Friday 28th of May 2010 06:12:58 PM

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With the sheer amount and choices of good beer here in PDX, you'd probably consider this place a mistake. It is a hole in the wall and very independent, and, for that reason, I definitely gave it the benefit of the doubt...still wasn't enough. It's as if the quality of their beer was more an afterthought, behind the struggle to just keep afloat in a competitive market such as PDX. If your goal is to try EVERY brewpub in the city, then I'd say, "Sure, you've got nothing to lose." BTW, they do have other beers on tap here besides their own, so it's not a complete loss :-)

Wednesday 1st of July 2009 05:57:34 PM

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You'll have to take my scoring with a grain of salt because I didn't like ANY of the beer that I tried here (only tried two, though). Read-on to the end if you care about my thoughts on the beer...

Selection: 4 or 5 Tugboat beers and probably 8 to 10 guest taps. A couple that I didn't recognize but definitely a focus on Oregon and NW beers so I give good scores for selection. Good selection overall but my score was weighed-down considerably due to the two for two on the bad beers.

Atmosphere: I like dogs and there were three running around here so good atmosphere! Funky, low-light, next to the oldest strip-joint in PDX....my kinda place!

Service: Curt but gracious. Cash only, though, so bring the green!

Food: Even though its obvious that food is an afterthought to this place it was quite good! Didn't have standard "bar fare" in my opinion (not a lot of fried stuff on the menu). I had some pita with a spicy cheese dip (pretty yummy) and the wife had some nachos. I'd vote for these nachos as the best in PDX! Nice, crunchy chips with a good helping of garlic beans and fixins. A perfect ratio between toppings and chips! Nothing was soggy and we ate them all!

OK the beer. I only had two but they were both Tugboat beers.

Hop Red: I'd give this a 3/5 for what it could have been. No head whatsoever, and a sour taste (bad glass or bad tap). Didn't detect much hop in this red. Oh well, on to the next!

Chernobyl Stout (cask): BEAUTIFUL black beer with rich chocolate brown but light head. I was really excited about this one but, on first sip, I detected strong notes of ketones or acetone maybe. YUK!!!

I'd go back for the nachos and the atmosphere but next time I'll try a "standard" guest tap for palate calibration.

Thursday 4th of September 2008 11:23:23 AM

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This is the place to hit after long day at he Oregon brewer Festival. Tucked away in a side alley the Tugboat has what you need beer and quite time. They bring in a unique crowd but the beer was worth it. They have about 6 different styles and all very fresh and tasty. They have books all over so if you’re into the reading thing you will have many books to choose from. The food was pub fair and pretty good. Service was the owner and she was very nice. This is a great place and a must find for the odd brewery in Portland.

Sunday 9th of December 2007 02:39:07 PM

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Visited the Tug on a business trip as it was just a few blocks from the hotel. Honestly, this is about the only way you are going to want to visit the Tubboat, unless you are driven by historical places or some list of places you're are trying to "check off" a visit to.

I found the beer unremarkable, the room small (but not "cosy") and oddly decorated. The staff was great and I wound up having a coupla more beers than I would have otherwise.

Annoyances: I left hungry as it looked like a scary proposition to eat there.

Monday 10th of September 2007 01:04:48 PM

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Tugboat Brewing is in a fairly good location to get to if you are driving around in the downtown area. The only issue for us was finding the place in the first place and then finding a somewhat close parking space. We ended up a few blocks away, which turned out to be just fine.

There were 6 or 7 beers available when we visited. Of the ones that I tried, I was most pleased with the Imperial Stout. There was a cask option that seems quite a bit warm, but it was still quite tasty. The beers were relatively inexpensive compared to other locations in Portland.

The atmosphere was nice, the bar was really short with only a handful of chairs available. There were plenty of tables available around the sides of the brewpub though and a few bigger tables in the middle.

As I said earlier, the location is good and it would be good if you are travelling on public transportation. But the parking situation isn't really easy unless you don't mind walking a few blocks.

If you make it to tugboat, you should make sure to seek out Voodoo Doughnuts (either before or after) which is about four blocks east of Tugboat.