Beer Guide 2015: Oregon City Brewing Co.

By Matthew Korfhage

Oregon City Brewing Co.

1401 Washington St., Oregon City, 908-1948, ocbeerco.com. 2-10 pm Monday-Friday, noon-10 pm Saturday, 2-7 pm Sunday.

[O.G. O.C.] Oregon City Brewing Co. is brand-new this year and looks it, right down to its taproom's contemporary design flourish—hundreds of ancient-looking Edison bulbs strung up like it's Christmas. The spartan, curvilinear-windowed space in the O.C. downtown is one of the best stocked beer bars in the 'burbs, with 44 taps on a digital system, including six Cooper's Hall wines and four nitros. It also includes a few of the brewery's own early beers, crafted by a family of homebrewers: Oregon-City-born Bryce Morrow, his father Craig, and his father-in-law Rajiam Pursifull. The house brews mostly aren't quite there yet, including a farmy IPA, a red ale tinged with the off-note of vanillin, and an over-sweet chocolate pale. The most successful so far is Hank's Marionberry, a blonde tinged with the ever-so-slight tartness of Oregon's favorite fruit. But since the brews are tapped next to the 90-Minute from Dogfish and experimental saisons from Breakside, the brews may be allowed to mature relatively gracefully, away from the spotlight.

DRINK THIS: Hank's Marionberry blonde, which may be the most subtle fruit beer in existence, with its marionberry like a juicy rumor.

WWeek 2015

Matthew Korfhage

Matthew Korfhage

Matthew Korfhage has lived in St. Louis, Chicago, Munich and Bordeaux, but comes from Portland, where he makes guides to the city and writes about food, booze and books. He likes the Oxford comma but can't use it in the newspaper.

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