Oregon Beer Loop
You know you want to do it, so get in the car and point yourself toward Oregon.
This “Trails to Feast” itinerary by Jack Harris, an Oregon Craft Brewer, takes you around the state (with the help of writer Greg Robeson).
Jack Harris’s brewing career has included stints throughout the western United States, including living in the front office of a brewery with his dog. He’s come a long way since. His philosophy as a brewer is to be original, avoid fads and keep it local. In a historic building in Astoria, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean, Jack creates popular brews like Vortex IPA, Working Girl Porter and Divinity.
Here are a few of Jack’s tips for exploring his part of Oregon:
The Blue Scorcher Bakery in Astoria has amazing organic pastries, great coffee and tea, and huge windows looking out on the sunrise over the Columbia.
There’s nothing like soaking in the clawfoot tub of the River Suite at the Rose River Inn in Astoria, then throwing open the curtains and watching ships pass by on the Columbia River below.
Uriah Hulsey at the Columbian Café is the grandfather of Astoria’s food renaissance. Take a seat at the bar where you can chat up the chef, eat what’s fresh from the market and get caught up on town gossip.
At the south jetty observation platform in Fort Stevens State Park, you can watch the massive cargo ships as they cross the bar on their way upstream.
Learn about thousands of years of history in an authentic Native American longhouse, and see its namesake cannon at the Cannon Beach History Center. Best of all, it’s free.
Take a day trip south, and head to the fishing village of Garibaldi on Tillamook Bay. Bring a cooler, because you can buy fresh Dungeness crab and other seafood right off the boats.
At the Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro, order a Terminator Stout and then wander around an oasis of gardens, an orchard and an octagonal barn of a former pioneer homestead.
If you’d like more inspiration to create your own tasty trail through this northwest state, download the Trails To Feast booklet featuring seven culinary paths throughout Oregon.
(Photo courtesy of Travel Oregon)
