The BeerMongers

DavidB123

New Jersey

4.06/5  rDev -5.6%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4 | $$

This was my first time on the west coast and was recommended by locals here, the 1st place I stocked up on at beers. The prices were reasonable for the beers I purchased. Good west coast and local selection. A place to drink at and bring out and its right across the street from another great bar.

02-13-2013 05:04:54 | More by DavidB123

dirtylou

Washington

4.2/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Solid store - despite it's convenient (to the City) location, I had never actually been in here, but rather utilized Belmont Station for most of my purchasing needs.

its proximity to Apex (beerbar) is well documented - parking can be tricky but theres plenty of street parking within a few blocks.

A modest # of taps (8, I believe) and a small sitting area. There seemed to be a bit less beer than over at Belmont but there were some definite random treasures to be found - block 15, an ale apothecary release, etc accompanied the usual suspects in the area (deschutes, hotd, russian river, alesmith) and loads of random oregon stuff. I appreciated scoring a barrel aged stout from Ægir Bryggeri as well - had never seen that stuff in the States.

Solid store - have added to the rotation

11-26-2012 01:24:56 | More by dirtylou

LittleDon

Texas

4.74/5  rDev +10.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Summary: Small taproom feel, great bottle selection, great taps.

You Portlandians are so spoiled. Not only are there outstanding bottle shops strategically located around the city, but they serve beer, too! I don't go to Portland as often as I'd like, but when I do, I try to bring home a bomber or two (or 20, as it were, on this trip). BeerMongers is the second such establishment I've been able to visit this year (I was at Belmont Station in February or March). BeerMongers was a nice contrast. The small West Coast taproom vibe of BeerMongers distinguishes it from Belmont Station's East Coast neighborhood bar/liquor store feel. If I wasn't meeting a colleague for lunch, I would have stuck around long and sampled what they had on tap. I had superb service from both places. The the lone salesperson at BM was able to help me pick out a good representation of exactly what I was looking for. And, as selection goes, there was more than enough to keep me happy. I was focused on the local and small distribution breweries, but there were many others US and non-US beers that would have made it to my checked baggage, if I had infinite room, beer fridge space, and money (like Russian River, Uinta, and Southern Tier, none of which I can get back home).

Maybe it's a good thing I don't get here too often. I'd be fatter (and poorer) than I am now. Definitely a place worth returning to.

10-19-2012 21:02:12 | More by LittleDon

BentLegBrewer

Texas

5/5  rDev +16.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

From texas and the sale staff there is amazing they have a wonderful selection and try to be as accomodating as possible. They helped me score many great beers over the last 2 yrs including the latest 09 bourbonic. They currently have about 525 bottles tucked away for sale and more cellered for future release. If your hunting the hard to fine look no further, put in a call or drop by. The place gave me the feeling you get going in to a nice vinyl record shop, you could browse and admire for a while. It is hard to go and only get one bottle you will come across others that you wanted, didnt know you wanted or through their great advice we be talked into getting. you wont be disappointed. thanks alot

04-16-2012 16:31:46 | More by BentLegBrewer

barleywinefiend

Washington

4.3/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $

A: Walked in as they opened on a Friday at lunch. We were pretty much the only ones here. Rather quiet. Spacious, high ceilings with coolers lining the walls packed full of goodness. About 8 seats at the bar against the wall with a big screen to keep you occupied. Laid back feel was nice.

Q: My 2010 Old yeller was primetime!

S: Very nice talkative and extremely helpful. Not always very attentive on the serving of beer and seemed to be distracted a lot but thats no biggie.I was preeping to drink one more and the keg went kablewy, so the server gave me the remnants.

S: Left with a few bottles of stuff I have been unable to try. I wanted to drop about hundred bones in here on some Speedway Stout, Logsden's Seizon and others. Very good selection but I did not see much on the vintages.

04-14-2012 13:38:38 | More by barleywinefiend

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Easily one of the highlights of my visit to Portland. Great atmosphere here in this bottle shop / pub. Small and intimate, with lots of good stuff crammed in the fridges. A small bar seats maybe 10 people or so, and there are a few tables around to accommodate a decent-sized crowd, as well as plenty of standing room if necessary. Eight taps with some good local selections, and plenty of bottles to choose from, to either consume on the premises or take out. I got a lot of good help from the bartenders / staff both times I visited, and obviously they are very in tune to the beer scene. No food, but there are several nearby food joints, and they let you bring whatever you want in. Of course, high end beer is going to be more on the pricey side, but relatively, the prices are about on par.

01-04-2012 05:33:46 | More by Rifugium

ChrisPr

Oregon

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

BeerMongers does not serve food, however, you can bring it or order it from a few local establishments. I give their service a moderate number because you must order from the bar.

Now that we've got that out of the way... this is an exceptional beer establishment.

BeerMongers is partially a bottle shop, partially a pub. They have a limited tap list of (I believe) eight beers. They tend to be a bit obscure, but high-quality Pacific Northwest beers, with a unexpected appearance by North American standouts or International classics. It seems like once a month or more they have something special on their taps.

I can't say enough positive about this place. It is exactly what makes Portland a great beer destination. Great staff, great selection. You might not find the 'normal' beers here, but you can be assured that everything amongst their great hand-selected inventory is selected to please your palate.

If you're visiting Portland on a 'beery' itinerary, this must be one of your stops.

12-24-2011 07:05:03 | More by ChrisPr

boMD

Oregon

4.66/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

To start off, I'm quite the regular here and I've developed a nice relationship with the staff and owners of The BeerMongers. So this is going to be a strongly positive review, but that's why I'm writing this review. I frequent so many beer establishments in Portland and BM stands out because even if it's your first visit, they take the effort to learn your name and make you feel welcomed.

Second of all, the selection is top notch with most of the newest releases and rarer imports. Their buyer has been in the beer geek scene for a long time so he knows a thing or too about getting a top quality, diverse selection of bottles. Also, the prices of bottles are cheaper than any other bottleshop in town. I don't know how they do it. The savings can add up if you're buying a large amount of bottles to bring home. PLUS, if you want to drink a bottle there there is no corkage fee.

Eight taps of unique handles that you won't often see around time. And it's the regular haunt for a lot of Portland BeerAdvocates. There's often tastings and other beer events at the BM.

No food, but across the street is a solid Mexican food joint that you can grab food and bring over. BeerMongers has a great selection of locally made hot sauces to pair too. Be sure to ask for those.

Overall, if you consider yourself a beer geek and you live in the Portland area, shame on you for not visiting this bottleshop/pub yet! If your visiting Portland and want a nice inviting beer place, and maybe grab a few bottles to bring back home, this is the perfect spot for you.

09-14-2011 16:02:09 | More by boMD

koopa

New Jersey

4.22/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

The BeerMongers was a fond highlight of my recent trip to Portland. Really great people congregate at this location for both great tap list choices and the extensive bottle selection. Furthermore, the staff encourages on site retail purchase bottle consumption which is incredibly conducive to BA Gatherings / Bottle Sharings. If you want to see what the social aspect of craft beer is all about, BeerMongers does it right!

Josh is super friendly and looks out for both locals and tourists alike. He was nice enough to beermail me after seeing the itinerary I had posted and recommend a better time for me to visit (when a BA meetup was happening) and also took the time to make some great food recommendations in the area when I asked.

Prices were very reasonable and no corkage fee was just plain awesome! Bottle selection was large and fairly local in scope. I enjoyed my time at BeerMongers so much that I didn't even bother going to APEX across the street. The BeerMongers is a must visit in Portland and I can't wait to go back!

09-11-2011 02:07:54 | More by koopa

cbarrett4

Oregon

4.66/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $

One of the top bottle shops in Portland, and one that is rare because they will open ANY bottle of beer for in house enjoyment at the retail price. They also have a limited tap selection. On weekends the place gets pretty crowded. Of note: APEX is across the street and a fantastic vegan restaurant, Portobello, is next door and actually connects through the back. So this makes a great place to hang and have a beer while waiting for a table to open up next door.

For retail browsing I recommend coming earlier so you don't have to push your way through people to get a cooler door open. Which reminds me, all the beer is kept in coolers.

Selection is pretty nice, they don't tend to stock up on usual suspects, but instead focus on local brews and things that aren't in grocery. Worth checking out if you are ever in the area.

08-28-2011 22:12:22 | More by cbarrett4