Background
Every so often you have the pleasure of visiting a brewery that really leaves an impression, where the beer drinking was ceremonial and the memory of the complex tastes lingers long after the beer. Von Ebert Brewing, despite only being founded in 2018, is one of those places. The brewery was founded by Tom S Cook and others, and the name is a family legacy of Cook, as Ebert was his great grandmother who emigrated from Germany in the early 1900s. That old country feel translates to the beer, and I had the pleasure of enjoying Channel Capacity, a foudre conditioned farmhouse ale that reminded me so clearly of my tours through Belgium. While we did not eat food, it is available and looks tasty. I could not bear to separate myself from the beer long enough to think of food.
Experience
We visited the Von Ebert location in downtown Portland in September 2021. Parking was street based, but Von Ebert is conveniently located near the tram, and is walkable to many parts of the city – there are no dogs allowed. We made our way to Von Ebert on foot from the local history museum (which comes highly recommended – you can see the coin that determined the name of the city, which was almost named Boston). The brewery has won a bevy of awards in their short history including gold medals from the Great American Beer Festival, being named the Brewery of the Year in Oregon, and listed as one of the top 20 beers in the world of 2020. While we focused on farmhouse-style, the brewery offers the other styles you would expect, including their very popular IPAs.
When visiting Von Ebert Brewing, check out Deschutes Portland Public House and Cascade Brewing Barrel House.
