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Local brewer Lee Hedgmon crafts delectable gluten-free beers at Ground Breaker Brewing.

Credit: Ashley Anderson

Portland Beers by Style

Sip your way through city’s best lagers, saisons, stouts and IPAs.

Updated Nov. 15, 2024 3 min read

Nathan Tucker

There is simply no better city for beer drinking than Portland. The Rose City’s 70+ breweries offer everything from the most aggressive double IPAs to styles inspired by the traditional ales of rural Europe. Use our expert guide to choose the choicest brews in your favorite style.

IPAs and Imperial IPAs

Breakside IPA

While they’re known for innovative experiments like smoky ambers and basil-spiked blondes, Breakside Brewery stakes its reputation on this flagship IPA, which won a gold medal at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival for its precisely balanced tropical and evergreen flavors.

Megafauna Imperial IPA

Laurelwood Brewing’s Workhorse IPA has long been a gold standard for the style. When available, Megafauna is a robust upgrade that beautifully harmonizes tropical fruit notes with resinous pine, floral aromas and no small amount of alcohol, at 9.5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Gigantic IPA

Boasting a citrusy punch and a drinkability that masks its 7.3% ABV, this gorgeous orange concoction is the only beer Southeast Portland’s Gigantic Brewing makes year-round.

Over Ripe IPA

This hazy IPA is brewed with a unique blend of robust hops and sweet fruit — savor the flavors of cantaloupe, guava, papaya and pineapple. This beer alone is worth the trip to one of Great Notion’s tap rooms; the wide variety of other IPAs on offer are worth a taste too.

Lagers and Pilsners

Engleberg Pilsner

A well-hopped gem that the brewers at Upright Brewing originally made just for themselves, this crisp, refreshing lager balanced with rare German Tettnang hops is almost impossible to get outside of Portland — which is good, because it’s best at peak freshness.

Lager

Perhaps the best testament to the accessibility of Portland beer: at nearly every convenience store in town, you’ll find pounders of Hopworks’ clean, delicious, organic lager, balancing a light malt body with delicately herbal Perle hops. Eat your heart out, Bud.

Pyxis Pilsner

Ecliptic Brewing’s spin on the German-style lager, this drinkable brew is crisp, balanced and refreshing. It offers an appealing blend of sweetness and noble-hops-forward bitterness.

Non-Beer Beverages

Explore Portland's other delicious drinks, from coffee to craft cocktails and more.

Portland Coffee

Portland's passion for fine ingredients and careful craft extends into coffee cups — our guide to the Portland coffee scene will help you find must-try independent roasters and cozy, locally owned coffee shops.

Tea: Portland’s Other Hot Brewing Scene

Tea drinkers can enjoy a favorite cuppa or sample exotic varietals in Portland's teahouses. Chai, bubble tea and classic green tea are just a few of the many teas brewed in and around Portland.

Chai in Portland

This guide to Portland chai includes an abundance of house-brewed local brick-and-mortar options and those carrying Portland-made chai blends and concentrates.

Portland’s Signature Cocktails

Portland is home to expert mixologists and one of America’s most vibrant craft cocktail scenes — sip your way through the city’s signature drinks.

Wine

With wine country in its backyard, Portland overflows with wine bars and urban wineries, offering special varietals from around the world.

Portland’s Cider Scene

Hard cider is one of the latest beverages to gain popularity in Portland — known for its many beers, craft spirits and Willamette Valley wines.

Can’t Miss Mocktails in Portland

Bars and restaurants are embracing the artistry of non-alcoholic drinks for those seeking alternatives to boozy libations in Portland.

Boba Tea in Portland

From tapioca pearls and popping boba to cheese foam and jelly, boba tea in Portland is a big hit. Here’s how to find your new favorite drink in the Rose City.

Wineries Near Portland

Sample excellent wine at Willamette Valley wineries near Portland, where you can enjoy spectacular views, budget-friendly flights and more.

Dark Beers

The Abyss

In Deschutes Brewery’s celebrated yearly release, which always sells out quickly, layers of flavor and aroma from aging in bourbon, oak and pinot noir barrels dance over a deep, rich base of molasses, vanilla and cherry bark.

Black Lab Stout

This brew from Lucky Labrador offers everything you want in a dark beer — it’s sweet, creamy and oh-so-satisfying. Bold malty flavors balance out the sweetness, and ample hops provide just a bit of bite.

Saisons

Instinctive Travels

This straw-hued saison from Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery is fermented with an isolated strain of yeast from the Wallonia region of Belgium and dry hopped with both northern and southern hemisphere alpha hops, yielding mild citrus flavors and light, biscuity malt.

Saison Vert

Upright Brewing’s wheat-based brew derives its bright citrus flavor from adding sun-dried black limes to the traditional open fermentation process and saison yeast strains. The result is a nuanced flavor profile reminiscent of mild spices, walnuts and fruit.

Traditional German Beers

Hefeweizen

Any of Occidental’s continental-style brews could make this list, but this St. Johns brewery’s hefeweizen might be the best this side of the Atlantic. One sip takes you right to summer in Bavaria, thanks to notes of banana, clove and citrus peel.

Total ReKolsh

Brewed with noble hops and fermented at cooler temperatures, this crisp brew from Stormbreaker Brewing is lagered for a hint of pilsner on the nose and a subtle sweetness on the palate, creating a refreshing pint that’s perfect for hot summer days.

Kiss the Goat Black Doppelbock

Dark-hued and topped with a creamy head that sends notes of toasted malt and cocoa wafting into the nose, Gigantic Brewing’s German lager toys with dark fruit flavors, mild chocolate and a sweet nuttiness.