Pubs of Portland Tours by Marc Martin are a unique way to visit Portland breweries, but the real highlight of Marc’s tours is his insight into the brewing process and the history of Portland. Even professional beer geeks can learn something.
Marc uses the MAX and the Portland Streetcar to transport groups from Downtown to Nob Hill and back. I recently joined him on a tour. I’ll admit, I did start with a bad attitude, thinking, “I am not going to learn anything new,” and, “I have been to every place that he will take us.” That quickly changed at our very first stop. Prior to walking into the first brewpub, Rock Bottom, Marc talked about the history of the building and the block that houses the Rock Bottom Brewery. He explained the history of how Burnside St. got its name. Marc also talked about the history of the area between Chinatown and Downtown. I don’t frequent Rock Bottom Brewery, but it was an enjoyable experience as Marc gave everyone different hop cones and explained the purpose of hops and helped people identify the aromas from two different plants. Most of the people at the table were amazed at seeing raw ingredients. I was excited to put the leaves in my beer to enhance its flavor. Hey, if you are going to provide it, then I am going to use it.
The next stop was Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby. While we waited for the streetcar, Marc pointed out historical buildings and important structures, including the Oatis Elevator building and the Deschutes Brewery grain silo. While on the streetcar, Marc was very attentive to his guests, reassuring them on how many stops they had to go. The Lucky Lab has taster trays made of wood with hollows for six four-ounce glasses. Bartenders identify each beer with masking tape and markers. To make the labeling process quicker, Marc labeled the trays himself and then handed them to the bartender. Marc knew every beer on tap extremely well and was able to recommend what beers should go on each tray for each drinker based on their preferences.
After Lucky Lab we traveled to Deschutes Brewery where there was a table already prepared for us. I am usually only a patron of this establishment when there is a special bottle release, so it was interesting to see what was pouring on an average Saturday. Marc carries Deschutes Brewery taster tray order papers with him. We were able to fill out our sheets prior to our server arriving at the table. Marc’s preparedness was impressive. The Hop Henge was pouring great that day, and every member of the group ordered a pretzel with cheese. Marc continued a lesson about malt that he had started at Lucky Lab. He talked about light to dark coloring while displaying examples, then talked about the percentages of each used in different styles of beer. The tour participants were excited to learn about ingredient mixing.
After Deschutes Brewery, Marc gave the group a choice between Rogue Brewery and Ringlers Annex, which is a McMenamins Brewery pub. Since most of the group was from out of town and had been exposed to Rogue’s beers through its widespread distribution, they wanted to go to the McMenamins satellite location. As a person who rarely visits any McMenamins I was hesitant, but I opted for the seasonal Irish Stout instead of a taster tray and was surprisingly impressed. It was light in body and brewed to style guidelines and had a not at all unpleasant flavor.
At this point, I assumed that the tour was winding down, since it had been several hours since we’d started. However, Marc wanted to make sure that everyone experienced a taproom, a place where people could try several Oregon beers at one location. We walked from Ringlers to Bailey’s Taproom. By this time, Marc knew everyone’s palate preference, and every participant had tried a beer from a brewery that they had never had before. Marc gave the history of Bailey’s while some people asked where they could get a maple bacon donut and others got out their Portland walking maps and asked where all of our stops were so they could circle the spots.
That was when people told me how they got on the tour. A few people were given the tour as birthday and Christmas gifts, while some simply had heard of it via word of mouth. Marc’s knowledge of beer, the brewing process, Oregon beer history, and Portland Architecture make his tour an experience that people will remember. These tours are a wonderful thing to do in Portland. They are fun, affordable, and educational. Since Portland is a premiere beer destination for full vacations, weekend excursions and even day trips, Portland Beer and Music supports Pubs of Portland Tours as an ideal option for an organized tour on which group members do very little work but get beer, history and exercise in return.
Marc uses the MAX and the Portland Streetcar to transport groups from Downtown to Nob Hill and back. I recently joined him on a tour. I’ll admit, I did start with a bad attitude, thinking, “I am not going to learn anything new,” and, “I have been to every place that he will take us.” That quickly changed at our very first stop. Prior to walking into the first brewpub, Rock Bottom, Marc talked about the history of the building and the block that houses the Rock Bottom Brewery. He explained the history of how Burnside St. got its name. Marc also talked about the history of the area between Chinatown and Downtown. I don’t frequent Rock Bottom Brewery, but it was an enjoyable experience as Marc gave everyone different hop cones and explained the purpose of hops and helped people identify the aromas from two different plants. Most of the people at the table were amazed at seeing raw ingredients. I was excited to put the leaves in my beer to enhance its flavor. Hey, if you are going to provide it, then I am going to use it.
The next stop was Lucky Lab Beer Hall on NW Quimby. While we waited for the streetcar, Marc pointed out historical buildings and important structures, including the Oatis Elevator building and the Deschutes Brewery grain silo. While on the streetcar, Marc was very attentive to his guests, reassuring them on how many stops they had to go. The Lucky Lab has taster trays made of wood with hollows for six four-ounce glasses. Bartenders identify each beer with masking tape and markers. To make the labeling process quicker, Marc labeled the trays himself and then handed them to the bartender. Marc knew every beer on tap extremely well and was able to recommend what beers should go on each tray for each drinker based on their preferences.
After Lucky Lab we traveled to Deschutes Brewery where there was a table already prepared for us. I am usually only a patron of this establishment when there is a special bottle release, so it was interesting to see what was pouring on an average Saturday. Marc carries Deschutes Brewery taster tray order papers with him. We were able to fill out our sheets prior to our server arriving at the table. Marc’s preparedness was impressive. The Hop Henge was pouring great that day, and every member of the group ordered a pretzel with cheese. Marc continued a lesson about malt that he had started at Lucky Lab. He talked about light to dark coloring while displaying examples, then talked about the percentages of each used in different styles of beer. The tour participants were excited to learn about ingredient mixing.
At this point, I assumed that the tour was winding down, since it had been several hours since we’d started. However, Marc wanted to make sure that everyone experienced a taproom, a place where people could try several Oregon beers at one location. We walked from Ringlers to Bailey’s Taproom. By this time, Marc knew everyone’s palate preference, and every participant had tried a beer from a brewery that they had never had before. Marc gave the history of Bailey’s while some people asked where they could get a maple bacon donut and others got out their Portland walking maps and asked where all of our stops were so they could circle the spots.
That was when people told me how they got on the tour. A few people were given the tour as birthday and Christmas gifts, while some simply had heard of it via word of mouth. Marc’s knowledge of beer, the brewing process, Oregon beer history, and Portland Architecture make his tour an experience that people will remember. These tours are a wonderful thing to do in Portland. They are fun, affordable, and educational. Since Portland is a premiere beer destination for full vacations, weekend excursions and even day trips, Portland Beer and Music supports Pubs of Portland Tours as an ideal option for an organized tour on which group members do very little work but get beer, history and exercise in return.
