Beer Guide 2014

There, surrounded by Donettes and Romeo y Julieta cigars, hangs an impressive line of tap handles, including Worthy's Imperial IPA, Base Camp's S'More Stout, an apricot cider from Bend and an India pale lager from San Diego.

Gresham Tobacco Outlet will fill your 64-ounce brown glass jug for $9—a buck less than at one of several bodegas offering fills just off Hawthorne. "We can't seem to get them to send us RPM anymore," the clerk says of the Boneyard IPA that lands at No. 3 in our top 10 beers of the year. "But we keep trying."

Amazing bodega beers were just one of the many odd and inspiring discoveries we made while compiling this guide to every brewery and cidery within an hour's drive of downtown Portland. Everyone knows Portland loves beer, but it's never so clear as when you're just north of the MAX line's last stop, standing behind a couple in matching camouflage caps as they debate a $50 investment in the Portland-made Bräuler.

Along the way, I realized there's something special about Portland's relationship with growlers. Sure, they're both the least expensive and the most environmentally friendly packaging. But it's more than that. Portlanders love growlers because they're big and perishable. In other words, because they're meant to be shared.

I'm constantly amazed by Brewvana's sense of community. About crackerjack brewers from Kells and Pints meeting to sniff new coffee beers out of Mason jars at the Lucky Labrador. Or a Montavilla neighborhood house party where Ben Edmunds of Breakside splits a five-year vertical of Bell's Expedition Stout with the Wildwood chef who built an outstanding beer program at an old-school restaurant on Northwest 21st Avenue. Or the legendary John Harris of Ecliptic showing up to watch pinot noir crushed at an urban winery near his home.

Each time, I was surprised to see them. But I shouldn't be. Portland brewers get around. The secret ingredient in our beer isn't our soft water or farm-fresh hops, it's all those thoughtful sips and heated debates held over shared growlers.

Here, you'll find a guide to getting your fill, starting with our picks for the best beers of the year and continuing though a dozen local cideries. Hopefully, this guide will stay with you for a year, serving you well wherever you find yourself with an empty jug and a long list of options.

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

Contributors

Editor Martin Cizmar

Art Director Amy Martin

Copy chief Rob Fernas

Copy Editors  Matt Buckingham, Nina Lary, Jessica Pedrosa

Fact-checker Ezra Johnson-Greenough

Editorial contributors 

Penelope Bass, Martin Cizmar, Ramona DeNies, Jordan Green, Rebecca Jacobson, Nigel Jaquiss, Frank Johnston, Matthew Korfhage, AP Kryza, John Locanthi, Aaron Mesh, Lyla Rowen, Matthew Singer, Adrienne So, Enid Spitz, Brent Walth, Savannah Wasserman, Brian Yaeger 

Photographers Cameron Browne, Emma Browne, Natalie Behring

Illustrator Edward Juan

Production Manager Ben Kubany

Ad Designers Brittany Moody, Xel Moore, Dylan Serkin

Director of Advertising Scott Wagner

Advertising Assistant Ashley Grether

Account Executives Maria Boyer, Ginger Craft, Michael Donhowe, Kevin Friedman, Janet Norman, Kyle Owens, Sharri Miller Regan, Andrew Shenker

Marketing & Promotions Coordinator Steph Barnhart

Accounting Manager Chris Petryszak

Credit/Collections Shawn Wolf

Manager of Information Systems Brian Panganiban

Circulation Director Mark Kirchmeier

Associate Publisher Jane Smith

Publishers Richard H. Meeker, Mark L. Zusman

WWeek 2015