But a quaint town about an hour’s drive east rivals Portland’s Beervana badge by beating just about every other American city in craft breweries per capita.
Home to three brewpubs and less than 7,000 residents – or one brewery for every 2,345 people – tiny Hood River, Ore., was officially named “Beertown, USA” not long ago by Charlie Papazian of the Brewers Association.
Full Sail Brewing, 27 this year, is Hood River’s elder statesman. With a host of national and international awards, it is also the most recognized and largest brewer. The other breweries – a tiny brewpub ironically named Big Horse and Double Mountain, which turns three this March – could both fit inside Full Sail’s ample brew house with room to spare.
Housed in a former fruit cannery, Full Sail’s brewery and the brewpub/tasting room can be spotted from Interstate 84; it’s a stunning drive into the Columbia River Gorge to get there, as the road follows the mighty river and waterfalls tumble off cliffs looming overhead.
Surprisingly, outdoor recreation—not beer—puts Hood River on the map. It’s the windsurfing capital of the state and is also not far from Mount Hood, popular for snowboarding, hiking and other pursuits. Many of Full Sail’s 47 owner-employees – it’s the largest majority-employee-owned craft brewery in the country—are experienced outdoorsmen and women.
