Proud Mary

This Melbourne Australia-based chain’s first outpost outside of Oz is in the Alberta district of Portland. These guys knew what they were up against and are upping the coffee game in a town where it’s already strong. What does that mean? That means bringing in specialty beans, roasting them onsite and doing special events around exceptional beans direct from the farmers. Plus, they often have a what they call a “showcase” where they will do flights of coffees where you can really taste different varietals, processing methods, and terroir.

Recently, we had an amazing espresso flight of three different varietals from the same farm, called Finca Hartmann, in Panama. Many tastings focus on similar or the same varietals from different origins in order to taste the terroir. On the contrary, this tasting put the focus on the differences in the coffee varietals rather than the terroir. The flight featured three coffee varietals: Catui/Caturra, Maragogipe, and the famous Geisha. All three were excellent, even the Maragogipe, which is normally grown in Brazil and not typically that highly regarded. The best was of course, the Geisha, with its delicate tea-like floral notes of rose and jasmine. Having only opened in mid-2017, the place is the new kid on the block, and has just set the bar for coffee in a city known for it.

Trailhead Coffee and Ranger Chocolate

This cafe is attached to the Trailhead coffee roastery and Ranger chocolate factory, with large open windows that put both production processes on display. Aside from a nicely-roasted coffees, they offer a range of Ranger chocolates made on site, including two and three pound slabs for those heavy-users.

Great Notion

Located on the main drag in the Alberta Arts District, Great Notion makes great beer. These guys specialize in only the trendiest styles, namely Hazy IPAs and sours. They do both superbly. Come for the beer, stay for the lumberjack-themed taproom and sunny outdoor seating. Don’t miss this place.

Cascade Brewing Barrel House

One of the first craft breweries specializing in sours, Cascade is a legend. Their tap room is a real treat featuring an ever-rotating selection of barrel-aged and vintage beers, as well as newer creations. See if you can catch a keg tapping ceremony – or better yet see if you can catch any of their fresh hop beers during hop harvest season in September/October for some of the best beers anywhere.

Culmination

Although centrally located on the Eastside, Culmination can be a bit hard to find. But once you’re there, you’re glad you made the effort to find it. These guys seem to excel at whatever style they put their minds to. From golden stouts to sours and fresh hopped (when in season), you literally can’t go wrong at Culmination. 

LABrewatory

A state-of-the-art taproom where beer geeks can nerd out not only on the high-quality, innovative beer selection, but also on the set-up with stainless steel, specially-cooled lines and a host of other awesome equipment. The beer equivalent of the La Marzocco interactive flagship and cafe in Seattle, LABrewatory is the showroom for Portland Kettle Works, a brewery equipment manufacturer. At LABrewatory brings brewing talent to its equipment and the result is fantastic. You’ll never have the same beer twice here, since every brew is unique and experimental.