We went to the Von Ebert in downtown Portland last night. We just didn’t want to drive to the other locations during rush hour, plus, I had never been to this location.
Von Ebert Pearl – Building and Food
This is a great space. It is massive! Super high ceilings, enough tvs that you could see a game if you want, but not so many to be distracted. We sat in the bar half, but it was clear that plenty of families sat in the other half. Plus, there is outside seating (and the road isn’t THAT busy, but it isn’t quiet either). 100% love this space. Parking isn’t ideal, as you’d expect, but neither of us parked more than 2 blocks away, and there is a lot across the street. Also, I parked right by Deschutes, if you want to hit another brewery…..(10 barrel is also close).
The food? Mixed bag for me. Patrick’s mushroom pizza was very good (could have used a few more mushrooms). He also got the truffle aioli which as amazing!
My tater tots were perfectly cooked. However, my smoked brisket wasn’t all that smoky, and the cheese only covered about a third of the sandwich (bummer that, as it was good). I’d guess that most of the food is between average and good, and would say it has enough items to please everyone.
Von Ebert– the Beer
Patrick definitely took the tasting seriously this week! He even pulled out a notebook, and we made sure to order 8 different tastings. My real complaint here? The price. Seventeen dollars for 5 five ounce pours seemed high to me. I’d have preferred to pay under 15 for that. Maybe I’m off here, but the food wasn’t low priced either…..
From most to least favorite (we recommend the first five):
Sector 7 – This is a very good hazy IPA. It isn’t the juice bomb some are, but it is juicy. I called it a great “intro hazy”. Lots of fruit on first sip, a hint of balance at the end. Highly recommended.
Intellectual Spice – Tangerine-Mango-Habanero ale….Lots of tangerine, but not so much it doesn’t taste like beer. The habanero was just a tinge on the back of your mouth after you’d swallowed all the beer. I don’t like spicy beers, but we both liked this quite a bit.
Funeral Plain – Stout – Imperial. This tasted like a barrel aged stout, but wasn’t one. It wasn’t a GREAT imperial, but it was a very good one. Very chocolatey, and if you let it heat to room temp, it’s almost like drinking lightly or unsweetened cocoa powder (in a good way).
Chain Seeker – Summer IPA, which is a style I had never heard of. Crushable IPA! I’d drink this all day golfing or sitting in the sun.
Nook & Friends – A good IPA. A classic American style. Sweet and bitter, with a jammy nose.
The next three? Well, I’d not order them again, but you might, maybe.
Waning Echoes – Stout – I was surprised that I didn’t like this. At first it seemed like a classic stout, but the more I drank it, the hoppier it got, which is not what I want in a stout. We both felt the coffee and cocoa were good, but it was much too hoppy for both of us. YMMV, of course.
Volatile Substance – IPA – I think this is their flagship IPA….but for us it tasted like pine resin (which, hey, we both order A LOT of IPAs, so we don’t hate resin).
Vaper machine – Wheat Beer – had you told us this was a flavorless lager like the big boys make, we’d have not been surprised. No idea what they were going for, but there is no hint of wheat here at all. Utterly bland and just boring.
That’s the second beer review in what should be an ongoing series of articles. You can find a list of the breweries and links to my thoughts here: (All the Breweries and Reviews).