Oregon is pretty close to my own personal idea of perfection. It has a little bit of everything, from vibrant, engaging cities, to sweeping, picturesque coastlines, and mountain high deserts. While the landscape is fascinating, the people and the culture might surpass it. Tucked into the northwestern corner of this Pacific Northwest gem of a state is a city with an outsized beer reputation. Today we’re exploring Portland, Oregon. Known for its outdoor friendly lifestyle, craft breweries, coffee scene, and the looming presence of nearby Mount Hood, Portland is vibrant, lively, and full of character and characters. 

And in this episode, we explore not only the great local beer scene but the cast of characters who have put Portland firmly in the center of any discussion about the world’s greatest beer cities. And to do so, we’re joined today by perhaps the two best sources for the local beer scene.

Jeff Alworth is a long-time beer writer, author of several books, including The Beer Bible, and the co-host of the Beervana Podcast. He has taught courses about beer and the business of beer and has freelanced for a bunch of publications. He is also one of the last beer bloggers standing. Jeff frequently posts his thoughts on beer, culture, and business at his award-winning blog, Beervana. He is a passionate advocate for all things Portland beer and we’re lucky to have him this week to help guide us. 

Our second guest is Ezra Johnson-Greenough, who is the founder of The New School, which is a great webmagazine covering beer and cider in Oregon and Washington. New School is the kind of resource that every beer loving region would be lucky to have and as Jeff says, Ezra is the most plugged in source to the beer happenings in Portland you’ll find. A native Portlander, Ezra covers beer industry news, style trends, and does interviews and offers commentary, along with organizing festivals and events. 

Stay tuned at the end of the episode to hear my favorite local place to have a beer and the place is a true character itself. No one episode could hope to capture all that Portland has to offer but that’s not our purpose on this show. We’re here to talk about the best of Portland’s beer scene. So let’s get our Portland visit started with special guests Jeff Alworth and Ezra Johnson-Greenough.

This Episode is Sponsored by:

Pub Culture Beercations

Stop living vicariously through other people's social media posts and get out and make some memories of your own! Join Pub Culture Beercations for one of our upcoming tours and start exploring the world one pint at a time with us. Visit PubCultureBeercations.com for more information.

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• Host: Andy Crouch
• Guests: Jeff Alworth, Ezra Johnson-Greenough
• Sponsor: Pub Culture Beercations
• Tags: Portland, Oregon Beer, Beervana, Oregon beer