Food & Beer Culture

The brewpub is Oregon's signature style of pub. The McMenamins, who had fought for the 1985 law, converted old schools, cinemas, and houses into pubs with their own breweries. The Kennedy School in Portland was once an elementary school; today you sit in a former classroom and have a beer.

What do you eat with Pale Ale and IPA? Burgers, fish and chips, or anything fried. The reason is chemistry on the tongue: hop bitterness and carbonation cut through fat and refresh the palate. A Porter pairs well with grilled food, since the roasted malt echoes the charred flavors of the crust.

Regional specialties include Dungeness crab from the coast, Tillamook cheddar, and hazelnuts from the Willamette Valley. The marionberry, a blackberry variety bred in Oregon, occasionally shows up as a fruit addition in beers.

Portland is full of food trucks, known as food carts, parked in lots and on vacant land, often with outdoor tables and a brewpub within walking distance. People eat standing up and drink from a pint glass. The mix of brewpub, food cart, and outdoor seating is, for many visitors, what defines the city.

On the West Coast, Hefeweizen traditionally comes with a lemon wedge, a custom that spread from there to the rest of the US. Common serving sizes include the pint at 473 milliliters, the pitcher for the table at around 1.8 liters, and the growler, a bottle holding 1.9 liters (64 US ounces) that you can have filled to take home from the brewery.