Thunder Island

If the weather’s good, this outpost in Cascade Locks offers a small riverside beer garden with a view across the Columbia.

By Donald Scheidt

515 SW Portage Road, Cascade Locks, Ore., 971-231-4599, thunderislandbrewing.com. Noon-8 pm Sunday and Tuesday, noon-9 pm Thursday-Saturday.

If the weather's good, this outpost in Cascade Locks offers a small riverside beer garden with a view across the Columbia. Otherwise, this no-frills little brewpub sites its taproom right next to the brewery, crammed with new 15-barrel tanks. There may be as many as eight ales offered, including a pale, a couple of IPAs, a porter with peated malt, chocolate-flavored stout, and maybe a banana-fruity Belgian-style dark strong ale. A short pub menu adds a few simple eats to accompany the beer. Fun trivia: Cascade Locks is the only city on the Pacific Crest Trail, and has the only brewery along the trail. Come August, expect some crusty trail folks who need a cold beer more than you could ever imagine.

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Drink This: 10W30 Stout is flavored with just a touch of chocolate. Hopheads should go for the Dry Creek IPA.

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