Occidental Brewing Company

We recently hosted a retirement party for one of our Captains at Occidental Brewing, and it was absolutely perfect. The atmosphere was relaxed and inviting, the beer selection was fantastic, and the staff went above and beyond to make sure everything ran smoothly. Our guests couldn’t stop complimenting the space and the quality of the brews. From start to finish, it was an outstanding experience. Highly recommend Occidental for any gathering or just a great time with great beer!

It's a small tasting room with some outdoor seating. The space was just not that inviting, in my opinion. We came during the heat of the summer, and it was very stuffy inside, despite being empty of customers. The drinks were good, though! In previous reviews, we saw pictures with flights, so my husband ordered a flight to get some samples. The bartender said they don't serve flights. Sort of had a feeling that he didn't like us for some reason because he wasn't friendly, he seemed pretty friendly and lively when the next couple arrived though. Another thing to note, they don't serve food but there is a restaurant in the same lot you can order food from.

Wonderful space with delicious beers that has a dog friendly outdoor area (they are not allowed inside the brewery) with plenty of seating. They also allow outside food. Can come have a beer and play some of their board games. They do not have many options for those who do not drink beer/alcohol though outside of water.

We love having a beer at Occidental. Often, we take a deck of cards and a cribbage board and hangout while enjoying a delicious brew. My favorite of late is a Japanese inspired rice beer. My husband consistently goes for the Hefeweizen. The only downside is the lack of food... We do hear that they may add a food cart or two. We hope it's true!

Great little brewery located next to the picturesque Cathedral Park in North Portland. Went there today for the Oktoberfest celebrations and was not disappointed. Great vibes, German beers and snacks such as pretzels and wursts. Having lived in Germany for a long time, this brewery for sure served as a nostalgic experience. Would recommend this to everyone looking for a relaxing time with good beer and German food.

I've been coming here for 6 years. The beer gets better year after year. Come for the beer,come for the amazing trivia night, and enjoy the view of the St Johns bridge and have an awesome time. If you're coming to Portland this is a must go to place.

Still the best little octoberfest in Pdx… but please, play the chicken dance! (That’s from my daughter) food and beer is always spot on. Great brewery to visit anytime of the year!

I'm Not much for German beers as I am a Portlander by heart and enjoy a nice complex IPA, but I can say that these guys are fantastic! In the summer heat their German beers are perfect to cool you down. Their partnership with the Wursthaus makes for nice pairing. Get the taster tray and enjoy! They have a nice courtyard feel and the backdrop of the beautiful St. John's bridge.

Straightforward and clean taproom with garage doors that were opened up to give it more of an outdoor feel. Some games on the side and a fun large mural to muse over and sip at. Some photos were misleading that there is a view of the St John's bridge from atop. The taproom itself is facing in the opposite direction of the bridge and into a closed in parking lot surrounded by buildings. Food is actually provided at a German restaurant across the parking lot from the taproom. Too far to order and walk to for us so we settled for a couple pints. The rice lager was most memorable with an excellent crispiness to taste.

It's your basic tap house kind of like a hole In the wall. But the beer is good as always they have shuffleboard and pretty decent outside seating it's actually mostly outside seating. The German sausage place is across the parking lot that's where you get food. The server is very nice I've actually known her for a while so that was nice. Crazy to think I've lived in at John's all my life and I'm just now trying occidental it's a nice place to stop by for a quick beer.

Basic garage-style taproom with patio in the parking lot. They had a handful of ciders & seltzers on tap, along with about 10 beers. Beware of some misleading photos other people have posted about an "upper patio" with good views of the St. John's Bridge, as those photos were taken from the upstairs German restaurant across the parking lot, not directly from the Occidental Brewing patio. You can see part of the side of the bridge from their parking lot, but they don't have an upper-patio

No frills taproom in St Johns. Taproom is unique with the artwork they have around the place and love the St John mural! For $5 a glass it can't be beat. Plenty of packed brews in their fridge and if you're hungry grab some food at Urban German. The inside space is fairly small but they have plenty outdoor tables with some covering for you to enjoy your drinks.

If you are looking for a true German style beer, it at Occidental. All the beers are amazing and the staff are top notch. Best Hefeweizen around!

Asked the beermiester @ New Seasons for a great Hefeweizen and he recommended "Occidental's". Bought some and our review is BEST HEFEWEIZEN EVER"!! Subtle, smooth, goes down so easy

Occidental Brewing was a brewery Steven and I paid a visit to when we were in Portland in February to celebrate my birthday. Of course having craft beer is a great feature to the "big" day. First of all the location of this brewery is fantastic as it's in the area of Cathedral Park and just a short stroll from the brewery you get an excellent view of St. John's Bridge. The taproom itself is great too. It's spacious but on weekends it's a popular brewery and it can fill quite significantly here. In addition to the good sized space the taproom is very clean and sleek which is always a plus for me. Onto the beer... There were lots of choices to pick from here at Occidental but I went with their main pilsner. The beer had a good crisp and clean feature to it which made it very refreshing! They have a fee other pilsners as well but alas since we were on a tour of other breweries and Mcmenamins locations one beer is where we had to stop with here!

Tasty beer, proximity to Cathedral Park, battleship winner, Chinese checkers loser, nice patio. Pilsner is good, kolsch is better. Wursthaus next time across the parking lot.

Caught up with a friend I haven't seen for months and I think I found one of my new favorite German bars in the area (watch out Prost!). The brews were refreshing and the bartender was amiable and open to questions we had about the menu. What can get better than good food, good company, and a view of St. John's near sunset!

Pleasant, quick stop here on a warm Saturday afternoon as we waited for our boating friends to call us down to the nearby dock for an afternoon on the Willamette. This was a great place to pass the time. We ordered one round of beer and red wine--service was friendly and efficient. From the upper patio, I enjoyed the views of Forest Park and the St. John's Bridge. I also appreciated the simple format: order and pay at the counter and bus your table. Easy enough, especially for drinks. The atmosphere is a bit warehouse-ish and barren, which also works; the focus is on the beer and food. I look forward to returning and anticipate moving this three star rating to four stars--I just want a little more experience with this place to allow proper research, and with the Cathedral Park boat launch and dock a mere 500 steps away, I predict that I'll have sufficient practice here by July.

Nice brewery! I went for their Oktoberfest celebration. They had some good beers, I had the kolsch. They have both a brewery and a restaurant. They had some food as well. I liked the sausage with sauerkraut and the pretzel was kind of disappointing, it was cold and tasted like it just came out of the bag. Overall, the beers were good, it was a good stop! Plus we got to take home a glass too!

This brewery was on the list of possible breweries to visit on my trip to Portland but due to it's location we didn't think we'd make it here. Turns out it was the first brewery we went to. We wanted to play some disc golf and the course we ended up picking was very close by. So we stopped here beforehand to have a flight. The cool thing here was that they had just brewed a fresh hop beer and they had extra hops. So they were giving away bags and bags of fresh hops. I figured I wouldn't be allowed to bring any home to Canada without some trouble so I took a pass. My friend from San Diego however scooped up a bag. What we later learned is that having fresh hops in just a paper bag in your hotel room for any length of time is a bad idea. This brewery isn't the fanciest by any means. It's looks very DIY, but it's just fine by me. The bar is covered in bottle caps that have been set in clear resin. It's a fun game to see where they're from and what beers you've had.

It's hard to find a good Hefeweizen in Portland, land of the IPA's, but this place has an amazing one. The view and dog friendly patio is an added bonus.

The Occidental Hefeweizen is my go to beer around town. Light, bold and full of flavor. Fresh from the tap is even better. It's refreshing to find a brewery in this town with a change in line up. Less hops, more German style lagers. The brewery is super chill and has a nice shuffle board table. I love the nearby view of the Saint John's Bridge. Since the hefe is easily found in stores and bars, I don't make it up to this location as much as I should. It's a great place with nice beertenders!

This is a great little taproom with a super homey neighborhood vibe. We came by during Zwickelfest and they gave us a tour and some free tastes! If you're into german beers, you definitely need to stop by Occidental. They have a great selection of standard german beers that are really great examples of their style.

Staff was incredibly rude. My uncle from out of town was looking for a place to grab a pint and found this place on Google. Turns out it was a trivia night, unknown to us. He said the answer to a question out loud whole walking up not knowing what was really going on and the guy on the mic told us to get out straight away. Not "don't do that please", but just "get out". I could feel there were some....undertones to the sentiment based on the tone of his voice. Let's just say I won't be going back.

This is up there as one of my favorite breweries in Portland, mainly in that they offer something that is different than "double/triple/quad imperial IPA" that you see all over town. Portland is a city that prides itself with it's pale ale's, but sometimes I want to try something a bit different and lighter. I really appreciate that they focus strictly on German style beers, as I quite enjoy the style along with it's distinct flavors and quality. The taproom is fairly barren, but has a nice little outdoor seating area along with plenty of indoor seating. Every time I have gone, the bartender has been very friendly and loves to talk about the beer they serve. There is a German food restaurant across the lot from them, but I haven't tried the food or have gone in because they don't do flights, which the taproom does offer. I recommend coming here if you love beer and want something a bit different than typical Pacific Northwest beers.

Came here because we were at cathedral park and this was close. Didn't know anything about it. Turns out it's more Germanish style beers, which I'm less fond of. That said, I really enjoyed the beer here and general atmosphere. Got a flight with the altbier, nw pilsner, b.a. lucubrator and forget the last. I personally liked the nw pilsner the most. Glad to have stopped by.

I'm one of those few in Pacific Northwest who doesn't like hoppy beers. Occidental is the place where I can find the boozy malty delicious brews I can fully enjoy.

This is a great brewery. I love that they stick with German style beers, and they do a wonderful job it it! The brewery has a nice open seating area and some outside seating as well. The decoration is clever and can keep you entertained and occupied if you bore easily. Right off of Cathedral Park, it's a wonderful spot to grab a beer before or after spending some time by the river and enjoying the spectacular view of St. John's Bridge. Their beers are true to style and are all delicious. I'm very happy to find a place that can satisfy my cravings for good ol' Deutsches Bier.

Occidental... delicious beer in a location tucked away in St. John's hood. This is my fourth trip to Portland and my second time here - it's on my list of select breweries to always visit and it's because of the beers quality. Fresh, malty and hoppy. Make sure to partake in some urban exploring too, it's a gorgeous area of Portland with diverse eating options.

I really enjoyed this brewery. It was small and simple. We went to the taproom and it was really nice out so the taproom was opened up and there was also a totally outside seating area as well which was pet friendly. The beer was good but there was a pretty limited selection. Good beer, just fewer options than most breweries. The bartender was really nice though and offered samples when I was deciding between a few beers

This review is for the brewery alone and not the restaurant as I never tried the food. The brewery is german through and through (for better or for worse). We were in the St. John's area after stopping by Cathedral Park and we decided to start the brewery tour up again. Occidental Brewing was in the area so that was our first stop. Now I'll preface this by saying that I do enjoy hoppier beers. The more unique the beer, the more I'll be interested in drinking it. That said, Occidental is german through and through. Dunkels, Altbiers and Hefeweizens are what to expect. While good beers in their own right, nothing stood out to me as "Wow, this is such a better tasting beer than altbiers I've had in the past" (their alt is very good by the way). I've heard good things about their food so if I'm ever in the area I'll make sure to hang a left and try out the food.

Friends and I attended Oktoberfest where we were having a great time. During a game of shuffle board, a group of three older men, regulars of the bar, started to harass me. A bartender who is also management at the establishment, Dan if I recall, took their side in the matter. The whole experience was incredibly agist and sexist; I've never had such an encounter at an establishment where it made me feel so unwelcome to the point where I had to leave. This unfortunately was the case and my friends and I Ieft the venue. We have no plans on returning and do not recommend visiting.

I've always enjoyed their beers around town and in cans... this is a little hidden gem of a brewery. Great beers, very flavorful. I love the quads they brew here. Relaxed environment and friendly staff :)

Stopped in on recommendation from a Portland friend last night. I thought I was getting food too, but that's on me for forgetting that it was a tap house not a pub. The gentleman behind the bar gave me a rundown of some of the beers on tap. Settled on a Hefeweizen, and three others... though I don't remember their names. Great beer. Hope to bring friends when I'm back in Portland.

We were excited to come here, but were turned away for having a 2 year old by a snappy older man. NOT GOOD FOR KIDS!

Wait, a previous reviewer was turned away for having kids? That's terrible. Not! Parents: there are adults out there that exist that don't want to hear, or see, your kids when they're trying to kick back and chill over the greatest German-style beers in Portland. In fact, that's one of the things that I love about this place - it is soooo relaxing to grab a pint here, and just sink into your seat. The atmosphere? I just went over that. The beer? Wow! True to style, and just quite honestly mind-blowing. They've got the styles so nailed down it's insane. Their beers are nearly flawless. In my opinion, this is one of the best breweries in Portland. It's out of the way from central Portland, which I also like. Having food right across the way, and legit food, to boot, is awesome. Cheers.

This particular brewery has stuck with perfecting the German style beer and in a very specific part of Portland and for that I love Occidental Brewing. Very attractive logo design to top of a refreshing pint, in addition to topping off a great price for a growler fill, makes it a pleasing combination. I hope to see lots of awesome things happen for Occidental and their superb brewers and owners.

I finally got myself over to this place. It was a sweltering day. I needed a cold brew. I tried a tasting flight but my favorite was their Hefeweizen. Smooth, delicious, cold and just a hint of citrus. Not too much at all. Perfection! These guys really know what they're doing with German-style beers! It's a small little tasting room with a couple tables and a bar. But they have games! So, if you find yourself down here, go in and check it out. Kids are allowed at the tables, FYI. So if you can't find a babysitter, no problem-o. Just get there early enough because they close at 8pm. You can fill up growlers, order a keg or order a corny keg for that party you're going to throw. Or just chill with a nice big glass of tasty cold beer. Cheers!

Wonderful selection of beers. Decorated nicely. They have numerous old cans lining each wall from beers from many decades. The staff are friendly and inviting. Seating is somewhat limited when they're busy so you may have to stand which they have a few standing locations. They do have an outside area (small) but it was too chilly the few times I visited. I shared a table with other patrons by asking if we could do it European style; share the space :) it was nice. Dogs are allowed inside so feel free to bring you well behaved pup :)

Occidental is one of my favorite breweries in Portland. I would usually give it five stars but they do not allow children in The tasting room. So it makes it very limited.

The location is great. The beer is great. The staff? Not so much! When we were visiting for the first time, our server was the dark haired, somewhat endomorphic guy in the hipster glasses... with that hipster "too cool to be nice to anybody" attitude. This review will be concentrating on the service offered by this one particular waitron, on the evening of Friday, September 2, 2016 ... and since I did not get his name, I will call him "Guy". My Beloved and I started our first visit here with a round at the taproom, then moved across the way to the Wurst house. When we walked up to the bar in the Wurst House, there were two other parties in front of us."Guy" was working the bar, and never made eye contact with any of us. He just barked "Who's NEXT??" as his only acknowledgement of our presence. We got our beers, placed our food order, and took seat outside to enjoy the view on a late summer Friday evening. The ambiance is delightful, tucked under the scenic St Johns Bridge as it is... perfect for lingering all evening. My Beloved and I, sharing an interest in local history, were intrigued by the building itself. It's a MASSIVE warehouse/manufacturing type building, currently used as mixed-use creative space. But it showed signs of having been added onto over the years in a carefully thought-out manner, like it had grown with *intent*. We wanted to know more. When "Guy" brought our food order a few minutes later, we attempted to engage him on the question, "We're really intrigued by this building, tucked down here under the bridge. Do you happen to know it's original use?" For an experienced server, this is a HUGE invitation to create some serious customer goodwill and make regulars out of first-timers. So what was "Guy"'s response? "Hmphf..." as the plate hits the table in front of us, "It's ALWAYS been mixed use space" he grumps out condescendingly, just before he wheels and marches back inside to the bar. My beloved stared at me and said "Wow....". I replied with "I know. The food may be German, but the waiter is clearly French. Parisian, in fact." Now, I don't expect wait staff to be architectural or historical experts, but if you think back to exemplary customer service experiences at, say, a McMenamins, the wait staff can at least interact conversationally when you show an interest in their establishment, filling you in on what the DO know about the history of the building, or other tidbits. You know, build some RAPPORT.... I'd have been fine with "Guy" saying, "you know, I just don't know what the building's history is...that's an interesting question." or other civil response. SO, I did the 21st Century thing - I did a little internet research before we left. Turns out the building is the original corporate location for COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR. For any Portland residents, this is an item worth note. The building is historically significant! So not only was "Guy"'s information off-putting and condescending, but it was flat-out WRONG. We didn't linger. In fact, we left feeling glum from our experience. "Guy" left us feeling unwelcome at a place that, quite simply, has a lot going for it if it caters to its strengths and figures out how to get people to linger. . Instead, we left and finished our date night at the Skyline Tavern, where they've clearly figured out the value of friendly, personable customer experiences. Just to be clear, "Guy" didn't single us out for such treatment - he treated EVERYBODY to the same anti-social service. Such a shame, he totally squandered a chance to make regulars out of us. To the Owners: let's face it, the Wurst house is in an inconvenient location. The view is worth it, but you don't just "happen by" this location - you have to go there with intent. If your service sucks, and customers don't feel special from their experience, then 1) on their first visit they'll leave sooner and buy the next round somewhere else, instead of lingering. And 2) the next time they go out, they'll just stop someplace closer to home. Crappy, brusque service delivered with an attitude of disdain is, quite simply, NOT what customers are looking for. To play to your strengths, you need service that makes customers decide to stay all evening. If the Wurst house wants to avoid becoming the "Worst" House, the attitude on the wait staff needs to be adjusted. And FAST. To be fair, the staff in the Taproom down below, on the same night, were FANTASTIC. Somebody PLEASE assign "Guy" to the kitchen and move the taproom ladies upstairs. Seriously.

I've lived in Portland almost my whole life, and have never been here...sad. But, today my girlfriend and I made the trip to St. John's and luckily stumbled upon it after our stroll through the cathedral park. Definitely worth a visit, if you're in the St. John's area. I suggest trying the Weiss beer and one of the brothwurst!!!

Dog friendly! Samples were only a dollar each so we shared a whole flight of nine. Overall impression was pretty darn good for an American version of German beers! Worth the trip out of the way to try them out.

I came after Parade Day. I tried their hefeweizen and maibock. Both were really good and pretty iconic to their styles. The maibock had a bit of herbal bite to it that I couldn't quite pick up. I don't usually drink many German style beers, but these were pretty darn tasty. The atmosphere was super chill, and the bartender was really friendly. He told me he used to be a regular customer there, so that speaks pretty highly of their beer! I came on a rainy day but can't wait to be able to sit outside!

I discovered this treasure a few summers back- amidst a "Portland" heat wave. It was above 100 degrees, and me and some friends came here for some COLD ONES. The beers were very cold and refreshing. Perfect on a hot day. There was no ac, just fans, but it worked for us, it was crowd control, and my group had the pub to our selves. We played a couple different board games that were in-house and also played shuffle board. It was a great place to chill. THen, the next time I ended up going was in the middle of winter in Portland! Hah, I didn't mean to only visit on extremes. But it was great on that specific Friday night we went, it was not crowded at all. We had the place almost to our selves again. It wasn't a typical "portland scene" where you have to fight and use elbows to get to bar to order a drink. I appreciate the chill atmosphere and that the person behind the bar is attentive and ready to take your order. THe beers themselves are German style and quite different then NW -style IPA's that are very hopped up. I'm a big fan of their Kolsch- it's very light and refreshing, the type of beer that you would turn to, after mowing the lawn on a hot day!

Great neighborhood spot with super friendly and helpful service that has a beer for every person. The pours are large and well worth the $5ish dollars. The environment is awesome complete with old beer can collection, throwback music and plenty of beer and Occidental mercy you can take home. Every beer we tried was brewed to perfection and we really liked hanging out at this low key place. We will be back next time we are in the moods for some fresh local brews.

I'm a fan of the beer, but the experience of visiting the brewery left a lot to be desired. On the date of our visit, they were only serving 4 of their beers, and one was a $6 glass. The drinking area is tiny, and the two groups who beat us there got the tables. We were able to sit a couple of us at the bar, while the other two stood. I am a fan of drinking next to the tanks, so bonus points for that. Back to the $6 beer... It was REALLY good! (the Lucibrator (sp?)) Seems like it could have come in a smaller glass, but whatever, I'd already tried the other 3 options, too.

Occidental Brewing Co has some great Hefeweizen. Yum. This weekend while visiting Portland I had the opportunity to visit Occidental for a Oktoberfest Celebration. The fest itself was pretty small... a few food booths, 2 beer stations and some live music. It had a nice turnout and the beer was free flowing for $4 each. I'm glad I got the opportunity to come, and would definatly go back to drink their beer in the future.

This is my favorite microbrew in Portland! At first the German style beer was an adjustment (coming from a place with hop-heavy ipas). But the beer here is clean and crisp, and you can't go wrong with an altbier when transitioning from ipa to German style but the pilsner has my heart now (especially in the summer). The people are wonderful and fun...can't go wrong! Also shuffleboard. And lockers with personality. Just ask the regulars and you'll get a tour!

I'm not much of a beer drinker but the hubby is and so we thought we'd give this place a try after visiting the area for lunch. The place was quiet when we first arrived and the owner was more than willing to help answer our many questions on the beers and my hubby's questions on starting home brewing. Really nice relaxed atmosphere and when hubby tried the sampler, I had a sip of them too. Pleasantly surprised to find out that I really enjoyed the Dunkel (super smooth) and the seasonal FestBier (also really good!). Now this is beer that I can enjoy and so we took home a growler of the Dunkel. This place is worth stopping by to try their great beers even if you aren't much of a beer drinker - you might be converted!!

Great brewery, relaxed atmosphere super kind beer tender, and most of all the beer is delicious. I personally go through 9 of the 12 available. Number on I'd have to says was the seasonal Cathederal and in a very close second was the barrel aged dunkle! They have a refreshing house pils that is clean and traditional very good. I'd definitely return and recommend to a friend! Cheers to delicious traditional German brewing :)

Occidental brews some amazing German beer and that's kind of their theme. I am basically a big fan of German beers so I loved the dunkel and altbier they had when I visited. Only reason to take a star away was that they didn't have a tv and the music selection wasn't that great. Their outdoor seating is nice and pet friendly.

Worst Bloody Mary so far in PDX. Extra star for service. Didn't want to eat after tasting a watery reddish mess of a drink. Lotza ice and cheap vodka.

I'M SPOILED. I live in St. Johns and I'm absolutely spoiled. Places like Occidental Brewing don't make it any easier for me to think that maybe, just possibly, one day I will move out of this neighborhood and feel the intense separation anxiety one gets when pulled away from his/her soul mate. I don't claim to know anything about beer. Really, anything at all, but I know what I like and I like this place. Tasters (4 ox pours) are $1 and if you want to try all 5 beers on tap, go right ahead. The owner was telling me that one of his regulars will stop by and only drink tasters, this way if he's just passing by he drinks one or two instead of an entire glass. It comes out to the same price anyway, $4 for a half-liter. At first I was shy, you know these German-style beers can sometimes give off the vibe that they're supposed to be sipped by the beer elites. But after sitting down, playing a game of dominoes, I eased into things. It's a small operation, but the beers made a huge impact on me. I am in love with their current season, the Dunkelweizen. A dark wheat beer that reminded me of bananas and brown sugar in my oatmeal. So go there, sit and drink beer, and think about how lucky I am to live in this neighborhood.

Live in the neighborhood and have been coming here somewhat regularly. Decided to stop by their Oktoberfest celebration and had some of the regulars harass a female friend I was with. Instead of reprimanding them or attempting to resolve any conflict, the manager/bartender (Dan I believe, who must have been these regulars' friend) joined in the harassment, and essentially kicked her out and walked away. Possibly the most ageist, sexist experience I've had with a company. The fellow manager, a woman named Alex I think, attempted to address concerns, but the owner was unaccommodating and obviously the manager's actions were unbelievable. Don't expect to get treated equally here if you are young or female.

Note! NO FOOD IS SERVED! Our gang assumed there would be food so showing up at 2pm for beers and lunch turned into getting pretty toasted at 2pm instead. I tried the sampler (4 oz ) of each beer. They had 8 on tap and are $1 each so pretty good way to try them all. I really enjoyed the Hefewizen and the Kolsch. The atmosphere is very nice, they have a few outside tables but most are inside in the open air garage and some stools at the bar. Nice friendly waitress and reasonable prices. Welcome to St. Johns!

First brewery where we were told to leave for bringing our baby. Avoid this place if you're looking for a family friendly atmosphere.