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Now is the perfect time to take advantage of our city's abundance of breweries and bike lanes. Bar hopping by bike not only helps you burn off the calorie-loaded beer and get some fresh air in between stops, you can also travel much farther than you would on foot. And now that bars must close earlier due to the pandemic, those early curfews are an excuse to indulge in a favorite Portland pastime: day drinking.
An ideal ride for bike-and-brew newbies and beer enthusiasts alike, this easy route includes trails and neighborhood greenways that take you past some of Southeast's most scenic recreation areas, including the Ladd Circle Park and Rose Gardens and Sellwood Park's sandy beach. You can begin at either Gigantic Brewing or Beer Store Milwaukie, but if you want to avoid climbing hills, the former is your best option.
One brewery along the ride—Ruse—is only open for pickup. Of course, biking under the influence and drinking in parks are both illegal. We've marked some parks along the route in case you need to stop for some, um, refreshments.
Gigantic Brewing
5224 SE 26th Ave., 503-208-3416, giganticbrewing.com. 3-9 pm Monday-Wednesday, 2-9 pm Thursday-Sunday.
A much-loved Reed neighborhood hangout, Gigantic recently reopened its sun-drenched patio with spaced-out picnic tables to allow for distancing.
Little Beast Brewing Beer Garden
3412 SE Division St., 503-208-2723, littlebeastbrewing.com. 1-7 pm Wednesday-Sunday.
After pedaling along the laid-back greenways of Southeast 28th Avenue and Clinton Street, turn just a block off 34th to find Little Beast, probably the only brewery in Portland that can be described as bucolic. The business's farmhouse-leaning repertoire has plenty of tart, funky and refreshing brews perfect for a summer day.
Baerlic Brewing
1020 SE Grant St., 503-447-9418, baerlicbrewing.com. 2-8 pm daily.
Located just down the Southeast Harrison Street hill on the west side of Ladd's Addition, Baerlic recently opened a "pandemic pop-up beer garden." The brewery set up picnic tables in its spacious back lot that's now far too idyllic to really just be a temporary patio. The tropical Go Team Go Hazy IPA is a satisfying summer favorite, and the recently re-released Rose City Park American Pale Ale is crisp and full of wheat flavor—you can now get both either in cans or on tap.
Ruse Brewing
4784 SE 17th Ave., 503-662-8325, rusebrewing.com. 3-6 pm Thursday-Friday, noon-5 pm Saturday-Sunday.
Even though the brewery is only open for pickup, Ruse has kept cranking out new cans of ultra-fresh, hoppy beers. It's just off the Southeast 17th Avenue bike lane and a short shot from the Springwater Trail.
Beer Store Milwaukie
10610 SE Main St., Milwaukie, 503-303-7940, beerstoremilwaukie.com. 11 am-10 pm daily.
The longest stretch of this ride is also the most scenic, and almost entirely car-free. The Springwater Corridor Trail glides by the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge and Sellwood Park, where you can stop to hang out on the beach. The wide shared-use sidewalk along Southeast 17th Avenue will take you to downtown Milwaukie. One of the city's best gathering spots, the Beer Store offers a draft list 15 taps deep, and you can choose from an extensive selection of cans and bottles to go. Milwaukie's lush waterfront park is just a few blocks away.
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