Blow Off Steam Before a Hollywood Theatre Flick at Columbia River Brewing

1728 NE 40th Ave., 503-943-6157, columbiariverbrewpub.com. 11 am-10 pm Sunday-Thursday, 11 am-11 pm Friday-Saturday.

Not every brewery in Portland has to be a massive geek mecca or tourist attraction. Since opening in 2010, Columbia River has quietly chugged along as the Hollywood District's friendly neighborhood brewery. That's odd, because this pub felt like a place that'd been open since the mid-'90s. Maybe it has something to do with its spacious dining room, from which you can see the brewery's kettles through a glass wall. Maybe it has something to do with the patrons, who mostly sit at the bar and chat with the bartender while sipping pints of Stumbler's Stout, a round, deep oatmeal stout for which the brewery took home a silver medal at the World Beer Cup in 2012. Columbia River seems content being a place where regulars can blow off steam at the end of the day or grab a pint before walking to the Hollywood Theatre for a flick. What's the rush?

Drink this: The Stumbler's Stout is a good choice, but for those looking for something lighter, the house pale ale is light, smoothly hoppy and drinkable.