| Ecliptic Brewing 825 North Cook Street | Portland, OR 97227 (503) 265-8002 eclipticbrewing.com |
Portland, Oregon is regularly rated among America’s top craft beer cities. According to oregoncraftbeer.org, it’s estimated that 53% percent of all draft beer consumed in Oregon is brewed in Oregon. There are currently 58 breweries in Portland and 84 in the Portland metro area.
I recently had a chance to visit Portland, Oregon, and while I did not visit all 84 Portland-area breweries, I did manage to check out 14 stand out breweries.
Ecliptic Brewing, located in North Portland, was founded by Oregon craft beer icon John Harris. Harris began as a brewer at McMenamins’ breweries, then moved to Deschutes Brewery where he created the recipes for Mirror Pond, Black Butte Porter, Jubelale and Obsidian Stout. He then spent 20 years as Brewmaster at Full Sail Brewing before creating Ecliptic Brewing, which brings together Harris’s love for brewing and astronomy.
The beers at Ecliptic Brewing are out of this world. I enjoyed the UltraViolet Blackberry Sour Ale brewed with Oregon blackberries and Carina Peach Sour Ale, named after the constellation Carina, during my visit. Other offerings include the award-winning Spica Pilsner, Orbiter IPA, Capella Porter, and Hopservatory Tropical Imperial IPA brewed with mango and a ton of tropical hops in collaboration with Worthy Brewing.
The kitchen at Ecliptic serves dishes to pair with every beer style. Small bites include Candied Hazelnuts, Cauliflower Escabeche, and Bitterballen (beef croquettes with beet mustard). Sandwiches include Grilled Salmon, Beet Melt, and the Ecliptic Burger topped with pancetta, red onion, aged gruyere, and Russian dressing. There is also a kids’ menu.
Ecliptic is open Sunday to Thursday 11 AM to 10 PM and Friday to Saturday 11 AM to 10 PM. Happy Hour on Tuesday to Friday is from 3 to 6 PM. Walk in breweries tours are available at 12:00pm and 2:00pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Beers can be purchased in growlers or bottles to go. There is a lot for car and bike parking.
Check out more breweries from Steph’s Portland Beerventure and for more beer spots in cities across the country, check out our complete Beerventure Series lineup.
