The Brewery I Enjoyed Most in Portland...

Since I've returned from Oregon, I've been extremely busy with my day job and making an effort to relax when I get home from work. Believe it or not, taking a week-long beer trip that involves visiting 22 locations (breweries, brewpubs, and beer bars) in 7 days can wear out even the most enthusiastic beer appreciator. Thinking back on the trip, it wasn't too hard to pick out my favorite location of the journey: Hair of the Dog Brewing Company.

I had been pretty excited to visit this brewery, especially after reading, hearing, and watching (a documentary) so much about it. Then, I saw the beer menu after sitting down at the bar...

After tasting all the beers in a sample-sized glass, it wasn't hard to realize that every single one was phenomenal. One of them definitely stood out above the rest in my mind, though. I enjoyed this particular brew so much that I asked the bartender for a piece of paper to make a note of it.

 
Cherry Adam from the Wood. Wow, what an amazing beer. At 14% ABV, it definitely helped to get me buzzing quick (which I was trying to avoid on this trip, so I could make sure to remember every sample). However, the flavor was worth it. This decadently rich and aromatic brew was a sipper, but also the most flavorful beer of my trip. Eventually, my buddy and I decided we each needed to order a full glass of tasty brew before we left. Of course, I chose the Cherry Adam from the Wood. He chose the Blue Dot double IPA, which was also fantastic.

As we walked out the door of this spectacular establishment, I decided I had to run over and take a quick picture through the viewing window to the brewery.

I will definitely remember my visit to Hair of the Dog for a long time, even though they'll probably never distribute all the way to Minnesota. In fact, I think that fact makes this memory even more valuable...