All About Beer in Oregon’s Tualatin Valley

 A Guide to Craft Beer for Your Beercation

Beer in Tualatin Valley is a big deal. With more than a dozen breweries in the valley alone, it’s a part of the vast Greater Portland region, which beer lovers call a “Beervana.” Portland is one of the top cities for craft breweries, and the Tualatin Valley’s proximity to this famous beer city has its perks.

IPAs rule here, but stouts and porters (even better when infused with locally roasted coffee), ambers, reds and pilsners and wheats are easy to find at these local craft breweries.

Finding the Right Beer for your Palate

It can be a little intimating to find and drink beer in “Beervana,” because there are so many options. Many taprooms have dozens of beers available and craft breweries rarely only make one style of brews.

One of the best ways to find your palate, is to order a tasting tray, which are available at most breweries, taprooms and brewpubs. Tasters usually allow you to try four or six (sometimes more) beers, often 1.5 or 2.5 ounces, at a time.

Here is a guide to help you find a beer that may fit your palate:

If you like bitter hoppy beers, try Pale Ales, India Pale Ales (IPA) and Double IPAs.
If you like strong, dark beers, try stouts and porters.
If you like refreshing, crisp beers, try wheat beers, fruit beers and cream ales.
If you like malty, nutty beers, try browns, Scottish ales, and Belgian ales.
If you like tart beers, try gose, tout saisons and sour beers.

Guide to Our Breweries

Some of the best breweries in Oregon can be found within mere minutes of each other in Tualatin Valley. Here’s a sample of our innovative craft breweries.

Beaverton

Hailed as the founding father of Oregon craft beer, Art Larrance, is still making waves with Cascade Brewing’s signature sour beers. Sample these pucker-inducing ales at The Lodge at Cascade Brewing or taste from its rotating list of beers, including IPAs and pilsners and more. While Ex Novo Brewing Co doesn’t brew on-site, it does showcase their flagship and seasonal brews alongside Detroit-style pizza. Great Notion Brewing recently opened its Beaverton location, serving GNB hazy IPAs and culinary-inspired sours and stouts.

Hillsboro

Vertigo Brewing continues to amass a loyal following, with its flavorful rotation of year-round and seasonal beers. From blondes to reds, and, of course, IPAs, Vertigo brews a wide variety of craft beers at its brewing in Hillsboro. Its “Closer Pale Ale” is a seasonal tribute to the Hillsboro Hops baseball team. Head to Three Mugs Brewing Company, which crafts more than a dozen brews, including the aptly-named Fiery Wench Imperial Red Ale.

Tualatin

In the southern part of Tualatin Valley — especially in the city of Tualatin — a new beer boom is happening. Ancestry Brewing selected this area for its first brewery and taproom, which produces a nice variety of beers. Stickmen Brewing also selected this area to open its second brewery and taproom, where it offers a large array of beers, ranging from lagers and sours to IPAs and stouts, and many other types in between.

Forest Grove

Two breweries in downtown Forest Grove have made a splash in the Oregon craft beer market. Waltz Brewing, Forest Grove’s first brewery, specializes in complex seasonal brews that range from smooth to hoppy. Ridgewalker Brewing‘s hop-forward American-style ales are delicious and refreshing. Try the Treewise IPA for a brew that presents a clean bitterness against notes of caramel and toffee.

When it comes to breweries in Tualatin Valley, this is just the tip of the iceberg. With more than two dozen breweries here — many with restaurants and pubs — it is easy to create your own Brewcation.

Remember to drink responsibly! Uber and Lyft are available locally to help you have a safe and fun Tualatin Valley Beercation.