary Brewing. Uptown Beer Co first started in 2011 when the three founders converted a 7-Eleven into a bottle and home-brew shop. Then a few years later in 2015, they decided to get started brewing and introduced a small brewery into one side of the building.

The location also features a town favorite food truck - SureShot Burger. Uptown has it all - a bottle shop, a brewery, it's dog friendly, and they've also got burgers. What else could you ask for? They also regularly hold events such as trivia night, beer kubb, beer release parties, kick the keg, game nights, and even doggy events featuring Oregon Humane Society. Josh's favorite brews include Binary's Motherboard Stout and their lagers, and his favorite part about managing the brewery is when they release a beer and get to see happy customers enjoying the brew. At home, Josh has a year-old black lab named Atlas, and a grumpy fluffy cat named Fauna.

The Portland area has a long history of beer and technology, heavily impacted by Intel Corporation, the region's largest employer. Binary Brewing is passionate about both beer and technology, so they chose a name that reflects both roots. Binary regularly releases what they call “beta beers” which are on tap at Uptown Beer Co to give customers direct input into their brews. "You won’t find glitter, you won’t find a lot of adjuncts like that. We like to make beers that taste like beer," says Josh.

Latest Brews & Local Beer

Be sure to check out Uptown Beer Co for all your favorite brews including their newest release, "Virtual Reality", a red ale, and they also have cans for sale of many brews in this article.

Ecliptic Brewing

Ecliptic Brewing is an astronomy-themed brewery started in 2013 by brewmaster John Harris. John was in the brewing business for 27 years before opening Ecliptic, and it was his long-term dream to finally open a brewery of his own. Their north Portland location features plenty of outdoor seating (an entire converted parking lot), and their newest location, Moon Room, is located in southeast Portland. Ecliptic’s original Mississippi-area brewery, dubbed the “Mothership Brewery,” produced 23,000 barrels in 2020. Both locations are dog-friendly, and the Mothership happens to be where we took the original PDX Pup Passport picture, where you'll see our Pup Riley helping us sample some brews!

Owner and brewmaster John Harris explains that the brewery marketplace has many challenges, including the competition, which might deter some from opening a brewery of their own. However, he is glad he did and enjoys seeing people enjoy his beers at home, onsite, and in other restaurants. He enjoys IPAs and pilsners primarily, but also enjoys brewing with fruit, such as when brewing Ecliptic's Carina Peach Sour Ale and Ultraviolet Blackberry Sour Ale brews. "We are motivated to make beers people want to drink. We do all things beer!" exclaims John. Be sure to check out Ecliptic's Moon Room Series lagers and Cosmic Collaboration Series of brews!

Hammer & Stitch

Founded by 2 brothers and a brewmaster in 2020, Hammer & Stitch aims to create easy-drinking and approachable beers. "Foundational to our identity, we wanted to craft an actively inclusive environment, and take the craft beer industry into a bright and welcoming future for folks who haven't historically seen a space for themselves in beer," says Hammer and Stitch's marketing manager, Kyle Gersman. Kyle explains that they didn't intend to open a brewery in the middle of a pandemic, but the world spun forward anyway. "Despite the challenges associated with opening and evolving during COVID, we found resilience in our team and our community, and we'll come out stronger on the other side." 

Brewmaster Ben Dobler had a simple goal: “I want to make easy-drinking lagers and ales.” In a world of making things more complex and intricate, the brewmaster wanted to craft simple, authentic, and insanely high-quality beers - so that’s exactly what they did. When asked what his favorite beer or beer style is, Brewmaster Ben said “The one that is in my hand!” which is a testimony to Hammer and Stitch's appreciation of all styles of beer. Head Brewer, Cameron Murphy, looks forward to his early mornings on the brew deck. "Arriving before first light and getting to watch the sunrise over Mt. Hood and the Fremont Bridge from the front of the Brewery - it doesn't get better than that." Between the small management team, H&S has 4 dogs and 4 cats. You can check out their beer finder if you want to grab some of their cans for yourself!

Upcoming Events and Brews

Be sure to check out Hammer and Stitch's Zwickelmania event on Saturday, February 19th for an interactive journey through their brewery, complete with beer samplings. Stay tuned for their next beer release on March 4th to celebrate SheBrew, a local fest to uplift woman brewers and to support the LGBTQ+ community!

Level Beer

Level Beer is a retro game-themed brewery that has been around for almost 5 years and has 3 locations in Portland: Level 1, Level 2, and of course, Level 3. Their cans feature awesome pixel game art and their beer is sure to win you over. Level 1, on 148th in Portland, is dog friendly everywhere and even has an outdoor enclosed play area for pups, as well as a handful of food trucks for humans. Levels 2 and 3 have outdoor seating for pups.

Taproom manager Stephen Weber tells us that Level Beer's 3 owners opened the brewery intending to create a family-friendly space for folks who love beer, each of the owners having children of their own. Level Beer brews more pale ales than your average brewery. Pale ales have a big hop character but aren't overpowered by the hops and aren't as strong as an IPA. They also brew a fair amount of English beer, and have a cask engine at all 3 taprooms." My favorite part of the day is our 4 o'clock beer," says Weber. "Most days, our office guys and brewers are wrapping up or already done for the day by 4 pm so it's a chance for all of us to have a pint together and wrap up the day and check-in with each other." It's 4 o'clock somewhere! 

Over the next few years, Level Beer plans to further improve the social experience at its 3 locations. They are dedicated to crafting great beer and forming long-lasting social connections with the community. "We are constantly working to make all 3 taprooms the best, most inviting, and most enjoyable taprooms for our customers (and their pups!)" Weber and his girlfriend have a one-year-old chocolate lab named Stout. "She is super social and loves any human willing to rub her belly. We can often be found swimming on Sauvie Island as water activities are Scout's favorite thing to do. She's also known to steal a taste of Dad's beer when he's not looking." You can find brews from Level Beer all over the Portland Metro area and in Southern Washington - in specialty bottle shops, grocery stores, and on tap. You can even find Level Beer in parts of Japan and Europe. 

Events at Level Beer

Stay tuned, Level Beer has an upcoming event with Street Dog Hero, a rescue organization based in Bend that helps rescue dogs off the streets of Mexico. They have volunteers and rescue/foster families here in Portland so their team is coming up to do a meet and greet and to get a little more Portland exposure. The event will be at Level 1, the original taproom and brewery at 5211 NE 148th Ave on February 15th from 3-7 pm. Street Dog Hero will be bringing adoptable pups with them!

Cascade Brewing

Pucker Up & Join The Sour Revolution! Cascade Brewing is the #1 spot in Portland for enjoying sour beers with your pup. Cascade Brewing was founded in 1998 by owner Art Larrance and brewmaster Ron Gansberg. The pair were growing tired of what they referred to as the “hops arms race” of increasingly hoppy beers, and decided instead to focus on beers that offered an intense sensory experience. Employing lactobacillus, an acid bacteria that produces moderate levels of acidity and sour flavors, they began their sour journey in 2005. By 2006, they were producing the base beer that would then be aged for up to a year in wine, port, and whiskey oak barrels.

In 2009, they brought in 4,500 lbs. of Bing and sour pie cherries straight from the orchards for making Kriek, Sang Royale, and Sang Noir. They picked up 2,500 lbs. of apricots for their Apricot Ale, one ton of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for a yet-to-be-named beer, and 2,500 lbs. of white wine grapes for The Vine. That fall, they traveled to the Great American Beer Festival to submit three of their beers in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer category. Out of 45 total entries, Cascade Brewing was awarded the Gold for Bourbonic Plague and the Silver for Vlad the Imp Aler.

Both humans and pups enjoy Cascade Brewing. When touring other local breweries with our pup, we're often asked 2 things: "Which breweries are your favorite so far?" and "Have you been to Cascade yet?" Cascade happens to be right across the street from a popular cidery: Schilling!

Schilling Cider House

In addition to beer, Portland is also known for its cideries due to the region's easy access to freshly grown apples. Schilling Cider was founded in 2012 in Seattle by Colin Schilling, the master cider-maker and owner. The cider house in Portland opened in 2017 and still has the largest selection of draft ciders anywhere in North America! Making cider runs in the Schilling family and has been a long-running tradition since the '70s. Founder Colin started making his cider when he was only 14 years old on the Idaho farm where he grew up. "[It's] something I’d done for longer than I legally should’ve been doing," says Colin. 

Schilling Cider House's PDX general manager, Ally Ward, says "Since Schilling started in Washington, and its first Cider House opened in Seattle, we wanted our next location to keep its roots in the Northwest since we will use ingredients from both Oregon and Washington." She also adds that the PDX location wanted to "stand out as its own, so the unique challenge was installing the 50 taps all dedicated to ciders." In addition to having 50 cider taps, the Portland location has a dedicated gluten-free kitchen.

Ward mentions her favorite Schilling ciders are those with a single variety of apples, namely one of their Cider Maker series which is made with only Lucy Glo apples. "I really just look forward to the start of Summer," says Schilling Cider House PDX's general manager, Ally Ward. "There are so many wonderful ciders that come out at the time, and sunny weather is just perfect for a cold cider, especially on our patio with your best 4 legged friends!" Ward has a cat named Charlie, who she affectionately calls Beans, 2 guinea pigs, and 2 pups named Flossie and Islay. You can follow their Instagram: @buandcrew 

Schilling only uses freshly pressed apples and uses locally sourced, non-GMO ingredients. Colin says "Mass-market ciders [such as Angry Orchard] come from the same behemoth conglomerates that make the likes of Budweiser and Coors" and Colin would very much like us to stop drinking them. Once you've tasted Schilling, you'll understand why! 

Schilling Updates and New Releases

Ward says to look out for their upcoming doggy menu sometime in the summer! The Lucy Glo single varietal just tapped last week and will go fast, so head over to Schilling Cider House before it's gone! Check out their social media for upcoming events and releases. 

Brewery 26

Brewery 26 started in 2017 as a nano brewery in co-owners Andy Shaw’s garage. Their name comes from the nearby roadway, highway 26. In 2020, they signed a 2-year lease and opened a space on Portland's SE Powell street in the Cully neighborhood. Now two years later, they decided it was time for a move, and migrated to their newest location on Ankeny.

Brewery 26 is among those new, hidden-gem breweries that have survived the pandemic. “The space is a bit of a throwback to older brewery taprooms where you really felt like you’re in the brewery,” says Shaw. “It’s an open space with the tanks and brewhouse as a definite focal point.” Brewery 26 features 26 taps (of course) and allows dogs onsite. We have a bit of a soft spot for Brewery 26 after we learned how owner Andy Shaw greeted a group of Pup Passport members and was overjoyed to learn the passport brought them to his taproom. Here's to you, Andy! Pup Passport members can get a pint and a flight from Brewery 26 for only $10.

Rogue

Rogue Ales & Spirits are the third-largest craft brewery in Oregon, having produced 75,000 barrels in 2020, following Deschutes and Ninkasi. Rogue was founded in 1988 in Ashland Oregon, by 3 Nike executives: Jack Joyce, Rob Strasser, and Bob Woodell making Rogue one of the first craft breweries in the country. Rogue brews their beer, distills their spirits, farms their own ingredients, and makes their own barrels.

Rogue's communications director, Amanda Zessin, tells us that Rogue is no stranger to challenges. "Rogue is headquartered in Newport because of an early challenge Jack faced right off the bat. In 1989, Jack found himself stranded in Newport, Oregon in an unusual snowstorm when he met Mohava Niemi, aka "Mo" (founder of Mo's Restaurants) who extended her signature hospitality and offered to rent Jack space to open a second location for his brewpub. Before long, this would become Rogue Ales & Spirits main location when the Ashland brewpub was forced to close due to flooding." Amanda's favorite Rogue brew is Newport Daze. "It’s such a delicious day sipper that tastes great any time of year and any time of day. My favorite seasonal is Combat Wombat, a hazy IPA mixed with a sour ale is such a unique combination that I wait for every year." 

In addition to their Newport locations, Rogue has 2 pubs in Portland and one more along the Oregon coast in Astoria. Pup Passport members are invited to bring their pups to both of Portland's locations (Rogue Eastside Pub & Pilot Brewery and Rogue Hall), and the Pier 39 pub in Astoria, which is located on a pier, as the name suggests, and is supposedly haunted!

To date, Rogue has produced more than 60 different ales. They use a proprietary yeast known as "Pacman." Much like wine, Rogue says their brews are designed to go with food. Rogue has worked with chefs, brewing industry experts, and restaurateurs to accomplish this. Rogue has made a handful of collab beers with local businesses such as Voodoo Doughnuts, Darkhorse Comics, Portland State, and more. The brewery once created a beer using a strain of yeast found in Brewmaster Maier's beard, known as their Beard Brew. No, we're not kidding. "Rogue is more than just a brewery," says Amanda. "We’re a beverage brand and make everything from lagers to stouts, canned cocktails to CBD seltzers and whiskey to gin. We have a diverse product portfolio to appeal to our customers around the world." The Pup Passport discount at Rogue? $4 Dead Guy pints!

Rogue News & New Brews

This year Rogue is undergoing a major packaging update. "We’re updating all packaging from plastic 6-pack rings to 100% recyclable cardboard wrap boxes in an effort to use less plastic and reduce waste," says Rogue's communication director Amanda Zessin. More info on that transition here: https://www.rogue.com/stories/rogue-s-transition-to-wrap-packs

"We have a new core beer, Gumberoo West Coast IPA, many new seasonals including Beachy Clean Imperial IPA which will help keep beaches including our hometown of Newport clean, and new canned cocktail flavors on the spirit’s front." Here’s Rogue's 2022 product calendar: 

https://www.rogue.com/stories/release-product-calendar.

Breakside Brewery

Breakside opened in 2010 in Northeast Portland and has quickly grown into a regional favorite with 4 Portland pubs and an award-winning IPA. All 4 Portland pubs are dog-friendly! In addition to great beer, they have great food including burgers, soups, salads, and sandwiches. Breakside is proposing an innovative development in Gresham that would have an outdoor recreational area with food trucks, trails, and other amenities on top of the public taproom on a 30-acre plot of land, set to open sometime in 2024. Marketing manager Ian Nesbit says that the biggest challenge for expanding is securing the right permits. "Having plans drawn and construction ready to commence only to be put on hold for paperwork is absolutely brutal." This is a testimate to Breakside's success. Portland's can't get enough!

Breakside always has a warm, inviting climate and is a great spot for pups and humans alike. You can't go wrong with a tasting tray from Breakside. "I think folks just really appreciate our balanced approach to brewing. We try to make something for everyone, and our front-of-house staff is incredibly well-versed in introducing people to beers that may have previously been out of their comfort zone" says Nesbit.

In addition to the 2024 Gresham expansion, Breakside is also planning on opening a beer garden in Beaverton early this summer. The Gresham expansion will nearly double their brewing capacity. Marketing manager Ian Nesbit has been with the company since 2016 and says his favorite part of the job is throwing parties. "Everything from tap takeovers to festivals. I really miss the festival atmosphere." Nesbit has 2 dogs at home: Nox, a 9-year-old lab/bulldog mix, and Rex, a 1-year-old sweet little lady Catahoula bully. Be sure to check out one of Breakside's locations to taste what all the talk is about!