Beer Guide 2014: Tugboat

By Pete Cottell

Tugboat

711 SW Ankeny St., 226-2508, www.d2m.com/Tugwebsite/. 5-10 pm Monday, 4 pm-midnight Tuesday-Thursday, 4 pm-1 am Friday-Saturday.

An hour at Tugboat Brewing can be spent one of two ways. You either enjoy the homely charms of downtown Portland's oldest extant microbrewery, or you claim a window seat as a vantage point to stake out an open spot at Bailey's Taproom (page 34) across the alley. "Cozy" isn't quite the right word. Tugboat has room for 50 in search of their unfiltered, keg-conditioned Northwest ales—though walls of books and a warm glow create an atmosphere conducive to losing all regard for time, an important trait of any good dimly lit dive. If you're just here for one drink while scoping tables make it the Chernobyl Stout, a 13 percent Russian imperial stout that's essential to any proper pub crawl along Broadway. A sampler covers all the bases—expect five or six house handles—but skip the murky Ankeny IPA. Bailey's has plenty of great IPAs, plus delivery of Santeria burritos. And if it's a mini bar crawl you're after, hey, Mary's Club is right around the corner. PETE COTTELL.

DRINK THIS: Chernobyl Stout, a little snifter of stiff black booze.



Portland-Area Breweries from A to Z | Beer of the Year | Favorite Beers #2-10

Portland-Area Cideries | Top 5 Ciders of the Year | Beer Bars and Bottle Shops

Local Growler Makers | Surprising Growler Fills | Homebrew Shops

Restaurants With Great Beer | Local Beer and Liquor Pairings

An Oral History of BridgePort IPA | Beer Events Calendar | Beer Tours

Day Sips: North Oregon Coast, Hood River, Eugene, Seattle

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