Our recent situation change has given us the freedom to do day trips with much more ease than we've been accustomed to. And after living in Portland for nearly five years we realized that we haven't gotten "out" very much, a realization that came with some regret that there are probably plenty of great places and things we haven't seen. So a couple weekends ago we set our sights on Silver Falls State Park as our first "empty nest" day/half-day trip.
Before we hit the road we picked up supplies for a simple picnic lunch, then off we went, on the approximately 75 minute drive from our inner SE Portland abode. We opted to take 205 to 213/214 (I-5 is another option) to Sublimity, OR, just a bit south and east of Silverton. The park was surprisingly busy for the last weekend in March and the weather a bit cool but we found a picnic table in the sun and ate while we figured out which path to set out on.
Neither of us being hikers and not in the mood for anything with much difficulty we chose a route that took us past a few falls along a two mile or so course. The number of people, especially the couple with a stroller and mom with a bum arm, was more challenging to deal with that the terrain, although there were a few steep areas but it was a relatively easy walk that went behind the two falls. Pretty cool.
Back at the car, with the nature/park/hiking itch scratched we started to feel the beer itch. Being a stone's throw (ok, probably only if you were a giant) from Silverton we decided to pop into the taproom at Seven Brides Brewing. This is a place we'd visited the last couple of years on our way to the Oregon Garden Brewfest and found the same friendly woman behind the bar. As we enjoyed our pints we plotted the rest of the day and decided to make our way back towards Portland with a stop in Oregon City.
You may have heard some beer news out of Oregon City lately, that Coin Toss Brewing is opening up there, but our destination was Oregon City Brewing Co. I'm not sure what I expected but I know I didn't expect a good-sized, dedicated parking lot, nice patio set up and 40+ tap lines. That day the list included six of their own beers, a great selection of other craft beers plus three ciders and four wines. If you aren't able to find something to drink from their menu then you should probably just go to the grocery store and pick up a sixer of some crap macro.
The inside and outside were about as busy as one would suspect for a sunny Sunday mid-afternoon with a record player behind the bar sending out some old school tunes. The staff was inviting and friendly, pouring mostly pints but filling growlers as well. Perhaps the best overheard conversation was a patron with two growlers that asked the beertender how many growlers he could have filled at one time. The beertender's answer: How much money do you have?
All of the house beers we had were solid and without going into detail, suffice it to say that it's worth the drive to Oregon City to visit OCB. If you're looking to make more of a day of it or want some "nature time" as well, include Silver Falls State Park in your day trip plans with a stop at Seven Brides.
Last week was my first trip to the Oregon Garden Brewfest and to Silverton. The main focus of the overnight trip was to attend the Oregon Garden Brewfest, held on the Oregon Garden grounds. We left Portland early and had time to spare before attending the Brewer's Tasting Dinner (which was delicious!) so we stopped in at Seven Brides Brewing. They are conveniently located on the main road, Highway 214, coming from Portland and had about 12 beers on tap, many more than make it into Portland.
First off you should know that the vibrant green beer on the left is their pilsner that food coloring was added to in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Not being a pilsner fan in general it didn't do much for me and I have to admit the brightness of the green was a bit distracting. What was easily my favorite was their Abbey's Belgian Sour, which was not sour to the extent of something Cascade might pour but a great gateway sour more along the lines of Duchesse. Also pleasing was the Weezin-ator, a Doppelbock, Becky's Black Cat, a very roasty porter, and Erin's Irish Red Ale that was offered a roasty aroma and went gentle on maltiness that I find overpowering in many red ales. After splitting a sampler tray and having a pint it was time to depart but not without a mental note to make plans to visit again.
Arriving at the Oregon Garden Resort we checked into our room, a roomy set up with a semi-private patio and a gas fireplace that was the main heat source. The Brewer's Tasting Dinner that evening was well worth coming down early for (In case you missed the last post you can read all about it here.) but after how busy the week had been we called it an early night, forgoing an over indulgence that would have been so easy with a room within stumbling distance available.
Friday morning dawned sunny and beautiful, warm enough to eat breakfast outside overlooking the upper part of the gardens. With the festival not beginning until noon we had plenty of time to explore the gardens, which we did so completely. It's a beautiful set up overall and for those who don't have time to do a full tour the map easily identify the separate gardens so one can pick and choose.
The walking was good but somewhat thirst inducing so by the time noon rolled around we were ready for the festival to begin. Split between a permanent structure and a tent there was plenty of room to move around and for the first two hours of the festival there were plenty of brewers on hand. Like usual they were happy to talk about their beer and answer any questions. This was one of the highlights of the festival since it's a festival feature that is far more uncommon in Oregon than in the Midwest where you'd be hard pressed to visit any booth at a festival and NOT find a brewer or someone intimately involved with the production of the brewery's beer.
I enjoyed plenty of good beer but the brewery that stands out most in my mind is Standing Stone out of Ashland. Each brewery offered two beers and both of theirs were hits with my taste buds. Their I Love Oregon Ale was deliciously stanky with plenty of grapefruit flavor while their Noble Stout was one of the best coffee stouts I've had, reminding me strongly of Furthermore's Oscura, a Midwest beer I dearly miss.
We could only spend part of the afternoon at the festival as duties back home were calling so after grabbing lunch it was time to hit the road back to Portland. Traffic ended up being much heavier than I expected but other than it taking longer to get back than I would have liked the entire trip was a good one. And beer fest or not, I hope to visit Silverton again before long. You should check it out, too.
