Bar Guide 2014: Fire on the Mountain

By Martin Cizmar

Fire on the Mountain

3443 NE 57th Ave., 894-8973, portlandwings.com. 11 am-midnight daily.

There are many good reasons for Oregon restaurants to make their own beer. Each pint has a frothy head of profit, of course, and our state's loose brewpub laws make it mercifully easy to get licensed. But brewing in-house also gives quality-conscious restaurants like Fire on the Mountain extra control over their drink program. The beloved local hot-wing seller's biggest restaurant, on Northeast 57th, houses a brewing operation that churns out a line of food-friendly beers that elevate the experience across the empire. Brewmaster Ben Nehrling isn't making anything you haven't seen, but his lineup of fresh, mild brews is ideally paired with spicy fried food. Try the X-tinguisher wheat with a capicola-topped pie, or wash your hot wings down with an oatmeal stout. You might not hole up for a long night of sampling, but see if you don't agree more restaurants should follow suit. MARTIN CIZMAR.

Happy Hour: 3-6 pm daily. $1 off pints and $3 off pitchers.
Entertainment: Sports on the telly.

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