Wednesday 14th of May 2008 03:52:59 PM

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If you don't know about McMenamin's beer, hotels and clubs, you should.
They cover the Pacific NW from Seattle south to Roseburg in Southern Oregon with 55 brewpubs & hotels, 35 in the greater Portland area alone!
Not bad for a coupla of ex-hippie brothers who started with one pub in 1983. According to its own website, "older brother Mike, a recent Oregon State grad, recognized that Oregon's standing definition of a pub was stale. The local tavern scene -- dark, smoky, male-dominated and hard-drinking -- was a far cry from the all-age community pubs, cafes and piazzas that marked the landscape of Ireland, England, France and Italy. Over time, we've learned that what makes a good brewpub is the journey to get there."
And "fun" they said, was the key ingredient. After visiting all 88 brewpubs in Washington State (and getting ready to start in Oregon) I too have learned that the journey is fun...but the reward must also be a place of fun and, just as important, a feeling of community...and let me tell you, McMenamin's delivers.
I've tasted better beer in smaller pubs in even tinier towns...the axiom here being; the smaller the burg, the better the beer...but I've never discovered any place more infused with the spirit of family.
McMenamin's opens their arms and welcomes you as family for as long as you wish to hang around...and makes you sad to leave. The staff is trained well, the service impeccable, the history of the places fascinating.
Yet another strip mall location but with a decidedly un-sterile environment. Without looking outside at the traffic, you might believe you were in pub somewhere down south with all the iron-work and potted plants...but you're not.
My suggestion would be to pass this one up and drive toward the Columbia to search out McM's on the River. Same beer - same food - and what a view!