And I’ve been reading and listening. Brewery staff, beer-nerd friends, and the baristas who support my writing habit all perked up upon learning what I was doing. They asked (with excitement and visible deep concern), “Oohhh, are you including [brewery name]?” I knew I was on the right track, because I never had to say no. It was sweet to hear, in all those sighs of relief, how tied we Portlanders are to our community, and how personally we take our beer.
Consistent high quality. Many of these breweries win accolades year after year, and most release new beers on a regular basis. Some have been around forever and focus on the same recipes Portlanders have loved for years. Whether their beers are mainstays or more gimmicky, they reliably knock our socks off.
They’ve pushed the craft-beer industry forward in some way. These are the breweries that others in the field look up to, which doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been around for decades—some of the new kids are impressing the old guard, a fact made evident by collaborations and the goodwill of those helping new arrivals get off the ground. All of these are early adopters of new methods and styles; some are bona fide pioneers.
