What’s the best beer brewed in Oregon? The Oregonian/OregonLive readers narrowed it down to these five choices in our Readers Choice Awards.
The Oregonian/OregonLive’s Readers Choice Awards give our readers a chance to tell us – and you – which local things they enjoy most. We’ve heard from our readers on topics ranging from best food carts to best coffeehouses to Oregon’s most recognizable landmarks. This week we’re accepting nomination for the best bookstore in the Portland area.
This top five list of best Oregon-brewed beers heavily favored IPAs – but the No. 1 choice was not one.
No. 5: Block 15 Sticky Hands IPA
Once dubbed one of Oregon’s 10 most influential IPAs, this beer from Corvallis’ Block 15 Brewing took fifth in a very close race between Nos. 3-5 in this ranking.
Writes one reader, “the depth of flavor in Sticky Hands is incomparable to the others.”
No. 4: Boneyard Beer’s RPM IPA
The back room at Boneyard’s new Bend brewpub has a biker bar vibe. Our guide to the breweries of central Oregon, including Bend, Redmond, Sisters and Sunriver Michael Russell | The OregonianMichael Russell | The Oregonian
Not much to add to Boneyard Beer’s own description of the RPM IPA. “There’s no mystery why RPM IPA has inspired a following, a culture, and a sizable number of tattoos,” the Bend brewery writes. “Born from our chop-shop roots, our flagship IPA can taste too good, too clean, too damn balanced to be true.”
No. 3: Rogue Pacific Northwest IPA
A handful of reader comments critiqued Rogue’s IPA as being dated, but, given the number of votes it received, maybe that just means it’s a classic. Plenty of people seem to appreciate the Newport brewery’s throwback to the late ’90s heyday of Portland’s beer scene.
No. 2: Commensal Fermentation Pagarus European Lager
Commensal received the most comments in our poll, even if it fell just short of getting the most votes. The Pagarus European Lager was the first beer produced by this North Portland brewery, which opened in January 2024, but the rest of the lineup has some very vocal fans as well.
No. 1: pFriem Pilsner
Tour the new pFriem Family Brewers tasting room in downtown Milwaukie, located inside the historic city hall building.Sean Meagher/The Oregonian
Hard to beat an easy-drinking, relatively inexpensive pilsner for broad appeal, even in a land of complex IPAs. The Pilsner from Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewers also earned gold at the 2024 World Beer Cup, one of the most prestigious beer competitions in the world.
— Julie Evensen covers trending topics and popular culture. She can be reached at jevensen@oregonian.com or @juliecevensen.bsky.social on Bluesky and @julieevensen on Threads.
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