Craft Beer is Always Near on the Oregon Coast

When it comes to craft beer, the mecca is unanimously decided to be Portland, Oregon. Portland is home to more craft breweries than you can shake a stick at and has been the birth place of some of North America’s top craft breweries. On a recent trip South from Vancouver BC, through Washington State and across the Columbia river into Oregon we did something rare for craft beer seekers – we didn’t go to Portland…

The purpose of this trip was not to dab each square on the craft-brewery bingo card, but rather to travel down the coast, experience the beaches, enjoy the sights and of course stop at a few breweries along the way.

On the coast there is not a brewery on every street corner like in Portland, but there are a lot of them. You may not end up at a brewery if it is not on your plan but with a little bit of foresight you are never far from a mash tun. While the number of breweries in Portland could be described as prolific, along the coast it can be more effectively described as excessively convenient.

Touring the coast there were gems hidden around every corner. Each amazing natural destination was seemingly a stone’s throw from an amazing craft brewery. Over the course of four nights we explored the beaches, hiked the local rainforest and drank amazing craft beer.

From the home of “The Goonies”, The Fort George Brewery in Astoria is well worth the stop. Down South comes the original, and primary, Rogue Brewery, two locations of the Pelican Brewery and as far south as Coos Bay comes the 7 Devils Brewery. The coast may not be the mecca for craft beer but as you comb the beaches of Oregon, under each rock comes another gem of a brewery find.

Rather than describe each brewery and scenic stop along the trip south from Astoria to Coos Bay here are photos to see for yourself.