Beer Guide 2013: Local Notables' Favorite Beers

Illustrations by Amy Martin

Matt Bors 

Pulitzer-nominated cartoonist
Lucky Lab Papa Paul’s Pilsner
Finding a Pilsner that doesn’t taste like dumpster runoff is tough in an area devoted to annihilating your palate with hops. Keep Lucky Lab’s quaintly named Papa Paul’s Pilsner in mind if the sun ever shines again. In such an event, you can gaze at the brewery’s completely earnest portraits of Labradors while you sip a beer that doesn’t make you feel like you put a pound of food in your gut.

Devin Chapman

Champion barista from Coava Coffee
Double Mountain Vaporizer
The Vaporizer demonstrates a perfect snapshot of “middle ground” when it comes to beer. It’s the brilliant dance of prominent hop presence with a light and delicate quality that makes it lovely, delicious and “sessionable” in any season, with any food, for any occasion.

Jonathan Maus

Editor and publisher of bikeportland.org
Omission Pale Ale
When I first realized I was gluten intolerant, not being able to drink beer was a big bummer. Thank God for Widmer, who makes Omission! They recently figured out how to do a gluten-free pale that uses real beer ingredients, and it tastes darn good. It’s got a solid, hoppy flavor with an expected finish—not the strange aftertaste of most other gluten-free beers.

Ken Gordon

Owner of Kenny and Zuke’s Delicatessen and Oregonian columnist
Occidental Brewing Kolsch
I tend to really like lagers and Pilsners these days, especially German-style ones.  Clean, light and they go great with food. Great pastrami beer!

Cool Nutz

Portland hip-hop ambassador
Bushwhacker Cider
Bushwhacker was something I came across while trying to find a local cider that I could support.  I have had the pleasure of trying ciders on my travels of Australia, Europe and more, and since my first taste of Hornsby’s cider, I swayed towards ciders when it came to drinking beers. 

Emily Sinovic

Reporter for KATU
Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA
After moving to Portland from Midwestern Bud Light land, this was my first Oregon IPA love.  Maybe I found the light, golden color a little less intimidating compared to some of the big hoppy Oregon IPAs, but it took only few sips of the Deschutes Chainbreaker White IPA to know my Bud and Miller days were over. 

Nate Query 

Bassist for the Decemberists
Hair of the Dog Ruth
By far, my favorite Portland beer is Hair of the Dog’s Ruth. From the brewery that helped start this whole craft brew insanity, this is an easy-drinking yet complex pale ale. You can dress it up, you can dress it down. 

Johanna Ware 

Chef and owner of Smallwares
Breakside Aztec
Normally, I am not a huge fan of “flavored” beers. I obviously am a huge fan of spice, though, and I think the Aztec has a perfect heat level to it for a beer. The fruity habanero and chocolate combination complement each other, yet still don’t overwhelm the beer like other flavored beers I have had. I feel like their philosophy on beer is similar to mine of food: There are no boundaries when it comes to ingredients—as long as the beer (or, in my case, food) is still approachable, balanced and quite drinkable.

Timber Jim 

Ex-Portland Timbers mascot
Vlad The Imp Aler
My loyalties reside with my dear friend Art Larrance of Cascade. In 2003, Timber Jim’s Logger Beer arrived at The Bullpen Tavern with a mini-me atop a very tall tap handle. Bottling was too expensive, so it was available in kegs only. In 2011, Art wanted to commemorate the launch of the Timbers MLS season, hence the one-of-a-kind bottling of Cascade’s Portland Ale. The Barrel House is home to “Vlad The Impaler.”