Drinking in Portland During the Coronavirus Pandemic

Brooke Jackson-Glidden is the editor of Eater Portland.

Tangled between two rivers, and consistently grey with slow, drizzly rain, Portland is a drinker’s town. It sits between two lauded wine regions, with bines of hops growing to the south, traveling north to the city’s breweries for fresh hop ales and IPAs. Wild, unfiltered water drips down from the Bull Run Watershed, shockingly pristine, and serves as the foundation for some of the city’s celebrated cups of coffee. Distilleries, breweries, and urban wineries dot the city, found within clusters of bars and restaurants. Finding a good cocktail, shot of espresso, glass of wine, pint of beer — that isn’t hard in Portland.

At least, that was the case, until recently: Coronavirus barged through the city’s restaurant and bar scene, knocking down iconic spots like Shift Drinks and neighborhood haunts like Liberty Glass. Even the tea shops weren’t safe: Brew Dr., formerly known as Townshend’s Tea, is slowly closing all of its teahouses, in favor of wholesale kombucha. Bartenders went on unemployment for months — if they could even get it. Bar owners hunkered down, pulling together some sort of food takeout, transforming their wine bars into bottle shops, and fighting to sell cocktails to-go.

For Portland drinkers, beverage — alcoholic or not — is a foundational part of the city’s culture. Coffee shops and bars are meeting grounds, makeshift office spaces, community centers. Some people have returned to those spaces, sipping Old Fashioneds under covered patios. Others are waiting, ordering coffee beans online. Regardless, the city’s beverage industry is holding on — but who knows how long that will last.

Below, we explore the state of Portland’s beverage industry during one of its most challenging years yet, and tell you where to go if you’re looking for something good to drink — turns out, there’s plenty out there, even now.