BAR TRAVELER - Oregon

Come along for the ride as we visit a brew pub in a small town along the Oregon Coast.



This little trip was inspired by an Esquire article (Drivin’ and Eatin’: Oregon’s Route 101, June 2004) we read when the chill of Kansas City’s winter had barely thawed. It set our imaginations to the warmth of summer in the Pacific Northwest and escape from the harsh extremes of negative wind chills and the frozen streets of our favorite Cowtown.

Our trip began in Portland, then headed south to the amazing wineries of the Willamette Valley. After spending the night at King Estate in their private ranch house, we made our way over to Highway 101 snaking its way up the western coast. With our bellies full of wine and the prospect of bountiful fresh seafood, we narrowed our plethora of choices down to finding the best clam chowder.

As we drove from Florence all the way up to Cannon Beach (where they filmed The Goonies and Point Break, God bless Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves), we stopped every couple of towns to taste the gruel, drink the grog and hang out with the sea lions. Each restaurant had its own version of chowder and the ones Esquire had recommended were only average, so we strayed from their list and went to investigate some places of our own.

Our greatest discovery was the Rogue Ales Public House in Newport, also known as the Bay Pub. The chowder was great, worthy of a top position on our personal list, but what really made the place memorable was Charlie the bartender/general manager and of course, the beer. I’d tasted Rogue beer before, in Florida of all places, and had no idea that it was from Oregon. They had over 20 beers available on tap and Charlie helped us find the one that suited each of us best by pouring little samples of any one we liked. Being a stout man, I tried their Russian Imperial Stout, rumored to be the darkest in the world, but their Shakespeare Stout was the one that hit the spot.

Behind the bar was a unique Rogue bottle with the likeness of Marge and Homer Simpson getting married, but with different names. Charlie said it was one of their personalized bottles that people get made up for special occasions. You have to purchase them by the case, but it is a one-of-a-kind memento that really makes an impression. Definitely made us want to order a case, the next time we got married!
As we sat there, in walked a pack of laughing hyenas wearing leis. Charlie greeted them in recognition and they responded by saying “Do we get free beer now? We couldn’t find shirts but we all got LEI’D for you!” Although shirtless (we didn’t say topless!), Charlie was a good sport and served up three of their favorite brews. We asked what that was all about and he explained that if you come in wearing a Hawaiian shirt, the first round is on the house! We vowed to wear such shirts the next time. Remember: it’s always a good idea to keep a Hawaiian shirt in your car – you never know when it might come in handy, especially for free beer.

Before leaving on our merry way, we stopped off at the gift section and picked up a Rogue t-shirt. Charlie gave us a free beer glass – their brand is awesome and it’s a great glass. Had we not been pressed for time, as we still had a lot of chowder to sample, we would have made our way over to the actual Rogue Brewery just across the bridge from the pub. Rather, we decided to save that experience for another Hawaiian shirt clad day in the Pacific Northwest.

Rogue is not readily available in Kansas City, but if you look hard enough you will be rewarded with some of the best micro-brewed beer in the world. To get you started on your quest for Rogue, try Waldeaux Wine & Spirits in Kansas City, Missouri. Pat and Ryan Collins are so nice and helpful and will help you choose the best beers, just like Charlie did for us in Oregon. Good luck in your travels!

ROGUE ALES PUBLIC HOUSE
748 Southwest Bay Boulevard
Newport, Oregon
[541] 265-3188

ROGUE BREWERY
2320 OSU Drive
Newport, OR 97365
541-867-3660
www.rogueale.com

WALDEAUX WINE & SPIRITS
120 East Gregory Blvd.
Kansas City, MO 64114
816-361-1198
www.waldeauxwine.com