The first stop on the Portland tour itinerary was lunch at Hopworks, but since I had already visited it in November, I joined up with everyone at the second stop, The Commons Brewery. Initially called Beetje Brewing, they changed their name to something more pronounceable and moved into a bigger location. It’s a nice space — lots of windows and light, with stacks of aging barrels. Lots of Belgian-inspired brews.

The pacing of the tasting was completely different from Occidental — everyone stood around the little table with the taster tray, and the sampler glasses made their way around one immediately after the other. I barely had time to scribble even minimal notes, while standing, before the next taster arrived. Yikes! I eventually came to think of it as speed-tasting: a sip of each beer, and then you paired up with the one you liked best.

The Commons tulip glasses (for sale, as well!) — Portland, OR

Rob’s Picks
• Flemish Kiss – 5.8% – malty and crisp, with an interesting bitterness
• Pale Evening Ale – 5.8% – nice pale ale
• Sticke – 6.8% – good brown ale, pretty dry
• Commons Blond Ale – 6.2% – nice hoppy blond, bready
• Madrone – 6.9% – nice sour bite, bubbly
• Saison de Pamplemousse – 5.8% – crisp, citrusy, although I couldn’t really identify it as grapefruit

The Rest
• Urban Farmhouse Ale – 5.3% – Lemony aroma. Sweet, bready, bitter — odd mix. Strong bitter finish.

With this rapid, stand-up beer tasting method, I think I can now safely add “Agile/Scrum experience” to my resume…