Belmont Station / The Biercafé

sqquuee

Utah

4.05/5  rDev -9.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | $$

I was in portland on vacation this week and had been told by serverale websites that i should check it out. This was my first stop in portland.

The amount of beers was fairly overwhelming for such a small shop. They had beer to the ceiling. All styles and in many diffrent sizes. Many bottles in cold cases as well.

The service seemed to be a mixed bag. I asked if i could grab a box to start filling up and the guys sort of laugh at me and said we have baskets. The 400-500 dollers i was planning on spending on beer would not have fit in 1 hand basket.

But to save time i figured i would just not spend the money, as it seemed he was too busy stocking beer to be helpful.

The second guy working took the time out to offer sugestions and his favorites.

I ended up flling my basket full with my 1 case of beer and spent about a 100 bucks.

It is worth noting they had a cash discount.

We later sat at the cafe and the service seemed to be much better.

All in all a great little place minus the one service snafu.

10-09-2011 19:37:03 | More by sqquuee

matylight

Oregon

3.86/5  rDev -13.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $$

It seems that one of the commandments for the Portland beer lover is to stop into this place. While I can certainly recommend it and it's definitely worth seeking out, it doesn't quite live up to the hype for me.

I didn't have time to sit down at the bar for a beer from one of their several taps but the store is impressive indeed. The place is nothing fancy, several coolers and shelves housing the claimed 1000+ bottles. Certainly the selection is impressive and the prices are relatively fair for the Portland area. The only knock I can issue to the place is that the service was a bit lacking. We walked in without so much as a nod from the lady behind the counter and not once did she stop to ask us if we needed any help. Oh well. Still walked away with some cool stuff.

As my wife and I live in Corvallis (about 90 minutes away) it makes more sense for us to go to John's Market which holds nearly as many bottles and slightly better service. Once again, though, Belmont Station is certainly worth a stop and maybe one day I'll get a chance to sit down at the bar.

09-16-2011 00:44:10 | More by matylight

koopa

New Jersey

4.13/5  rDev -7.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5 | $$

One of my favorite spots I visited in Portland this weekend. The outdoor area has a handful of wrought iron tables and chairs along the front side of the building.

The bar itself is way cozy and was perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Chill music (jazz, folk, jamband tunes, classic rock) playing on the radio, great beer paraphernalia on the walls including a nicely racked tap handle collection, 16 tap beers flowing all with several pour size options (tasters, 25cl, pint, 1 liter), some food options although they felt limited, and a decent staff. You can drink bottles purchased from the bottle shop in the bar which is nice but they ask for a $1.50 corkage fee which isn't so nice.

Inside the bottle shop had a very nice selection of local and import bottles. Kind of lame that they charge about 10% more for each bottle purchased on a credit card vs. cash, especially considering the cash price wasn't even the best to begin with. It was cool that they had several racks of assorted brewery pint glasses for sale.

09-06-2011 05:23:53 | More by koopa

cbarrett4

Oregon

4.04/5  rDev -9.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | $$

Probably the third best bottle shop in PDX, but an impressive selection of a wide range of beer. They also have 16 or 17 rotating taps (I think 16 taps and one cask actually) which offer some pretty amazing beer. I once had RR Temptation, Supplication, and Consecration side by side by side =)

The glassware selection is the best in town by far. If you are looking for proper stemware then this is where you go. (Props for the massive Karmeleit man-chalice!)

The selection pales compared to John's Market, but the fact that they have the taps definitely puts them on a different level.

08-28-2011 21:56:57 | More by cbarrett4

nomomentwasted

Oregon

4.5/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I've been coming to Belmont Station for years, both visiting when I came back to Portland when I was living in San Diego, and still do now that I live here. It's not the closest beer shop to where I live, but it is one that combines great selection, knowledgeable and helpful staff, and reasonable prices.

As many other reviews have stated, the cafe is adjacent, and you can drink a beer while browsing for your beers. Have to love that. The taps at the biefcafe are usually somewhere between solid and stellar, often blending many styles and various pour sizes.

About half of the beers are in cool cases, and are grouped both regionally (for the international beers) and by style (in the domestics). Belmont Station also almost always gets the rarest of the rare beers being distributed to Portland, and will gladly check their distribution network for you, should you request a specific beer.

The staff will take requests, and look in the back for you should you ask if they were to have another case of a beer in the back. They also do cheaper pricing for paying by cash, which is both awesome (when you have cash) and occasionally frustrating (when you don't), but accept both cards and cash.

Overall, any trip to Portland would be incomplete without a stop at Belmont Station. Considering its proximity to the Horse Brass, there really is no excuse for not swinging by for a few pints if you're in Portland, regardless of whether you live 10 blocks, 10 miles, or 1000.

08-26-2011 15:42:12 | More by nomomentwasted

ROBPIII

Texas

4.72/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

This was the place I went when I was bored during my stay in Portland. ALWAYS killer beers on tap here, without a doubt a beer lover will find something they can enjoy. You can also buy a beer and have a barkeep crack it open for you to enjoy there. It can get pretty busy during events, I stopped by to pick up some Firestone Walker brews and it was a madhouse, also was during OBF so that made it that much more insane I'm sure. The selection is the best I've seen in my few years beer appreciation.

08-18-2011 21:22:28 | More by ROBPIII

Cyberkedi

Georgia

5/5  rDev +11.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I have been to Portland only once, but from what I have heard this is THE place to buy beer in Portland. It sure seems that way - I went completely bugflip and spent more than $140 stocking up on brewskis to bring back to Atlanta, including extras to trade or share. Their beer selection is first-rate, and their service is outstanding. The fellows there were very happy to point me towards the best beers from Oregon, and help me load up my little ol' Ford Focus with enough beer to get Godzilla making Virginia fence. This is a must whether you live in Portland, or pay a visit there!

08-11-2011 22:16:53 | More by Cyberkedi

Clembo1957

United Kingdom (England)

4.44/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

I visited Belmont Station & The Bier Cafe during the Puckerfest in July 2011 when the Biercafe was apparently extremely busy, however to avoid the crowds we paid a visit during lunchtime when only a few customers were in the bar. Looking around the adjoining Belmont Station store we were overwhelmed by the selection and variety of beers on offer, if i lived in the Portland area Belmont station would be my number one stop off for Bottled beers. The girlfriend was so impressed by the selection she took a photo with her phone.

After a brose around the store we moved into the Biercafe which as mentioned was fairly quiet before the Puckerfest was due to begin. An interesting selection of beers on tap including many sourbeers for the Puckerfest. Staff were welcoming and knew what they were doing.

Belmont Station is certainly worth a visit for the bottled selection and while there it's definitely worth a drink in the Biercafe as well.

08-03-2011 21:44:49 | More by Clembo1957

DaftCaskBC

British Columbia (Canada)

4.6/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $

Atmosphere: Picture a small coffee shop loaded with wall hangings of different worldwide breweries, half a wall filled with old tap handle trophies of very notable beers, and tons of different bottles and cans of beer.

Quality: Beer quality here was top notch.

Service: Good, but the format is more of a serve yourself cafe.

Selection: Unbelievable. One can ask for one of more than 1000 beers on the store side, and have it opened up to drink on the cafe side.

Food: Didn't try the food

Value: Inexpensive considering the selection and quality of beers in the store and on tap at the establishment.

07-19-2011 08:16:16 | More by DaftCaskBC

hoserking

California

4.39/5  rDev -1.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Belmont is great. I ended up here twice while in Portland.
The selection of bottled beers is fantastic, leaving you wanting nothing and with too many options... (in a good way).

The second go around I came simply for a pint. The selection was decent, two HUB beers and a few other locals, along with two Stone beers. I ended up having Great Divide's Rumble which was fantastic. I am not sure what i was expecting in terms of selection, but it felt a little sparse. I think that had a lot to do with them not really having all that many taps. 15 for a place like this, isn't really worth complaining about; i think my issue was, having just been at HUB for dinner, I didn't really want more hub beers, and having two or three take up taps felt a little disappointing, but nothing really to complain about.

Definitely recommended.

07-18-2011 04:57:28 | More by hoserking