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1. Away Days Brewing
1516 SE 10th Ave., 503-206-4735, awaydaysbrewing.com.
The owners of popular British-themed pub Toffee Club took over this space and the brewery within it upon the closing of Scout Beer in early 2019, bringing on ex-Alameda brewer Marshall Kunz to help make English-style ales. All beers lean toward a more classic malty balance than fruit-bombed modernity—there's even the occasional lager for good measure.
2. Ex Novo
2326 N Flint Ave., 503-894-8251, exnovobrew.com.
At this darling craft brewery, the tap list always intrigues, the flights come in fours, and 100 percent of profits are donated to charity. The tap list is divided into categories, like "Hop Forward" and "Light and Fresh." But even the flagship Eliot IPA, which falls into the former, is well balanced: crisp, dry and hardly a hop bomb at 65 IBUs.
3. Gigantic
5224 SE 26th Ave., 503-208-3416, giganticbrewing.com.
Gigantic feels like a scrappy upstart that still can't believe it made it big. Hidden in an industrial area just west of Reed College, the 8-year-old operation feels like a secret clubhouse The brewery has built its reputation on a beer that never changes, the crowd-pleasing flagship IPA, as well as its constantly rotating lineup of seasonals.
4. Sasquatch Brewing
2531 NW 30th Ave., 503-841-5687, sasquatchbrewery.com.
Sasquatch's flagship location in Hillsdale is typically home to the brewery's more experimental batches—though on any given day, the Portland taproom has a lineup that's both reliable and adventurous.
5. Wayfinder Beer
304 SE 2nd Ave., 503-718-2337, wayfinder.beer.
Head brewer Kevin Davey's German-style brews have snagged medals at the Great American Beer Festival two years in a row. If ever there were a beer that could transport you to the brauhauses of Munich, it would be Wayfinder Hell, a crisp and snappy lager with a gasp of citrus.