For over a year, Intelligentsia baristas Ryan Willbur and Devin Pedde have discussed the Horse Brass with the kind of reverence that Catholics reserve for the Vatican. During the United States Barista Championship, I had an opportunity to join them at the SE Portland pub, which dates to 1976, and the beer list alone nearly had me speaking in tongues.
Every seat in the sprawling pub was filled, and almost every hand was hoisting a pint glass. Near the back entrance, a couple people were whipping darts at a board. The casual neighborhood bar featured plenty of dark wood, stained glass and there was a steady hum of conversation.
The deep beer list specialized in Pacific Northwest brews, including plenty of options that would be unimaginable in Southern California. There were dozens of beers on draught, including “Guests on Tap” and some that were supposed to be “Coming Soon,” but materialized early.
Northwesterners are clearly passionate about hoppy beers, as evidenced by the Horse Brass method of listing IBUs on the menu, where applicable. IBU stands for International Bittering Unit, the scale used to measure hop bitterness in beer. The scale supposedly maxes out at 100 IBUs, since people apparently can’t tolerate any more bitterness, but that didn’t stop the Horse Brass from stocking an “experimental” Apex IPA from Bear Republic that measured 100+.
Willbur and Pedde are hop-heads, so they ordered Homo Erectus Imperial IPA from Walking Man “brewed in celebration of humans being erect for 2 million years.” The beer packed 100 IBU and the sip I took slapped around my tastebuds in the best possible way. Willbur also ordered a cask-conditioned Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic with 90+ IBUs. It was served warm and had a strong hops bite and even more complexity than the Homo Erectus.
Monica ordered a Belgian Apple Ale from HUB in Portland that wasn’t as sickly sweet as most ciders.
To eat, the Horse Brass features a short menu of British-style pub classics.
The Horse Brass lived up to the hype, delivering a terrific beer experience at bargain prices that are unthinkable in Los Angeles. On my next trip to Portland, I expect to make another pilgrimage.
Blog Comments
Sean Inman
June 8, 2009 at 10:17 AM
Horse Brass is great but what I like about Portland’s beer scene is that most restaurants have great small beer lists. You don’t have to go to a “beer bar” to taste great brews.
Joshua Lurie
June 8, 2009 at 10:42 AM
I was just getting started on the Portland beer scene, and the Horse Brass was a great introduction. Looking forward to branching out next time.
Topics about Travel » Horse Brass - Portland, OR - March 6, 2009
March 22, 2009 at 9:15 PM
[…] Bollywood songs placed an observative post today on Horse Brass – Portland, OR – March 6, 2009Here’s a quick excerptOn my next trip to Portland, I expect to make another pilgrimage. […]
mattatouille
March 22, 2009 at 8:08 PM
that Scotch Egg looks like death (the good kind, if there’s such a thing).
this place could put Father’s Office to shame. I want to try a beer that’s 100+ in IBU
Joshua Lurie
March 26, 2009 at 1:18 AM
Father’s Office looks amazing, but the beer list is better at Horse Brass, and the experience is much more enjoyable.