Golden Valley is a Shiny Suburban Brewpub That Serves Solid Traditional Pints

This place is possibly best thought of as a shinier McMenamins, without all that stuffy history.

(Golden Valley Brewing)
By Pete Dunlop

1520 NW Bethany Blvd. Beaverton, 503-972-1599, GoldenValleyBrewery.com. 11 am-9 pm Sunday, 11 am-10 pm, Monday through Thursday: 11 am-11 pm Friday and Saturday.

How many times have you driven by Golden Valley's Beaverton pub and thought about stopping in? For me, many times. This place is possibly best thought of as a shinier McMenamins, without all that stuffy history. The pub occupies several floors and is larger than it appears from the outside, with an extensive outdoor seating area. Golden Valley, which has been brewing at its McMinnville headquarters since 1993, launched the Beaverton pub in 2012 to tap the suburban market. Beers like Red Thistle ESB, which traditionalists will enjoy for its lovely balance of hops and malts, have been around since the beginning, and remain solid. Brewmaster Jesse Shue has an extensive résumé that includes stints at Pelican and Hair of the Dog. The seasonals were well-made on our visit, if not over-the-top exciting. Golden Valley essentially proves you can create a decent craft beer pub experience in the suburbs.

Nearby: There's a huge and very well-run beer bar just one exit west on US 26. That's ABV Public House (23588 NW Clara Lane, Hillsboro, 503-372-9117, abvpub.com), which is next to an indoor shooting range. It's a big, woody room with two long walls of coolers and a kitchen that makes respectable pub food.

Willamette Week’s reporting has concrete impacts that change laws, force action from civic leaders, and drive compromised politicians from public office. Support WW's journalism today.