Widmer Brothers Brewing, Portland, OR

In 1984 the Widmer Brothers, Kurt and Rob quit their jobs and turned their hobby into a vocation. The pair found success and in 1990 moved Widmer Brothers Brewing to their current North Portland location just north of the river. In 1996 they implemented the bottling of their beers.

We are sometimes hesitant to visit the big brewers whose bottles we can find at our local grocers, but we have discovered that the brewery/tap room offers experimental and tasty craft beer along with the standards. Besides that, it was a nice stroll from Labrewatory to Widmer Brothers Brewery and Pub.

Large red brick industial warehouses lined the street that made up the brewery, bottling and storage facilities for Widmer.  The tap room was not nearly as large as expected. A few tables and rather small bar filled an unassuming room, another room down the hall hosted a private event during our visit.  Finally two seats together at the bar opened up and we perched there for a while and sampled beers.  Enjoyed “It’s a Thing #1 a big IPA, So Quatcha Want Kumquat IPA, an almost tart kumquat nose & flavor IPA and Orange You Glad I Didn’t Say Banana? a crisp and refreshing Witbier. We didn’t eat, but the food looked good. We passed the funky, supposedly haunted, McMenamin’s White Eagle Hotel, so there is lodging nearby, if you dare.