Born To Us Yesterday, A New Brewery

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to a brand new brewery here in Portland. It was in fact their grand opening. What and where is this new purveyor of fine beers you say? Well, Hopworks Urban Brewery or H.U.B. is located on SE Powell and 28th. Their beers have been available around town for the last several months and I have been lucky enough to sample, and enjoy, many of them.

The building is an old industrial office that owner and brewmaster, Christian Ettinger, restored. They proudly were able to reclaim a lot of the original timbers in the structure. The entire project was very green as are all of their organic brews. It has a well balanced mix of the outdoorsy and industrial, perfect for Portland. It also incorporates bicycles quite prominently in the motif. Over the bar is a lighting structure made from bike frames and the lights over the booths are suspended by make-shift pulleys made from bicycle wheels. As my friend Nathaniel said, it does have a bit of corporate feel, but that largely comes from the staff all wearing their matching H.U.B. t-shirts.

Now for the good stuff, the beer. I have a good feeling that H.U.B. is soon going to be one of Portland's best brewpubs. They have an outstanding selection of beer that will suit any taste. I am personally a big fan of their I.P.A. (which is available on cask), as well as the Velvet ESB and 7-Grain Stout. All have quickly become favorites of mine in their respective styles.

After waiting an hour for a table we enjoyed some of the delectable food. Pizza being the most prevalent item on the menu. We decided to try the Sicilian style, which is deep-dish and delicious. We also had to get an order of fries as an appetizer just so we knew if it was worth ordering a burger or sandwich on a future visit.

All in all, I would highly recommend that anyone check it out. It's very family friendly, but also has ample bar space should you not want to consort with younger generations. As I said earlier the wait for a table was long, and worth it, but that was largely due to the grand opening. However, I expect that Hopworks Urban Brewery will remain busy since it has so much going for it.

My Favorite Pizza in Portland

In the last week I've eaten from some of my favorite pizza places in Portland, and here they are:

Bella Faccia is probably my favorite pizza in the city, and conveniently, it's located across the street from where I live. If you like New York style with a flair of Portland, then this is the place for you. Giant, thin slices with the classic toppings or daily vegan and specialty pizzas will entice you as you come in the door. They also have gelato for dessert. The best time to go is Happy Hour, which is from 4pm until 6 pm, when for as little as $2.50 you can get a slice and a beer.

When I'm not in the mood for Bella Faccia, my next choice is American Dream Pizza on NE 46th and Glisan. It's a much more traditional style of pizza with a lot of toppings, but not to the extent of Flying Pie (see the next paragraph). Like all my favorite places they hand make and toss their dough. The crust and sauce is especially good here and one of the reasons I like it so much. It's not real cheap pizza, but it's worth every penny. And when you open the box the first time, you'll be in for a surprise when you see how it's cut.

Once a year I completely indulge myself with Flying Pie Pizza. I only go there about once a year because this pizza will fill you up about that long. They pile on the toppings here, and all the meats and veggies are thick cut and fresh. You'll be full after once piece, but you'll have a second out of pure enjoyment.

None of these places offer cheap pizza, but it's worth the extra price for good pie.