Laurelwood Public House & Brewery

AylwinForbes

Illinois

4.1/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $

Dulcie and Aylwin's big beer adventure last day in Portland. One of my students had told me about Laurelwood and when we found it was close to Dulcie's parents we made an effort to try it; compared with many of the Portland landmarks, it doesn't tend to come up in conversation.

The building on Sandy, again dead easy to park by and find, is quite new; it recently replaced another long-time establishment. Clean sort of pine thing inside and the brewery stuff visible behind the bar. Lots of families with kids here. TVs in evidence (not common in Portland beer places) but no sound, no grating music either.

We tried the two IPAs and the Workhorse kicked the Boss by a mile. Dulcie rated it the best Portland IPA she had had this visit. I'm not sure I would go that far but it is was very good. Prices at the right time are ridiculously low. We dined on a couple of appetizers and the bill was well under $20. It could be a great local for those living in the area - which we wished we did.

08-12-2008 04:25:51 | More by AylwinForbes

BeerZack

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev -1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

More of a restaurant/bar, small Chilies type of feel to the place. Well lit and clean, family friendly looking place. Number 12 busline took us straight from our hotel to this place and back, very convenient. Late night happy hour menu with $3.95 beers and $2.95 appetizers. Nice big bar in back with about 12 house taps. They had several seasonals on here, including the award-winning Deranger Red, Stumptown Espresso Stout and an Oaked Bock. They also offer another IPA at this location in addition to the standard "Boss IPA" (thumbs down), called Workhorse IPA. The Workhorse is one of the best in town, couldn't get enough of it; made me forget how good the Espresso Stout was. I'd recommend a visit to this place for the Workhorse IPA alone.

04-02-2008 08:48:27 | More by BeerZack

SurlyDuff

Oregon

4.45/5  rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

This is the newest Laurelwood, I believe. Parking in the back and along the street. Easy to find this place.

The atmosphere is nothing unique. Newer feeling building with simple architecture inside. Flat screens and a bit of a sports-bar/chain feel.

Recommend a sampler so you can give them all a try. They had 2 IPA's and a Red that I really enjoyed. They have seasonals of course.

Food was surprisingly good. They jumped head-firt into the whole organic/local/fresh theme, and the food was quite delicious. I had a pizza with mushrooms, goat cheese, pesto sauce, sundried tomatoes, etc. The misses had fish tacos. The salsa tasted homemade. Real good food at decent price.

I also recommend visiting during happy hour, which i believe is 4-6 and 9-close. Feel free to correct that if im wrong. But anyway, the prices are really reasonable!

02-12-2008 17:55:15 | More by SurlyDuff

slander

New York

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

Oh, we're going to put some lunch on, all right. It should have been breakfast earlier at the Tin Shed, but Davo pissed the hour away so here we are off to a later start. Jon says there's a new Laurelwood here, not too far from the other Laurelwood. No, not that one, the other other one. I think they just closed up shop and opened back up again a few blocks away all at once. Hard to say, you blink, you turn your head, there's brewpubs everywhere...

A long "L" shaped bar seating 15 sits off in the side room, with a pair of towers of 12 taps each sporting a few empty handles here and there at different points along the way. The barback is a center window looking over the brewroom, and shelves of booze over mirrored backing to both sides of center. Tap selections listed on a board above, mounted flatscreens in the corners, drop oblong cylinder lighting over the bar and spots on the booze. A half dozen shorty booths and raised roundy tables adjacent to the bar and along the front windows, a half dozen more tables in an area down past the bar to the rear, and a doorway there leading to a 4 table outside off parking lot seating pen. A single bench sits in a small shoebox room up front looking lengthwise down the brewroom. Brushed cement floors in splotch shades of brown, copper, orange and gold, the walls dark brick and beige over wood slat lower pieces. Open wood rafters show plank ceilings, and exposed ductwork borders the rooms. GABF and North American Beer awards to the reear, World Beer Cup awards up front over the windows. An adjacent seating area lies just past the front entrance counter; massive dessert cakes and a wall of brewery schwag hats and shirts. 8 booths along the walls, 4 tables down the center of the room, and a kiddie nook in the corner (Shhh, you play quiet now, daddy's drinking grown up juice). Your standard b/w brewhouse prints decorate and drop accordion cylinder lamps above the booths. A side dining room holds a dozen plus tables & booths and a larger kiddie play area.

8 standard house taps (Mother Lode Golden, Piston Pale Ale, Hooligan Brown Ale, Organic Free Range Red, Boss IPA, Workhorse IPA, Organic Tree Hugger Porter, Space Stout) and 2 seasonals (PNW Pils, Break a leg Rye). The Boss IPA came in at 6.7%, Centennial, Cascade & Ahtanum hops, piney and citrus fresh; the Workhorse IPA, 7.5%, was most assertively hoppy; the Organic Tree Hugger Porter was smoky and chocolatey; the Space Stout was chocolate and roasted burnty goodness, the PNW Pils, was a solid Impy Pils at 8.3%, and the Break a leg Rye had a real nice rye flavor. I enjoyed the Porter, Stout & Rye the most. Played mix and match with the beers over lunch, a French Dip and a side salad with poppy lemon dressing, both of which were solid.

I've found the Laurelwood locations to be consistent in quality. Definitely off to a good start today.

10-31-2007 20:16:54 | More by slander