Confession: Breakside's Taproom and Brewery in Milwaukie has been open for seven months and it was only in the last week that I finally visited for the first time.
The taproom boasts an impressive 20 taps which includes beers from their year round line up but also include quite a few that you won't find elsewhere. In addition, Breakside has made it a point that the beertender will be one of their brewers. I don't expect all my beertenders to be brewers, just knowledgeable about the product they're pouring but it is a classy touch to make this a policy.
With a tap list of that size some might have a hard time choosing what to order first but I knew before I even got there what my first glass would be. It was none other than their recently released Passionfruit Berliner Weiss, a style which if you've read a few of my posts you know is a current favorite. Excluding the dirty dishwater color of the beer (not uncommon in beers containing fruit), the aroma was full-on fruit and the flavor...oh, wonderful tartness...the kind that made my salivary glands pucker up and beg for more.
I resisted the urge to order a second glass of Passionfruit but kept the sour theme going as I moved on to the Imperial Sour Apricot, a wheat based strong ale with a lactic-soured base. Here the color was brighter but the tradeoff was an aroma that wasn't as appealing. The flavor was not as sour yet it had a light decadence that reminded me of fruit-topped creme brulee.
My third and final beer was the New World Bruin. I was happy from the first whiff all the way to the last sip of this sour brown. I found it strongly reminiscent of Duchesse, albeit a less sweet version with a slight cheese funk on the back. Perhaps that doesn't sound like the most glowing description to you but for me it was delightful.
I would have loved to have lingered longer, enjoying more beer, but plans to meet a friend elsewhere were calling. Bidding adieu to beertender and brewer Tom, I left, looking forward to visiting again soon.
Breakside Taproom & Brewery
5821 SE International Way, Milwaukie
M - F 3:00 - 7:30 pm & Sat 2:00 - 8:00 pm (closed Sunday)
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