Essential Guide to Columbia River Gorge Breweries

The Gorge begins just east of Portland and extends to The Dalles, 80 miles away. Hood River, which is one of Oregon’s premier brewery destinations, is an hour away, and Multnomah Falls is a half hour east. One thing to observe as you drive east is how the climate shifts. The Gorge funnels winter weather west as it curls in from Canada, dumping over 70 inches of rain a year on misty Cascade Locks. But further east, you approach Oregon’s high desert. Hood River sits exactly on the line between wet and dry, with lush forests but only 30 inches of rain. The Dalles, another 20 miles east, gets just 15 inches.

Multnomah Falls and Vista House

Vista House, a 1918 octagonal stone lookout with 360-degree views, is perched on the edge of the Gorge and affords amazing views. You find it by taking the Old Columbia River Highway from Corbett. Continue on past Vista House and you’ll come to one of the state’s iconic sites, the 620-foot Multnomah Falls. You can take some eye-popping selfies from the bottom of the falls, or if you’re more adventuresome, take the 1.2-mile hike up to the top. There, a platform hangs over the falls and you can watch the tiny people down by the lodge below.

Hood River

Even if it didn’t have any breweries, Hood River would be a great place to stop. It has a charming downtown stretch with excellent restaurants, hotels, and coffee shops, a great park along the river, and an easy access point for windsurfers. But it does have breweries, seven of them, which gives the town of 8,000 bragging rights for most per capita.

The Fruit Loop

The Hood River Valley, south of the town of Hood River in the rolling hills that eventually rise toward Mount Hood, is known colloquially as the Fruit Loop thanks to its endless acres of orchards. The valley stretches thirty miles, with dozens of farm stands—some with cideries attached—offering fresh produce. One treat is Solera Brewing in downtown Parkdale, which has a stunning view of Mount Hood—not to mention excellent beer.

Full Sail Brewing was one of Oregon’s first breweries in the craft era, founded in Hood River in 1987. The reason Hood River has so many breweries today is because many of their founders originally brewed at Full Sail. The brewery was the first to bottle beer in Oregon, and helped launch the state’s brewing industry with its then-groundbreaking Amber Ale. Later, it broke new ground by introducing a light craft lager, Session, in a stubby bottle that recalled the region’s old domestic breweries.

Double Mountain Brewing was founded by one-time Full Sail head brewer Matt Swihart and since-departed Charlie Devereux in 2007—and the two breweries are literally within a stone’s throw of each other. When it opened, Double Mountain instantly found an audience of locals and set the standard for cuisine with its wood-fired pizza. Double Mountain extended that winning combination to Portland, where it has two brewpubs.

pFriem Family Brewers is the most recent of the anchor brewers of Hood River, and it, too, was founded by a Full Sail alum—Josh Pfriem. When it launched in 2012, the brewery showcased Belgian- and European-style ales, but it slowly turned to lagers and hoppy ales, becoming one of the most-decorated breweries in Oregon. And in a surprising irony, it also passed Full Sail in sales.