Some posts on this site may contain affiliate links that help me earn a small commission if you purchase or subscribe to a product from one of my links (at no extra cost to you!). Read my full Privacy Policy here.
When we first moved up to Oregon (temporarily), Ecliptic Brewing in Portland, Oregon easily climbed to the top of our list of favorite Portland breweries! Not only do they have great beer, they have amazing food, a great location, and good vibes.
A little bit of the brewery’s backstory: the founder of Ecliptic, John Harris, is a master creator of many brews (including the well-known Deschutes Mirror Pond and Black Butte Porter) and has a wealth of experience working at some other big name breweries. He really knows his stuff when it comes to beer!
The brewery is also space-themed, which I think is really unique and makes for some fun brew names!
Eclipic Beers
Much like other breweries, there will be rotating taps here with lots of seasonal beers. We visited first in winter, so there was a selection of winter brews to choose from, along with the classics.
Instead of blabbing about the description of each beer, I decided to take some photos of the beer menu so that you can get a word-for-word on the description.
- Their Orbiter IPA is a great go-to. We are total hop heads, so a good IPA is really what defines a good brewery to me (yes, yes – we all have our favorites and preferences, and IPAs just happen to be ours).
- The Phobos Red Ale is also not too bad, and you can likely find that bottled in many grocery locations around the city as well (BTW – their beer bottle labels are literally out of this world!).
These next three really shine!
- I personally am not a huge stout drinker, but the Oort is a winner…I mean, it’s an imperial stout, coming in at a strong 8.5% ABV. It’s extremely drinkable and pleasant, even for those non-stout drinkers out there.
- The Barleywine, well, take it easy with that one. It was so good, we bought a bottle to take back to our hotel for late night drinking.
- And Pollux, oh sweet Pollux…this citrus-y imperial IPA will make you want to fill your glass more than once. I’m really a big fan of the citrus-forward IPAs!
From this next selection, we had the Frosty Leo Winter Ale – a very tasty seasonal beer!
And finally, the heavy hitter – the Hypernova. This was definitely our favorite of the bunch. Make sure you have a designated driver if you favor the triple IPAs! Or, you can just walk over to the Mississippi neighborhood nearby for some shopping, more beer drinking, and snacking on delicious foods.
Ecliptic Décor
As I mentioned earlier, the brewery is space-themed so you would, of course, expect to see some space-themed décor. The overall atmosphere here is a comfortable industrial vibe, and the outdoor seating gives you a great view of part of the city on a clear day.
Here, you can see a glimpse of both the indoor and outdoor seating, and these large windows roll up to create a more open feel during the warmer months.
Food at Ecliptic
Ohhhh the foods. They are so good!
The sandwich items at Ecliptic have always been so satisfying, with my favorite being their vegan farro burger. A crunchy, house-made farro patty was served with romesco, caramelized fennel, and arugula served on a ciabatta bun.
For all you meat eaters out there, have no fear, burgers and chicken drumsticks abound! My husband had the burger with lamb bacon, goat cheddar, caramelized onion, jalapeno and a malt aioli. Way to work in some extra beer-related ingredients!
I had a tough time choosing between the vegan burger and the beet melt on our first trip, so I swore to myself I’d try the beet melt the second time around and it was fantastic! I have never in my life thought of pairing beets, apples, and cheese in a sandwich but it’s pretty genius. I had mine with a delish chickpea vegetable soup.
If I could only choose one, I’d definitely go for the veggie burger, but if you plan on multiple visits, either one is a winner.
One our second visit, we also tried the grilled sturgeon special. It was cooked perfectly and the sauce was so complimentary! I’d never had sturgeon before, but it reminded me a little of other steak-like fishes such as mahi mahi or marlin, which are easy to overcook and make tough. This was not the case here. Bravo, Ecliptic.
If you’re in Portland anytime soon, definitely pay Ecliptic Brewing a visit! You will not be disappointed. Cheers!
Ecliptic Brewing
Address: 825 N Cook St, Portland, OR 97227
http://eclipticbrewing.com
Leave a Reply