A Hot Weekend in Portland: Crux Fermentation Project

We spent the weekend in Portland, Oregon, visiting Mom and checking out Portland Pride. It was a sweltering 95 degrees both Saturday and Sunday, but we mustered up enough energy (and plenty of ice cold water to stay hydrated and sober) and ventured out to a few breweries to try their latest offerings on tap.

Our first stop on Saturday afternoon was Crux Fermentation Project's new digs on the western side of the Cascades, in Southeast Portland, which recently opened a month ago in the former spot of Vagabond Brewing. We had our dog with us so we sat outside. With a warm breeze and barely enough shade for the two of us and the dog, we were grateful for the quick service and the exceptionally friendly staff at Crux and their ice cold beer. We ordered two flights totaling eight beers.

The first flight we had included El Crucero Mexican-style lager, Bochi Bochi Japanese-style lager, Glow Stick Hazy, and Velvet Underpants Hazy. The second flight consisted of all IPAs: Flashcards White IPA, Gimme Mo Not Just Another IPA, Ghost Captain Space Hop IPA, and Grade A Portland IPA.

Beer flight at Crux Fermentation Project

I was pleasantly surprised by the El Crucero - citrusy, light, but had some bones to it, still. Bochi Bochi tasted like a watered down Sapporo; hence, it was my least favorite. Glow Stick is the typical hazy style with tropical fruitiness, whereas Velvet Underpants had quite a bit more hoppiness to it. Both I've seen at our local NW Costco's before.

All the IPAs were very tasty, but what intrigued me the most flavor-wise was the Flashcards White IPA. Described as having "spicy Belgian aromas with modern American hops", the taste reminded me of that hard pink bubble gum covered with a dusting of powder that you would get in a pack of baseball cards, or even Bazooka. This was not a bad thing at all.

Ultimately, we settled for pints of Glow Stick and Gimme Mo, which had a piney hop profile, but also had a slight sun-kissed smack of the tropics that made me say "gimme mo". We paired these with their pretzel, which was so tasty with the house-made beer cheese that came with it. It was so good that I suggested to our server that they should add a roasted broccoli dish covered with the beer cheese.

Crux Fermentation Project hit the spot and was a great start to an afternoon under the sun. While we do love Bend, it's great that we don't need to always travel across the mountains to get a bit of the Central Oregon beer scene right in the heart of Portland.

Side note: Our great staff mentioned that they will be added coverings to the outdoor space in the next month or two, so that'll be a great addition for the extra shade and protection from the sun and winter months.

Also worth mentioning: I requested a taster of their Lemonology strawberry-lemonade sour. The description of "slightly tart with strawberry, Sicilian lemon, and hibiscus" plus the heat made me forget all about my dislike for sours (just for a few minutes). One word - wow! It was like drinking a lemonade with the right amount of tart and fruit flavor. All I needed was a swimming pool, a chaise lounge, and maybe a straw -- it's okay to drink beer through a straw, right?

Up next: We're heading over to Beaverton to check out Breakside Brewery's new digs, as well as hitting up Von Ebert and Great Notion. Stay tuned.