Walking Man Brewery

Walking Man is the best brewery in the Pacific Northwest. Period. Hands down. There, I’ve said it. What used to be a little-known gem to hikers, bikers and beer aficionados has become a microbrew institution. While still rare to find Walking Man on tap in Oregon (North 45 and Horse Brass are the only bars I can think of that usually have a handle) and, from what I hear, literally impossible to find in Washington due to a distribution policy from the brewery, Walking Man has nonetheless succeeded at the grass-roots, word of mouth kind of buzz most brewers only dream of. And believe me, the buzz is well-deserved. I know people who have made the 50 minute drive to Stevenson, WA (the small town on the gorge where Walking Man resides) just to down some pints or fill up a growler or two of this remarkable beer. Last weekend, some friends and I got out and hiked dog mountain. On the way home we filled up three growlers at Walking Man to take back to Portland: the rich chocolaty Dark Cherry Stout, the toasty and smooth Walking Stick Stout, and the hoppy Knuckle Dragger strong pale ale. Let me just say that There is really nothing like sitting around a table with three growlers of fantastic beer after a good hike. Here’s hoping that Walking Man continues to produce this quality of beer for decades to come!