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Portland, Oregon
August 25, 2012
Perhaps it’s the water, the abundance of locally grown hops, or the area’s entrepreneurial spirit that makes Portland the Pacific Northwest’s epicenter of craft beer—with more than half a dozen major beer festivals to prove the point. Our favorite? Biketobeerfest—a bike-in Oktoberfest celebrating both bikes and beer, hosted by Hopworks Urban Brewery (free, hopworksbeer.com). Last year, among the quirky festivities, four live bands played, BMX teams performed stomach-dropping stunts, mechanics gave bike-building demos, and, naturally, the brewery’s 15 organic beers flowed all day. But arguably the most entertaining sideshow is the Huffy Huck, a contest to see who can throw an old bike the farthest. (Trust us, the bragging rights are priceless.)
Stay: The Jupiter Hotel (from $134; jupiterhotel.com) is within easy biking distance of the Hopworks Urban Brewery—or simply rent one of the hotel’s two on-site Zipcars. Rooms are kitted with minimalist furniture and artsy touches like original murals and chalkboard doors.
