Deschutes Brewery & Public House

HarmonMW

Michigan

4.53/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4 | $$

I was excited to visit here on my short visit to Portland as Deschutes is one of my favorite breweries. I was not disappointed. Had a 6-beer flight of mainly IPAs which were brewpub-only releases, each unique and excellent. I did leave off the casked Fresh Squeezed IPA, and the waiter was raving about it and ended up throwing it on my flight for free just so I could try it. Also had a burger which was very good. I would definitely recommend visiting, especially if you know and are a fan of their regular releases. I can't wait to visit next time I'm in Portland.

05-18-2013 23:03:51 | More by HarmonMW

OMsweetOM

California

4.89/5  rDev +13.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5 | $$

Really great food and fantastic beer all had in a great place. The crab burger was stellar and my favorite experimental Hop-U-Py Portland were had here.

I love visiting the pubs to indulge in the experimental brews and savor delicious food. Breads are top notch having been made with spent grain from the brew process. Add to that Borlen beef (fed spent grain) and masterful chef creations with a glass (or few) to go with your grub. The logde-like decor with wood carvings and hanging hop vines are absolutely perfect!

Bravely done Deschutes

01-24-2013 06:36:39 | More by OMsweetOM

demuzik

Oregon

2.98/5  rDev -30.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 2 | food: 1.5 | $$$

Deschutes is a great brewery to visit AFTER you've had a great meal.

They have a decent happy hour with some tasty appetizers; they have an on-again-off-again bacon Mac'n'Cheese that cures the beer-induced munchies better than almost anything I know.

The atmosphere of the Portland location is pretty nice; a fire for the chilly Fall/Winter/Spring days, and a large window section that opens up to outside on the warm Spring/Summer/Fall days.

You would think for a Pacific Northwest brewery they would have a heftier selection of pasture raised meats/wild fish/etc, but the protein/meal section of the menu leaves a lot to be desired. Tried their "classic burger" as a benchtest and it failed every test in the book; overdone (when asked for medium rare), poor quality meat, stale bun, lackluster toppings, etc.

Great beer, though - can't complain there. So yeah - go on a full stomach, order appetizers as you see fit, and have at the beer = recipe for success with Deschutes.

01-03-2013 00:37:29 | More by demuzik

PdxBeerGeek

Oregon

4.88/5  rDev +13.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

went here on date and tried the classic 6 sampler along with the red Chair. i liked the red chair, chainbreaker,amber and the white IPA. not a big fan of porters so nothing personal deschuttes it was a good beer just not one of my favorites. the red chair was very tasty. it was hoppy but still very crisp and with a nice mellow finish. the restaurant has a very nice decor inside and feels like being inside a snow lodge somewhere in tahoe. i enjoyed the adventure. next time i go out with a group of friends it will be here

12-29-2012 17:54:13 | More by PdxBeerGeek

KDawg

Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

The only "drag" on the atmosphere here is that it can get extremely packed at night. It almost doesn't matter the night, there will generally be a good sized crowd at deschutes after 7pm.

Even with the crowds that will happen, Deschutes is well worth going to. They have a good amount of their own taps available at any time. It is usually never a problem getting a hold of a bartender when needed.

The food is very good. You can get a lot of different things off their food menu and I've yet to have something bad.

Deschutes is pretty much in my do-not-miss places when I'm in Portland.

07-03-2012 00:15:28 | More by KDawg

dirtylou

Washington

4/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Convenient downtown pub - pretty large space that definitely functions first and foremost as a dining room.

The bar area is pretty big, and quite crowded - a long bar surrounded by some light seating and standing tables in the main bar area.

We didnt eat but the menu looks like "upscale bar food" - solid looking burgers and sandwiches, entrees, and some small plates.

A ton of deschutes taps - some pub-only IPA's that were indistinguishable from the typical deschutes hop profile. Nothing really special on tap, but a lot of solid stuff, no doubt.

Happening place on a weekend night - a total change of pace from a lot of the other portland breweries, for better or for worse

04-04-2012 03:47:54 | More by dirtylou

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

My first stop during the Portland beercation. Deschutes' pub has a quasi early-American industrial look combined with a contemporary mountain lodge. Atmosphere is nice, but seems to draw a pretty bad / hipster crowd. Lots of room, and necessarily so considering there seem to be lots of people at any given time. Semi-family oriented, so it's not exactly the kind of gloomy, beerfly, laid-back place that I tend to gravitate to. Service was helpful and typically on the ball. Great selection of beer on tap, all Deschutes of course, and 18 or so nice brews to chose from including some brewpub exclusives. Food menu was very good, and I had a difficult time choosing what I wanted because it all sounded amazing. And what I ended up getting on my initial visit--Yellow Belly Burger or something--was indeed very messy and good. Prices were reasonable. Hope to revisit soon!

12-30-2011 04:25:56 | More by Rifugium

suncrust

Washington

3.94/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Located in the Pearl District near other major tourist highlights of downtown Portland, sits the easily marked Deschutes Pub. This place was a freakin' zoo. Epically swamped. Jammed packed full of people and felt unorganized and overly chaotic from start to finish.

Decor was like a ski lodge or mountain pub. Big thick wooden beams, thicker tables, and a wintery feel. Very put together and less make shift like most other PDX breweries. More serious, family and group focused.

Bar area had some tall tables and standing areas, with about 20 stools across the bar. Large windows behind the servers exposed the actual brewery. The twenty-some taps stretched the length of the bar with clear doors below showing the tangled web of tap lines and rows of stacked kegs. The open kitchen area on the side that gave it a steak-house, higher classed snobbishery that I didn't quite understand. More insight to the behind the scenes craziness?

Bartenders were far too busy to talk or even breathe, aside from grabbing your drink order. They seemed angry and stressed... and I don't blame them. Pretty skilled at pouring multiple pints at once, while running around doing a million other things and jumping back to each pint before it overflowed. Mad skills.

Beer selection was the staple Deschutes brews plus some seasonals and new concoctions. Deschutes makes full-bodied beer that isn't too heavy, has a complexity and crispness, and some of the best drinkability out there. Balanced, refreshing and lots of character. They are continuing to expand their roster with new-styles (new Gluten free beer was just tapped) and phenomenally sought after specialities.

Overall, I really like their beer, but would prefer to grab a pint at a local pub that is less chaotic and has a better atmosphere. Most of their stuff is bottled... and some of the one-offs get tapped around the greater Seattle area anyway. The brewpub itself was just average at best. Didn't try the food.

The Abyss was on nitro when I was there. Creamy excellence in a glass. That was a real treat.

12-29-2011 19:30:22 | More by suncrust

LittleDon

Texas

4.55/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visit on 11/10/11.

Packed for a mid-week night given the relatively balmy November evening (upper 40's, no rain). Sat in the bar area with a colleague on one of the long narrow platforms opposite the bar. Great rustic vibe with lots of carved pine and brick. Very warm and inviting. Service was quick and attentive despite the crowd. I had two beers (Inversion and Odysseus) and the Corned Beef. Beers were very fresh, the Inversion being much better than what I remembered from the bottle. The sandwich was excellent, as were the sweet potato fries. This place has just about everything going for it. In my opinion one of the top five places I've been to overall. Definitely worth a return visit.

12-06-2011 23:25:40 | More by LittleDon

bbb099

California

3.93/5  rDev -8.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

I was really excited and had high expectations for this one considering most of my friends are deschutes fans, but I came out slightly disappointed. The atmosphere is of a high-class restaurant: the kitchen is out in the open with waiters and waitresses trying out the chef's latest recipe, flat-screen tvs set on all four corners, with nice mountain/outdoorsy decorations. Service was fine and I appreciate that the waiter was honest with which beer he likes and does not. A lot of people would probably love the food, but I am a fan of bar/restaurant that does the classics well without trying to be too edgy and changing the recipe too much. While the pesto-beef burger with pork belly on top was good, it was difficult to eat the incredibly tall sandwich without making a mess.

Anyhow, let's get to the beers. The variety of beers was satisfactoy, there was about 20 or so different types on tap. I liked almost all of them though I have had most of the beers there countless times as they are available almost everywhere. Unfortunately, no single beer stood out as the best ones are the usual such as obsidian stout that you can find in stores. Worth visiting, but I might go to a microbrewery next time I visit Portland instead of coming back.

11-05-2011 06:21:33 | More by bbb099