I’ve been drinking Rogue as my special occasion beer for a couple of years now and it’s become one of my favorite breweries. But I don’t live near a physical pub, so to be able to visit the Rogue Pearl Public House in Portland was a thrill. It did not disappoint, in fact the beers tasted way better in person, fresh from the tap, so I’m fan-girling even more.
I started with the Hazelnut Brown mixed with Chocolate and it was crazy good! I’m a Hazelnut freak and the combination of hazelnuts and beer is amazing, and even more decadent with the chocolate mixed in. It’s off the charts good from the tap. I really didn’t want to taste anything else after that because how could it compare? But I tried beer from two flights and was wowed by every single one of them but the IPA (even Rogue can’t get me to like IPA). That’s kind of record breaking for me because I’m picky about my beer. I even loved the Sour, which was a Marionberry made with marionberries straight from Rogue’s farm. How exciting as that?
They also have a Honey Kolsch made with their own honey bees–THEIR OWN BEES!!! Don’t even get me started on the plight of bees, just know that it makes me love Rogue even more that they have their own bee hives and they don’t use pesticides.
Marionberries, honey and hazelnuts–nectar of the gods right there. I didn’t realize until my recent Oregon Coast trip that hazelnuts are grown in Oregon. I knew about the marionberries which I can only get my hands on as an ingredient where I live, but are sold in the stores in Oregon as baskets of berries. If you’ve never had marionberries (I never did before living in the Pacific Northwest), make it a point to try them if you see them, because they are wonderful. They’re kind of like the best of blackberries and raspberries in one berry. Look at how beautiful the colors are, isn’t that a gorgeous flight of beer?
We tried a bunch of stuff on the menu like the Fried Cheese Curds and Dip, Northwest Garden Salad with Salmon, Fancy Pants Grilled Cheese, Cauliflower & Dip Trio and a Cheeseburger. I wish that had been a veggie burger because everyone said it was delicious and I love how they served it all masculine on a heavy cutting board with a steak knife in the middle. I recently discovered I like Fried Cauliflower, so that may have been my favorite thing besides the beer. All the different sauces and dips were especially good. This is brewpub comfort food and it goes great with the beer.
The atmosphere is comfortable and dog friendly on the patio. There are bright red adirondack chairs, fire pits, bistro lights and plenty of greenery. I would love to see it after dark.
We got there right around lunch, before it started to fill up. In the evening and weekends it gets busy, but it’s a large, warehouse-loft like space, so it will accommodate. I bet it’s super cozy in the winter.
If you love excellent beer and unusual flavors, you have to visit Rogue. Bring your growler, or get one there, along with a cute sweatshirt and a couple of pints or six pack to go, so you can enjoy it later and relive your bliss. They’ve started making t-shirts with beer labels–and their labels are really fun–so if you have a favorite you can wear it. I’m still in a post-Rogue swoon, eager to try the Newport Beach Rogue, so stay tuned for that. Also–did you know they have a distillery too? I’ll keep you posted when I try the hard stuff. If it’s Rogue, it’s going to be good.
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