Visit Hood River this Winter for Beer, Holidays, and Festive Fun
Hood River, Oregon is a favorite easy getaway for Oregonians and Washingtonians, especially those in the nearby metro-areas who can get there in only about an hour drive. The small town of about 8,500 is famed for their thriving craft beer scene, and even moreso for outdoor activities and sports like mountain biking, sailing, and kiteboarding, but after the autumn fruit harvests and hop celebrations fall off, the town gets pretty quiet during the darker days of winter, but unjustifiably so if you are there for more casual fun of drinking, eating, shopping, and taking in holiday festivities and winter beers. And to encourage those visitors braving the weather, the City of Hood River will provide free parking downtown from Dec. 11 to 24.
Close proximity to Mt. Hood does bring in winter visitors who are hitting the slopes or the lodges for an array of activities from skiing to snowshoeing just a stone’s throw away from downtown Hood River. Mt. Hood Meadows, Teacup Nordic Area, and Cooper Spur Mountain Resort also present unique experiences for adventure-seekers, while Hood River remains a cozy retreat to return to after a day in the snow to enjoy some drinks and wind down.
To help keep track of everything happening, a group collective of 12 local breweries formed the Breweries In The Gorge (B.I.G) organization that helps promote, encourage, and organize travel, visitors, and events. Through their mutual love for brewing, and the beautiful place they call home, they’ve created a self-guided adventure passport to guide you through all of the fabulous breweries the Gorge has to offer.
Columbia Gorge Brewers Holiday Revel at Volcanic Bottle Shop
1410 12th St. Hood River, OR 97031
Kings & Daughters Brewing has teamed with Hood River’s first and only beer centric bottleshop to put together a Columbia Gorge Brewers Holiday Revel on Friday, December 15th from 6-9pm. Volcanic Bottle Shoppe exists as a community gathering space with a living room setting, that uses local appreciation of quality independent craft beer as a catalyst for social interactions. K&D and Volcanic are doing just that at the Brewers Holiday Revel, inviting nearly every gorge brewery out to party and showing off the camaraderie and quality of what the local brewers have to offer.
506 Columbia St, Hood River, OR 97031
Full Sail is a Hood River landmark in more ways than one, first as the third oldest brewery in the state of Oregon, and secondly as a can’t miss presence against the downtown Hood River backdrop where the production facility looms large over the river. For such a large brewery and such a storied heritage, the on-site restaurant and taproom is surprisingly intimate and with a great elevated view of the gorge and Washington state. The other surprisingly small and custom element are the actual beers on tap, as we learned on a recent visit the full scale brewhouse is focusing on a few major 6-pack beers and contract brewed batches while a 5-barrel pilot brewhouse is powering all the old innovative and classic beers from the past and present. If you miss some of the old Brewmaster’s Series of Full Sail beers in bombers, from prior innovation brewmaster John Harris like Slipknot Double IPA, and Hop Pursuit IPA, you will find them back on tap at the pub only. Holiday classics are back as well, Wreck The Halls double IPA is one of Full Sail’s still distributed packaged beers in 16oz cans, but if you are anything like me and miss the even more vintage favorite Wassail you will be delighted as I was to find it on draft and tasting just as good as ever. Big beer lovers, will also be pleased with a new batch of Top Sail bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Porter. The pub also serves a full menu, we tried the giant pretzel sticks, hummus plate, and beer cheese soup, and all were solidly satisfying.
8 4th St, Hood River, OR 97031
One of the busiest breweries in town, Double Mountain has been satisfying singles out for the night and families looking to feed a group since 2007. The two sectioned pub consists of the original taproom and bar with a handul of seats and some comfy couches, and the expansion area that stretches down the block with more group sized tables and a separate bar area with even more seats. Double Mountain has stayed true to their roots, delivering New Haven-style pizzas with east meets west flavor combos, and mainstay longterm favorites on tap like IRA, Hop Lava, and Kolsch, with tons of new stuff filling out the lineup. As proud as Double Mountain is about their game changing brewpub and takes on PNW ales, they are also known for sourcing local fruit for their ciders and Lambic-style sours from their own Orchard in the upper valley. The seasonal specials to look out for at the taproom are Fa La La La La - a winter IPA inspired by Sierra Nevada Celebration, Chocolate Stout - an easy drinking and balanced relatively dry bakers chocolate dry stout, and Schwarzbier - a German-style dark lager with a touch of roast and caramel but otherwise a light bodied crusher. And for the winter the kithen is putting out a Roasted Duck Confit white pie with mozzarella, roasted duck confit, Rogue Creamery Oregon Blue cheese, caramelized onions, local fresh pears; finished with arugula and a swirl of balsamic glaze.
707 Portway Ave #101, Hood River, OR 97031
Already a hot destination at any time of year, pFriem decorates their taproom with white twinkling lights, festive red berry wreaths, and spruce. The food menu is always changing, with the kitchen doing a great job balancing pub classics with European-centric items and seasonal favorites that really get you into the spirit of the season, such as: pumpkin curry, chicken paprikash, lamb stroganoff, and potato leek soup.
But who are we kidding, you are probably going to pFriem primarily for the beers, and they have you covered in that respect with a variety of winter flavors depending on your taste. The mainstays are Winter Ale a very pacific northwest IPA with plenty of pine and citrus peel flavor with more malt backbone, and Belgian Christmas, a St. Bernardus inspired Belgian-style Dubbel that is slightly dark and malty with light orange and chocolate notes. But you can also find winter seasonals like the annual CDA, a Cascadian Dark Ale/Black IPA dark in color with a touch of roast and rich hop flavors like getting lost int he woods. A modern Double IPA with plenty of juicy hops, and a crispy Belgian Pilsner with big herbal/spicy hop flavors overlaid over bready malts, fill out the winter lineup.
403 Portway Ave, Hood River, OR 97031
Arguably the most beautiful build-out in all of Hood River, the Ferment Brewing Co. is spread out around a multi-story fermentation hub that houses the brewery on one side and their neighbors at Wilderton NA spirits on the other leg, while Ferment’s spacious deck and full-service restaurant anchor the second level. Ferment started out staking their reputation on former pFriem head brewer Dan Peterson’s English-style and PNW beers like the Pale Ale that captured a gold medal at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, the brewery has transitioned more into a vast selection of lagers, with some great West Coast, European, and barrel-aged beers holding the core of the lineup.
Ferment’s brewpub is one of the best spots to dine or drink in town, arguably with the most scenic space on the gorge as their elevated taproom just across waterfront park offers an almost unimpeded view of the popular kiteboarding area. But if you are looking for food as good as the beers, Ferment Brewing has you covered with a seamlessly executed menu of elevated and fermentation heavy foods both hearty and snackable. And during the winter months, the spacious deck has a big open gas firepit cranking and four warmly lit and heated yurts, and the brewery now has an annex space across the way with a separate bar, big screen tv and projector to catch football games like no other place in Hood River.
Spinning Wheels Brewing Project
606 Oak St Suite B, Hood River, OR 97031
Hood River’s newest brewery flies under the radar and a bit underground as a semi-hidden taproom underneath local favorite Lake Taco. To reach Spinning Wheels, listen for the tunes emanating from a faux rock speaker and a sign pointing to beer near the sidewalk on Oak Street. Follow a stone path down the backside of the building to a side-door basement entrance to an intimate taproom and beer garden in the middle of the block. This is where brewer owner/operator Andrew Rosette usually tends bar with the resident cat Taquito that lives in the taproom and has a private home through a cat door on the back patio. Rosette is a veteran of Double Mountain Brewing, and brewes his fairly traditional styles as a guest brand at Zoiglhaus Brewing in Portland. You will find simple easy to drink beers like Pale Ale, Helles, and Mexican-style Lager, but come for the company and to hear Rosette spin his favorite vinyl records from the lovingly maintained turntables.
110 5th St, Hood River, OR 97031
Beer, wine, and cider bar, the Hood River Common House is one of those rare elevated drinking spots that manages to balance all three alcoholic beverages with equal attention to selection and presentation. Located down the slope and below a boutique home which holds clothing retailer the Ruddy Duck, and Mike’s Ice Cream, the Common House is the best place to pick up packaged beers, ciders, wine in to-go formats in the downtown area. The bar keeps 12 drafts flowing, and when we visited the other weekend they were impeccably selected with winter friendly favorites like Sierra Nevada Celebration, and new hits like Kings & Daughters Wintering cozy Stout, and Grains of Wrath Schwarzbier.
1021 12th St, Hood River, OR 97031
This locals centric brewery is known for hosting community events and making top notch lagers and Cold IPA’s. The brewery which doubles as the home of Slopeswell Cider brand (now folded into Working Hands). The smaller but charming taproom features beautiful hand cut live edge tables, lots of group tabletop games, and a small stage for live music. Brewer and co-owner Kasey McCullough is a veteran of Ferment Brewing, Ninkasi, and The Pearl in Texas, and brings a love and acumen for clear and sharp beers like their flagship Helles and Cold IPA to the taps. If Working Hands seems under the radar, its mostly because the brewery is located on above the slope upper area of Hood River known as The Heights, where most of the year-round residents of the town actually live. If you find yourself craving something new or different, or exploring the less touristy areas of Hood River, the Working Hands brewery is well worth a visit.
Crush Cider Cafe
1020 Wasco St, Hood River, OR 97031
Hood River and the gorge may have more apples and cider than beer, and Crush Cider Cafe may be the best place to find many of the small batch production farmed ciders from around the valley in one place. Crush Cider makes their own, and chooses among the best of the area to fill out all 17 drafts with guest ciders and showcases as well as a few beers. The colorful space with a cider garden, hosts tap takeovers and regular salsa lessons, with a kitchen that specializes in Latin dishes like tacos, flautas, enchiladas, and pozole.
Holiday Family Activity
The historic Mt. Hood Railroad Christmas Train, is the family friendly attraction of Hood River winters. This beloved holiday adventure takes passengers on a scenic journey through the beautiful Hood River Valley, passing snow-capped mountains and rolling hillsides. Along the way, guests can enjoy hot cocoa and cookies while listening to holiday music and stories. The ride’s highlight is a visit from Santa Claus, who comes aboard to greet the children and pass out special gifts.
Book your ride: www.mthoodrr.com/train-rides/the-train-to-christmas-town
Hood River Hotel
Stay:
Visitors can choose from a variety of accommodations that capture the essence of the holidays. For panoramic views, the Columbia Gorge Hotel presents a serene escape, its gardens twinkling with lights and seasonal decor. The Hood River Hotel is a nostalgic nod to the past, while the Oak Street Hotel transforms into a festive haven. And the Best Western Plus Hood River Inn provides riverside serenity and world-class dining.
We stayed at the Hood River Hotel, a gorgeous casual vintage-luxury hotel on the edge of downtown that won’t break the bank. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places with updated historic rooms with great views, period style furnishings, beautiful art and a relaxing vibe. The lobby has an always cranking fireplace, and complementary NA beverages, and a small bar behind the counter for beer, wine, and spirits. One of the best features is their on-site restaurant is Broder Øst, a Scandinavian brunch spot started in Portland that is probably the best early day eats you will find in town.