Klamath Basin Brewing Shows You Don’t Need a Hip, Urban Location to Make Blockbuster Beer

BY KEVIN GIFFORD

1320 Main St., Klamath Falls, 541-273-5222, kbbrewing.com. 11 am-9:30 pm Monday-Sunday.

In a town that aptly represents much of what Oregon is about outside of Portland—small, scrappy, obsessed with the outdoors—Klamath Basin Brewing shows that you don't need a hip, urban location to make consistently blockbuster beer. Located in the old Crater Lake Creamery building just outside of Klamath Falls' main drag, the brewpub feels immediately inviting upon stepping inside, with a spacious bar space, high ceilings and a large fireplace to sit next to while sipping a stout. The brewery is eco-conscious, using local geothermal resources to heat the building and the beer mash. The results are fantastic. The Backroad Vanilla Porter is dark, smooth and confectionary-like, and was an early statewide success. But head on down to the Creamery to see their rarer offerings, like the intense Defiance Double IPA or 51st State Pale Ale—a local fave in a region where Coors Light still reigns supreme.

Nearby: Mia & Pia's Pizzeria & Brewhouse (3545 Summers Lane, Klamath Falls, 541-884-4880) is the only other brewery in town, and a non-local might feel like they've stumbled into an Elks Club circa 1970, complete with a taxidermy cougar silently watching from above the bar. The beer's not as memorable, but go for the atmosphere.