Lakeside in Lake Oswego at 40 N State St., Lake Oswego, 503-344-4449, stickmenbeer.com. 11:30 am-9 pm Monday-Thursday, 11:30 am-10 pm Friday, 11 am-10 pm Saturday, 11 am-9 pm Sunday. Tualatin location at 19475 SW 118th Ave., Suite 1, Tualatin. 11 am-9 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-10 pm Saturday.
For many years, the lakefront patio was the biggest draw for this tudor-style Lake Oswego brewpub, which began as mediocre and which has steadily improved since. Though questionable year-round beers like a seven percent honey-infused strong ale called The Bee's Knees do still pour from the long wooden bar's 16 taps, new seasonals like a crackery festbier and El Dorado-infused hazy IPA easily make up for them, finally providing wealthy suburbanites with Portland-quality craft beer. They opened with an oddball food menu focused on "skewers" and have also improved on this front, making pub-style options like a turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich that provides the perfect fatty ying to the Paddleboard Pale's hoppy yang. Having now opened a larger production facility in Tualatin, expect to see more Stickmen beer around town.
Nearby: While we wait for the Oregon Supreme Court to free the lake you see from the patio from a squatting homeowners association, check out the Lake Theater (106 N State St., Lake Oswego, 503-482-2135, laketheatercafe.com) next door. With an assortment of excellent craft beer, gourmet pizza and a steadily rotating selection of films, this small suburban cinema is as good as any on Portland's eastside.