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TO THE CASUAL BEER ENTHUSIAST—<br />
aren’t we all?—the modern culture of hip brewpubs<br />
across Oregon serving some of the world’s best craft<br />
beers appears to be a relatively recent phenomenon<br />
led by such brewers as Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene,<br />
Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Widmer Brothers Brewing in<br />
Portland and the ubiquitous McMenamins establishments.<br />
Today Oregon is at the vanguard for craft brewing.<br />
The state counts more than 90 breweries, leads the<br />
nation in microbeer drinkers, has one of two colleges<br />
in the country that condones brewing beer as an<br />
academic pursuit, displays a trophy case with too<br />
many top medals at the Great American Beer Festival<br />
to mention and is the second leading hops producer<br />
in the country. Recently, even while the economy<br />
has been contracting, craft brewing in Oregon has<br />
been expanding. As Oregonians strive for a locallydriven<br />
food model, the state has become the largest<br />
commercial market for locally crafted beers. In 2009<br />
alone, the state added ten new breweries.<br />
While today’s aficionados drink in the benefits of this<br />
trend, each sip of this finely brewed culture in Oregon<br />
has been more than 150 years in the making.<br />
The preceding century and a half was a hell of a fight.<br />
1859 OregOn's magazIne winter <strong>2010</strong> 33
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