Somehow we've made it nearly to the end of September which means the holidays aren't far behind. Whether you're thinking it might be wise to rein in the beer spending a bit or thinking ahead to showing visitors that we not only have amazing beer here but you can get it for amazing prices, here's a round up of deals on pints and growlers.
Mondays
$2.50 pints at Fire on the Mountain (3 locations), Lompoc Tavern and Lompoc Oaks Bottom
$3 pints at Migration Brewing
$1 off pints at Culmination Brewing
$8 growler fills at McMenamins (all locations; beer chosen by each location)
$10 growler fills at Culmination Brewing
Tuesdays
$2 pints at Base Camp (on select beer until keg blows)
$2.50 pints at Lompoc 5th Q and Lompoc Hedge House
1/2 price pints at EastBurn
$3 pints at Alameda, The Hoppy Brewer and all Rogue Meeting Halls (tiki shirt required)
$10 growler fills at Fire on the Mountain (3 locations) and PDX U-Brew
1/2 price growler fills at Portland Brewing with regular menu item purchase
Wednesdays
$3 pints at Burnside Brewing and PDX U-Brew
$8 growler fills at Mad Greek Deli and Occidental Brewing
$10 growler fills at PDX U-Brew
Thursdays
$2 pints at Portland Brewing (after 6pm)
$2 pints at Laurelwood Brewing NE in Brewers Den (after 3pm, one beer until the keg blows)
$2.50 pints at Mad Greek Deli (after 6pm)
$3 pints at Carts on Foster Pod Bar
$9 growler fills at Pints Brewing
Fridays
2-4-1 growler fills at Portland Brewing
Saturdays
$6 growler fills at Alameda Brewing
Sundays
$2 pints at The Standard
$3 pints at Sparky's Pizza (SE Belmont)
$8 growler fills at Migration Brewing
Daily
$2.50 pints at Martha's inside Revolution Hall (4-6pm)
$3 pints at all Lardo locations (3-6pm)
$3 pints at Sizzle Pie (4-7pm)
$3 pints at My Father's Place (M-F 4-6pm, 10pm-12am)
$7 growler fills at Hot Lips Pizza (after 8pm)
$9 growler fills at 39th Mini Mart (SE 39th Ave; on selected beer of the week)
$9 growler fills at Carts on Foster Pod Bar ($12 for cider)
I'm sure there are a few similar deals on pints and growler fills around town that have gone undetected by my radar. If you know of any ($3 & under pints/$10 & under growler fills), leave a comment and I'll add them to the post. Your fellow drinkers thank you.
Last updates made 7/22/2016
Yesterday Growlers Hawthorne officially opened their doors for business. Bottle shops, taprooms and growler filling locations have been popping up even more quickly than new breweries are being opened, which is saying a lot. The model of GH is one that is new to me but one that the owners put much thought into.
One can have their growler filled at a multitude of locations and often also buy some bottles or cans to go, sit down for a pint, or even have a bite to eat. Owners Lucy Park and Jim Hillman opted for a streamlined model for their shop, located on foot traffic heavy SE Hawthorne at 33rd Avenue. They have 40 tap lines and while you are welcome to sample as many of the beers as you would like, in miniature 1-oz compostable cups, their license allows for to-go beer only. On top of that they wanted to focus just on filling growlers, or 32-oz growlettes, so you won't find any coolers stocked with bottles or cans.
This is an interesting model in my mind and one that I'll be keeping an eye on. Generally I like to enjoy a pint while getting a growler filled however the key to their success could be in this distinction. There are a multitude of businesses along Hawthorne where you CAN have a pint AND get a growler filled. If getting your growler filled is one item on a long to-do list you might prefer a quick in and out. In addition, minors and dogs are both welcome, as are bikes. So whether you're solo or have all three in tow, you can spend a few minutes sampling and deciding what to take home and then be on your way.
Speaking of deciding on what beer to take home, GH went with an electronic tap list from Digital Pour that displays an image (brewery logo or beer label), beer and brewery name, beer style, IBUs, price and shows the approximate level of the keg. If you've been to Bailey's Taproom downtown you'll be familiar with the Digital Pour display.
Having met Lucy and Jim on a couple of occasions I wish them all the best. They are nice folks who seem sincere in wanting to provide a variety of great beer (oh yes, also cider, mead, gluten-free and kombucha) for the to-go crowd.
A while back I did a post about happy hour deals. That's all well and good if you want to go out and drink but what if you would prefer a night in? Or maybe you're going to a friend's house and you need to take a tasty adult beverage. Then you're going to need something a bit more portable.
For your portable drinking needs that won't break the bank here's a list of growler fill deals for every day of the week.
Monday
$8 fills on select beers at McMenamins
Tuesday
$10 fills at PDX U-Brew
$10 fills at Fire on the Mountain
Wednesday
$8 fills at Occidental Brewing
Thursday
$2 off fills at Base Camp Brewing
Friday
2-for-1 fills at Portland Brewing
Saturday
$5 fills at Alameda Brewing
2-for-1 fills at Pints Brewing
Sunday
$8 fills at Migration Brewing
I imagine there are others that I've missed so if you know of any, please share your knowledge by putting them in the comments section.
I've driven by 39th Mini Mart, located just south of Belmont on SE 39th (aka SE Cesar E Chavez Blvd), countless times and I've heard from numerous people that they have a pretty good beer selection. Yet yesterday was the first time I'd taken time to go in and see things for myself.
From the outside a quick look gives you the impression that it's like most other convenience stores. A slightly closer look at their signs, however, and one begins to wonder if they really do have the goods. Those signs speak the truth - there's plenty of specialty beer to be found within, including growlers just waiting to be filled from one of their 12 taps.
Their beer selection, all stored in coolers no less, isn't the biggest in town, but it's good sized. Focused on Oregon and U.S. beers primarily, there is one cooler section of imports and another dedicated to ciders. There's something for just about everyone here, including a couple from Hair of the Dog, newer-to-our-market brews from Ballast Point and yes, there are even a couple of coolers in addition to the ones pictured where you can pick up macros.
The growler fill station on the end is comprised of primarily Oregon beers, with Washington's Georgetown Brewing, California's Ballast Point and Massachusetts' Angry Orchard Cidery rounding out the nice selection. The pricing is simple - $9.99 for any growler fill or $5.99 for any grumbler/growlette fill. Sure, there are a few places around town where on certain days you can beat those prices but their tap list is solid and these prices are good all day, every day. Oh, and if you have misplaced your growler or grumbler/growlette, those are for sale as well.
I spoke with the gentleman working, the owner I believe, and he said that soon they'd also be serving up pizzas and fresh subs, making them a one-stop shop for kicking back at home or heading to a friend's house. In addition, he's open to customer suggestions to improve the selection so while 39th Mini Mart might be quietly going about their business, they're quite serious about doing it well. So the next time you drive by, or the next time you are in need of a growler fill, check 'em out.
