What's On Tap, Portland - Green Dragon

by Mike Pomranz, Posted Jun 17th 2009 @ 1:00PM

The Green Dragon in Portland, Oregon. Photo: mrzarquon/Flickr

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

According to the past two weeks' worth of WOT, Portland, Ore., might be the most neglected What's On Tap city. And what neglect! Portland has regularly been regarded as one of America's top beer towns, snagging top honors in a recent online poll that beer legend Charlie Papazian put together.

This week, Portland's Green Dragon gets some much deserved attention. It was named after Boston's original Green Dragon Tavern, which was dubbed "the headquarters of the Revolution" due to the proclivity of many rabble-rousing Colonial American groups to congregate there. Proprietors of this modern Oregonian iteration promote relaxation, not rebellion, with a great draft selection that includes a number of hard to find brews, a chill atmosphere and a large selection of bar games.

Last year, the Green Dragon was purchased by Rogue Ales, but that hasn't changed its commitment to offering a unique range of beers. Assistant Manager Samantha Sugar (who calls herself the "Beer Gazelle") tells us the Dragon still aims for that "neighborhood bar appeal" with an always rotating selection of beers.

The new affiliation has mainly meant taking on some Rogue promotional events like Aloha Tuesdays (free beer for folks wearing Hawaiian shirts!) and the Pints for Prostates charity event. Within the next six months, Sugar tells us, the pub even plans on brewing its own beer, separate from Rogue, with their own brewmaster and recipes. In the short term, watch out for the watering hole adding "30 more taps" later this summer. Nice!

For now, the 19 taps Green Dragon has are more than enough. A WOT insider tip: Yes, the Green Dragon Web site has a "Tap List" section, but their Myspace blog appears to stay far more current. Here's the current draft list posted on that blog as of early this week.

Alameda Wheat
Bear Republic Grizzly
Caldera Imp Stout
Fearless Brown
Fish Tale IPA
Fox Barrel Blk. Currant Cider
Full Sail LTD 2
Great Divide Barley Wine
Issaquah White Frog
Leavenworth Dunkel
New Belgium La Folie
New Belgium Trip II
Ninkasi Spring Reign
Oakshire ESB
Old Speckled Hen - Nitro
Saison Dupont
Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere
Upright Gruit
...plus a Mystery Beer that "you can only find out about by word of mouth or by coming in for a pint."