Portland Restaurants

The Widmer brothers were pioneers in the craft brewing revolution that took hold in the Pacific Northwest in the early 1980s. I remember visiting their small operation in 1994 and just loving the grass roots feel to the place. Fast forward to the summer of 2008 and Widmer Brewing is one of the biggest regional breweries in all of craft brewing. Their hefeweizen is the most readily available of the style in the whole northwest. I nearly bypassed a return visit as time in Portland was limited but my wife and I were both in the mood for some Germanic food and Widmer was the place to cure that urge.

The new facility is quite large and on the outskirts of the city center. It was only a couple of miles from where we were staying but not really an area suitable for walking. The pub was now deemed a Gasthaus showing the family's German roots. It was a much nicer place than I was expecting but despite its nice furnishings, it retains a nice cosy feeling. We sat at the small bar and the bartender immediately made us feel super welcome. It was mid-afternoon so it was not busy and he was happy to give us free small samples of the beer before we made any choices.

We both had a hefeweizen as we ordered one weisswurt and one bratwurst. Each came out with sauerkraut, homemade potato salad, mustard and a fresh sourdough baguette. The portions were sizable for a very reasonable $6.95 especially considering the sausages are made on the premises and are of very high quality. That said, the weisswurst is not true to form. Though very tasty, it is not a real weisswurst and does not display any of the delicate flavors of this Munich specialty. We lived in Munich and have never found a good one in the US. But if you took it as just a sausage it was great. Everything else on the plate was excellent as well. We had ordered a large pretzel but it never came and it was probably a good thing as the meals were quite large in themselves. We had mostly ordered it as traditionally that is what is served with weisswurst and since this really wasn't one, we didn't really need it.

This was supposed to be a short stop but it was a lot better than either of us expected and quite an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

Now for the beer. 1)Hefeweizen-4.8%-This is the premier example of the American version of this Bavarian classic. Honey-hued unfiltered color with massive rocky head. Fruity w/ some banana notes but not much clove. This is a cross style that features some Pacific Northwest hops and hops are not present in the Bavarian variety. This makes for a much drier finish but it is very refreshing nonetheless. Ironically, German brewers are now making this type beer which I always thought would be popular. 2)Sommerbrau-4.8%-This Kolsch style brew is golden w/ thin lasting head and a floral hoppy nose. Fruity dry palate with clean dry finish. Very nice example of the style. 3)WO8-Crimsom Wheat-5%-Each year the brewery comes up with a W seasonal and this 08 version was a light amber wheat beer with a creamy head and soft malty palate. 4)Oktoberfest-5.3%-Amber w/malty spicy palate and semi-dry finish. This is a true Marzen, not an easy style to brew and one increasingly hard to find in Germany. 5)Belgian Golden-6.1%-Semi-filtered golden w/ creamy head and yeast filled nose. Spicy peppery palate w/ crisp semi-dry finish. Nice. 6)Alt-5%-Dark amber w/thin head and citrus hop nose. Fruity palate but dries immediately in bitter finish. Nice example of the style. 7)Half Nelson IPA-6%-Made with New Zealand hops, this light golden brew had a soft fruity palate and clean semi-dry finish. 8)Broken Halo-6%-A more citrusy cousin to the Nelson. Less fruity, more sharp & bitter. 9)Resurrection Rye-6.6%-Deep golden with creamy head, soft palate, and citrus aroma. Pine tree in a glass. Hoppy, bitter, dry. 10)Albina District Amber-5.8%-Deep amber malty brew with semi-dry bittersweet finish. 11)Barley-wine-9.5%-Deep amber w/ thin head & butterscotch nose. Great mix of malt and hops. Smooth and long dry complex finish.

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