Great Notion Brewery: Touring Portland, Oregon's Craft Beer Scene

Explore the award-winning beers of Great Notion Brewing, from hazy IPAs to rich stouts, experience the brewery's engaging taprooms and learn of the brewery's history.

January 24, 2024

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Discover the award-winning beers and unique taproom experience offered by Great Notion Brewery in Portland, Oregon. Find out why this brewery has become a must-visit destination for beer lovers.

Portland, Oregon, boasts a dynamic craft beer landscape, and at the heart of this craft brewing haven is Great Notion Brewery (GNB). Founded by friends passionate about pushing the boundaries of flavor, Great Notion has become a pivotal player in the city's thriving craft beer scene.

Here, we will discuss the history and background of Great Notion, its award-winning beers and signature styles, local ingredients employed by the brewery, its innovative taproom experience, the company's impressive community involvement, collaboration beers, locations, and overall customer reviews. Embark on a journey through Portland's craft beer culture with this compelling history of Great Notion Brewery.

History and Background of Great Notion Brewery

Great Notion is a brewery based in Portland, Oregon. It was founded by three friends: James Dugan, Andy Miller and Paul Reiter. Great Notion has gained attention for its innovative and flavorful craft beers, particularly its award-winning IPAs, creative sour ales and rich and rewarding stouts.

One of the distinctive features of Great Notion is its focus on using unconventional ingredients and pushing the boundaries of traditional beer styles. They often incorporate fruit, lactose, and other unique elements into their brews, which result in beers with bold and distinct flavors.

Great Notion officially opened its doors in 2016 with the goal of producing unique and flavorful beers. The brewery gained popularity for their use of eccentric ingredients (like rice and guava mochi), employment of experimental brewing techniques and a commitment to quality.

During its inaugural year, Great Notion successfully crafted approximately 500 barrels of palate-stimulating and predominantly experimental beer, which quickly reached 5,000 barrels by 2019. This speedy growth parallels the swift growth of Portland's craft beer scene, which is among the best in the world.

Great Notion has a reputation for producing limited-edition and small-batch releases to create a sense of excitement and exclusivity among beer enthusiasts. Their commitment to quality and innovation has earned them a dedicated fan base.

Tasting Room Hours and Location

Great Notion Brewery operates its own taprooms in six locations in the Pacific Northwest in the following locations:

Additionally, the brewery has two locations in California:

Great Notion Berkeley
Sacramento Fulfillment Center (pick-up only)

Great Notion takes pride in selling its premium beer directly to consumers through its taprooms and has plans to reach more states in the future.

Generally, Great Notion taprooms open at 12 pm and close at 9 pm, 7 days a week. Though, hours differ based on the tasting room locations and state regulations. Note that all taprooms of Great Notion are available for event bookings.

Additionally, Great Notion's taproom menus often feature a variety of food options such as appetizers, sandwiches and snacks, which are designed to complement the beer selection and enhance the overall tasting experience.

Explore the locations and details about the seven tasting rooms of Great Notion in the United States.

1. NORTHWEST - PORTLAND

Capacity: 60 Seated Meals
Standing Capacity: 150 Individuals
Serves: Beer, Cider, Wine
Events Compatible: Large parties, private events, holiday parties
Location: 2444 NW 28th Ave, Portland, OR, 97210

2. DIVISION - PORTLAND

Capacity: 60 Individuals
Rotating Drafts: Four
Events Compatible: Birthdays, company parties, social gatherings
Location: 2105 SE Division St, Portland, OR, 97202

3. ALBERTA - PORTLAND

Capacity: 100 Seated Meals
Standing Capacity: 175 Individuals
Serves: Beer, Cocktail, Cider, Wine (Full Bar)
Recreation: Two TVs
Location: 2204 NE Alberta St, Suite 101, Portland, OR, 97211

4. BEAVERTON - PORTLAND

Capacity: 35 Seated Meals
Standing Capacity: 75 Individuals
Serves: Beer, Wine, and Cider
Recreation: Three TVs
Events Compatible: Happy hour gathering
Location: 230 NW Lost Springs Terrace #10, Portland, OR, 97229

5. BALLARD - SEATTLE

Capacity: 50 Seated Meals
Standing Room: 75 Individuals
Events Compatible: Birthdays and company parties
Location: 5101 14th Ave NW Suite 101, Seattle, WA, 98107

6. GEORGETOWN - SEATTLE

Capacity: 55 Seated Meals
Standing Room: 80 Individuals
Recreation: Arcade and pinball games, multiple TVs
Events Compatible: Birthday, holiday and company parties
Location: 6235 Airport Way S, Suite 102, Seattle, WA, 98108

7. BERKELEY - CALIFORNIA

Events Compatible: Happy Hours, Private Events
Recreation: Two TVs
Location: 2031 Fourth St, Berkeley, CA, 94710

Award-Winning Signature Beer Styles

Great Notion Brewery has gained recognition for its innovative and high-quality beers in various competitions with numerous gold and silver medals. The brewery is known for featuring a range of signature beer styles that have garnered significant attention from craft beer enthusiasts.

Hazy IPAs: Great Notion is particularly renowned for its expertise in brewing hazy IPAs, double New England-style IPAs and fruit-forward IPAs. These beers are characterized by their cloudy appearance and extremely high hop quotient. They are known for being juicy, fruity and featuring hop-forward flavor profiles.
Stouts: The brewery has also received acclaim for its stouts, including imperial stouts and pastry stouts. These beers often showcase rich and robust flavors with some incorporating ingredients like chocolate, coffee and vanilla.
Sours and Wild Ales: Great Notion has dabbled in the production of easy-drinking sour beers and funky wild ales, which employ a variety of fermentation techniques and unique yeast strains. These award-winning beers often showcase a range of tart and funky flavors to add diversity to the brewery's portfolio.
Smoothie Beers: The brewery is recognized for its innovative use of fruit in brewing. Many of Great Notion's beers feature bold fruit additions for a unique and creamy smooth mouthfeel. Fruit-infused sours and fruited IPAs are among the offerings that showcase the brand’s creativity in this regard.

Must-Try Beers

Great Notion Brewery prides itself on offering a diverse range of beers from hop-forward IPAs to rich stouts and experimental brews. These are some popular Great Notion beers you must try:

India Pale Ales

Ripe IPA
Juice Jr.
JB DIPA
Over Ripe
Juice Invader
Super Over Ripe
Double IPA

Sours

Blueberry Muffin
Big Papaya
Jammy Pants
Key Lime Pie
Boo Berry Muffin

Stouts

Double Stack
Peanut Brother

Local Ingredients

Great Notion Brewery employs a variety of local ingredients during the brewing process to produce unique flavors of beer. Here are some ingredients commonly used in craft brewing by GNB:

Pilsner Malt: Pilsner malt is a type of malted barley commonly used by Great Notion as the base malt in brewing lagers and Pilsners. It imparts a light color and mild malt flavor to the beer.
Variety of Hops: Great Notion uses a unique blend of hops that includes traditional German Hallertau Mittelfrüh and Czech Saaz hops. Among the newer varieties, Strata, Galaxy hops, Motueka hops, Simcoe, Idaho 7, and pungent Mosaic hops are notable. These hops impart a diverse range of flavors and aromas including tropical fruit, citrus and herbal notes for GNB beers.
Fruits: The addition of blueberry puree, mango, pineapple, watermelon, blackberry, coconut, orange puree, apricot, cherries, peach, strawberries, banana, passion fruit, tangerine and plenty of tropical papaya introduces a diverse array of fruit flavors to Great Notion's beers.
Other Ingredients: Great Notion has used maple syrup, coriander, sea salt, wheat, oats, rye and vanilla beans in its beer offering.

Reviews & Accolades

Great Notion Brewery is a top-rated beer producer with high brand value in the craft beer industry. With its unique beers, Great Notion has impressed many a beer fan around the world. Here's how customers have rated Great Notion Brewery on Untappd, Beer Advocate and Yelp:

1. Statistics from Untappd

Overall Rating: ⭐4.15 out of 5
Total Ratings: 964,635
Number of Beers Rated: 788

2. Statistics from Beer Advocate

Overall Rating: ⭐4.06 out of 5
Total Ratings: 5,270
Number of Beers Rated: 436

3. Statistics from Yelp

Overall Rating: ⭐4.4 out of 5
Total Ratings: 186
Number of Beers: Not Specified

Awards Won by Great Notion Brewery

World Beer Cup
GABF, Great American Beer Festival gold and silver medals
Best of Craft Beer Awards
Oregon Beer Awards
#1 IPA in America by Paste Magazine in 2018

Collaborations And Partnerships

Great Notion Brewery has collaborated and partnered with many other breweries over the years to enhance the quality of its beers and expand the horizons of its drinkers. Here are some notable breweries (and one sports team!) that have collaborated with Great Notion:

Events

Great Notion Brewery exemplifies robust community involvement through thoughtfully organized events across its seven distinctive taproom locations.

Welcoming one and all, patrons can relish a diverse selection of beers while booking events such as cocktail parties, birthday parties or other gathering. The brewery prioritizes inclusivity in creating inviting spaces where individuals can gather, enjoy quality brews and savor delectable foods while soaking up enjoyable ambiance.

This commitment to community engagement not only elevates the taproom experience but also establishes Great Notion Brewery as a hub for shared moments and social connections.

Why Great Notion Brewery Is A Must-Visit Destination

Great Notion stands out as a must-visit destination in Portland for several compelling reasons.

Innovative Beer Selection: Great Notion is renowned for its inventive and diverse beer offerings. If you have a deep appreciation for beer or simply enjoy an occasional drink, you'll undoubtedly be impressed by the diverse selection and exceptional quality of their brews.

Creative Flavor Combinations: The brewery is known for experimenting with different flavor combinations to infuse classic beer styles with unexpected ingredients. This commitment to creativity results in a constantly evolving menu that keeps patrons intrigued and excited to try new releases.

Welcoming Atmosphere: Beyond the exceptional beer, the brewery provides a warm and inviting atmosphere in its taprooms. Additionally, the friendly and knowledgeable staff contribute to a welcoming environment, making visitors feel comfortable and eager to explore the diverse beer options.

Great Notion Brewery offers a compelling combination of inventive beers, a welcoming atmosphere and unique esthetics. Whether you're an experienced beer connoisseur or an individual eager to delve into the realm of artisanal brewing for the first time, a visit to Great Notion promises an unforgettable experience.

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