East Portland Now Has a Huge Barn Brewery, Greenhouse and Beer Patio

Have you ever heard of Argay? I hadn't, though the deep East Portland neighborhood has more residents than Goose Hollow or Eastmoreland. That's probably because Level Beer (5211 NE 148th Ave., 503-714-1222, levelbeer.com) is the first buzzy business the hood has had since, uh, ever.

The property was formerly a produce market called The Barn, until being taken over by Geoff Phillips, owner of vaunted beer bar Bailey's Taproom, alongside former Ex Novo brewer Jason Barbee and former Laurelwood brewer Shane Watterson. They've turned the barn-sized barn into a 20-barrel brewery with a cozy, stylish taproom. The greenhouse is now a huge covered patio large enough to house a game of ladderball.

There's no kitchen, but two food carts were onsite during our visit, including a barbecue cart serving up tacos with smoked brisket that paired well with a sunny day. Level is just now brewing its own beers, but the breweries tapped for collaboration beers are top-notch. An ESB made with Laurelwood was the standout, finding a nice balance between biscuit and bitter, and coming in at just 4.5% ABV. Given the location in a far-out forgotten neighborhood, and the pleasantness of that patio, here's hoping Level stays sessionable.