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1. Baerlic Brewing
2235 SE 11th Ave., 503-477-9418, baerlicbrewing.com.
At Baerlic's bare-bones Southeast Portland headquarters, the scene is often boisterous, with little to distract from the beers, which are generally light and sessionable but rarely boring. The simple stuff is what brewers founders Richard Hall and Ben Parsons do best, but they can stretch out, too: Grayscale, a collaboration with Modern Times, is a coffee Vienna lager that'll stun anyone who's used to coffee-flavored beers having the viscosity of sludge.
2. Gigantic
5224 SE 26th Ave., 503-208-3416, giganticbrewing.com.
Gigantic feels like a scrappy upstart that still can't believe it made it big. Hidden in an industrial area just west of Reed College, the 8-year-old operation feels like a secret clubhouse. The brewery has built its reputation on a beer that never changes, the crowd-pleasing flagship IPA, as well as its constantly rotating lineup of seasonals.
3. Modern Times
600 SE Belmont St., 503-420-0799, moderntimesbeer.com.
There's no better place in Portland to snap a trendy photo of a hazy IPA, sweet stout, or neon-red kettle sour. But if you look past the sea of perfectly dressed beer tourists (and the more obvious styles), you'll find some of the city's finest beers. If available, try the Italian Pilsner, which marries crackery malt with perfumey modern hopping techniques—taming the face-melting flavors of Modern Times' hazy IPAs.
4. Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider
1813 NE 2nd Ave., 503-567-2221, reverendnatshardcider.com.
Rev Nat's is probably the most battily inventive cider spot in the country, from a Spanish-style Sidra de Bravo, made by fermenting apple skins, to an apple sour made with de Garde, and one insanely good fermented-pineapple tepache.
5. StormBreaker
832 N Beech St., 971-703-4516; 8409 N Lombard St., 971-255-1481; stormbreakerbrewing.com.
Name a style and StormBreaker makes a damn fine version of it, from its citrusy Cloud Ripper IPA to the Opacus Stout, which has all the hints of chocolate you want without going down like a pint of Ovaltine. The brewery is currently taking can and keg orders by phone, but plans to add online ordering soon.
See websites for ordering information.