Belmont Station / The Biercafé

DarthKostrizer

California

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

On a recent trip up to Oregon in which my Wife, brother and I traveled to few different Breweries and beer stores this place was a must stop. There slogan is 1201 different beers and I must say they did not disappoint. The store was clean and the beers were set according to style which made shopping really easy. The gentle man that worked there was very helpful and knowledgeable as my brother and I talked to him for a good 30 minutes before even going on our shopping spree. As for value I dont remember now how many beers I purchased but it was around 24 to 28 and I walked out only spending $100. As for the biercafe it was a darkly lit atmosphere and at the time they had ten beers on tap all pretty hard to come by and even one from a brewery that had just closed down. Overall if I lived in Portland I would probably be at this place every single night with a different beer in hand. This place is a must if you are in Portland or just love beer. A++

06-13-2011 20:35:36 | More by DarthKostrizer

bentreen

British Columbia (Canada)

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

I didn't get a chance to visit Belmont station, but thanks to the BA directory, I was able to tell my parents where to find good beer in Portland to bring home to Vancouver, BC. (such a good kid, huh?). They have about 1200 beers at any given time and, according to my Dad, they have everything grouped by region with a big Oregon section (understandably). My Dad picked up Supplication, Sanctification, and Damnation from Russian River, as well as Sublimely Self-Righteous from Stone Brewing for me. I'm not sure how big of a deal this is to folks in the U.S. but it's a big deal to me as I can't get any of these beers in BC. Pretty stoked to try these....

05-02-2011 07:25:17 | More by bentreen

timtim

District of Columbia

4.88/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

what a gem of a beer store!!! stopped by on the way from hood river to newport, and wow, i am glad i did. the best of the best are on the shelves here, with very little i wasn't interested in. stellar selection. very good local presence. picked up a ton of Upright and Russian River as well as some Fantome and Boon products. a beer geek's dream store. staff was very knowledgeable and extremely helpful and truthful. a little bar with about ten taps featuring mostly local beer attached to the store that you can order from while shopping and talking to the staff. didn't try the food, but it looked like the cheese and cured meats were proper (and i'm sure they were considering the quality of everything else there). kind of a local corner store/deli vibe. very unassuming/humble for what it was and everything was priced fairly. my required stop from now on in Portland!!!

04-02-2011 13:06:41 | More by timtim

Dunkelhund

Oregon

4.63/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$

What I love about Belmont Station is the convenience of selection and the sortable updated listings on their website. I love being able to quickly pull up a list of their inventory to know if a beer I'm looking for may be there. I just recently purchased some great beers from Flying Dog (Gonzo Imp. Porter, Raging Bitch Belgian IPA), Southern Tier (Creme Brulee Stout), and Heather Ale (Kelpie Seaweed Ale).

I have found something new and delicious on tap each time I've visited the biercafe and having so many options to choose from right in the next room is wonderful. I anticipate each visit with swelling eagerness not unlike, well, the eagerness with which I anticipate other highly enjoyable activities.

I've eaten each time I've been in the biercafe and I wouldn't say my selections matched the quality of what can be obtained elsewhere, but the tasties are good with what goes in the glass. I don't go out of my way for snacks, though, unless it's to Voodoo Doughnut... I go out of my way for an awesome beer selection. Belmont has got it. I like the people there and the feeling of being in a place that speaks to one of my favorite interests.

I've got great places near me to go for good beer drinking and/or grabbing something to go... but this place gives me 1000+ reasons to keep coming back. And while the pricing is slightly higher than some (bring cash or don't fret it, just buy it anyway) You won't get this kind of availability anywhere else I can think of.

Absolutely recommended, but I'm only stating the obvious here.

03-09-2011 00:50:26 | More by Dunkelhund

cbros

North Carolina

4.66/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

Taken from notes, visited on 11/26. I was lucky enough to have madhombrewer be my guide this last Portland visit and this was the first place he took me. All I can say is WOW, I am totally and completely jealous at every Portland beer geek because they have this place to visit and buy beer. There is nothing that I can add that hasn't already been said but I can continue to talk about how amazing this place was. Everything from the selection of great beers to the nice and knowledgable people who were working that night. Ben took me into the bootle shop first to peruse the vast selection of great beers. I was very impressed with not only the Oregon selection but the stuff that was available both domestically and internationally. It was so vast that I had to walk through three times before I felt comfortable that I saw everything. Then we headed through the door to the bar room. The tap selection was broard (both with breweries and beer styles). We made our beer selection and took a seat; the place was quite and understated. I was able to have a normal speaking level conversation with my friends. We didn't stay too long because there were other places to visit but I am definately making this place a must go everytime I go back to Portland.

11-30-2010 23:50:11 | More by cbros

MagyarPuska

Ohio

4.41/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

I went here to get my fix of Russian River, Cascade sours, and a few other beers. Pliny the Elder was the big fish that I wanted to reel in, but it seemed that I was late by about a week and a half. The lady behind the counter explained to me where a little place off the beaten track was that didn't always sell out of it quickly. She informed us to keep the place hush-hush because she only likes to recommend it to people for Pliny when they are out and they are from out of town. The other place was of no competition to them, she was just keeping them quiet for people like me who come in from out of town looking for it. They did, however, have an incredible selection of beers I couldn't find anywhere else. I ended up walking out with a ton of beer and a hole in my pocket though, since this place isn't on the cheap side of things. Nothing too over the top, but a tad pricey. Most of what I saw in the center of the store were craft brews, then imports were either in the cooler or towards the back. Not being from the West Coast I hadn't heard of many of the breweries they had to offer, leaving me humbled. This will be my go-to place every time I go to Portland for sure.

11-08-2010 03:01:52 | More by MagyarPuska

CaptainTripps

Oregon

4.53/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Just visited this place not to long ago for my first time. As I walked into the place it was all I that I had thought it would be; Heaven. Shelves upon shelves of beer. As a fairly new newcomer to the beer world, this place had more beer then I could handle. I spent hours just looking before I even picked up a basket to start selecting some brews to buy. Wasn't able to enjoy a pint in the Biercafe but I'm sure i would have enjoyed it as well. My only complaint was the the staff that current day. While they were busy with a shipment of beer being delivered at the time I was there, the staff seemed to be a little short with me, even after they were done with the delivery. But it I'm not to worried about it. Great bottle shop to check out if you haven't. I'm sure I will be in their several times a month.

10-09-2010 05:21:35 | More by CaptainTripps

eatabagofbooger

Oregon

3.7/5  rDev -17.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 1 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$$

Although the bar is a bit small and often overcrowded, I like the all wood construction, the decor consisting of beer memorabilia, and the dark, but not too dark atmosphere. It's a very comfortable place to have a beer when it's not too crowded. The selection is as good as everybody says-not the best in town, but darn close. Bonus points for usually having something on cask. The only blemish to this otherwise great place is the service. Even once I had been coming around enough for the servers to recognize me, they were still quite rude and unfriendly. Expect long waits to get a beer or to cash out, even when there are no crowds. The taplist and proximity always draw me back here eventually, but I have tried to stop going here on more than one occasion due to the service.

08-24-2010 17:59:02 | More by eatabagofbooger

DaveHS

California

4.8/5  rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

This was my third visit to Belmont. I always make a pilgrimage when I come up to Portland.

When you walk in the door the amount of beer on display is simply staggering. Coming from San Francisco to here, it quickly becomes apparent which city has the superior access to craft beer. Portland gets stuff we would kill for in SF, and it's on the shelves at Belmont next to regular everyday stuff, like it's no big deal!

I saw:

-Pannepot 2006
-Struise Earthmonk
-Saison-Brett
-Raison D'Extra
-vintage bottles of Samichlaus/DFH/Hair of the Dog stuff going back a couple years in some cases

I could go on. The point is, this place is epic. They also have a bar where you can enjoy draught beer and bottles, but I was buying stuff to go, so I didn't try it.

They charge less if you pay with cash, so make sure you bring some!

08-17-2010 20:02:07 | More by DaveHS

vkv822

Oregon

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

This is my go-to bottle shop as it has one of the best selections in Portland, as well as a friendly staff that is knowledgeable and willing to answer questions.

I really like the idea of the cafe-bar/bottle shop combo, though I have yet to truly enjoy the bar half, or the food options. Though the food that is offered seems to primarily be light lunch fare good for enjoying as a side to a beer.

It has a very easy going and laid back atmosphere. It definitely gives of the vibe of being a place to get a pint and just kick back and relax.

08-05-2010 02:49:23 | More by vkv822