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What They're Saying
About the Brew Bus...
150 years of Northwest brewing history
Learning can be fun with a tour of four breweries
“If you think history is a dry, dusty subject, check out the exciting field of brewing history -- or at least hitch a ride on the Better Beer Bus.
The bus trip Saturday celebrates 150 years of commercial beer brewing in the Northwest -- Henry Saxer opened the Liberty Brewery at Northwest at First and Davis in 1852. Records are unclear about the exact date, so in best Beervana fashion, historian/author/bus wrangler Jim Long plans celebratory trips throughout the year.”
John Foyston, The Oregonian, May 24, 2002
Return of the BrewBus
“Now in its eighth year, the Better Beer Bus returns with a schedule that includes July 26, Aug 30, Sept 6 and 27, Oct 25, Nov 29, and Dec. 20
Recent destinations included Portland Brewing, Hair of the Dog, Laurelwood Public House and Brewery, Lucky Labrador Brewing, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Philadelphia’s, Raccoon Lodge, Tuck’s Brewery, and Port Halling in Gresham.”
The Oregonian, Arts and Entertainment (June, 2003)
“Jim Long knows how to brew up a hoppin’ time in the old town, night or day. Since designing Portland Brew Bus tours in 1996, he's poured out his knowledge of beer brewing and local history to thousands thirsty for a taste of Portland's microbrews.”
Hillsboro Argus: (February, 2003)
“... the ‘Better Beer Bus’ has been featured in publications ranging from Sunset Magazine to The Wall Street Journal.”
Commencement event promo (2003) Reed College
“Known as Beervana in some circles, Portland now boasts a good 40 craft breweries. So many suds, so little time. Enter Jim Long, host of the Better Beer Bus, whose five-hour guided tour takes in four carefully chosen breweries and offers samples of at least twenty beers . . . from pale ales to stouts and everything in between.
Most Saturdays or by arrangement for groups; $35, (503) 647-0021."
Sunset Magazine, October, 2002
Better Beer Bus rolls out barrel this Saturday.
Hillsboro Argus , 2002
Portland's Beer Bus delivers taste of the town
“Oregonians love their beer so much, they’re trying to make it a tourist attraction.”
by Hans Greimel, Associated Press
Associated Press Article in dozens of papers (November and December, 1998)
For the entire 1998 Associated Press article click here.
“giggles”
1997, Salem Statesman-Journal
“But nowhere has this obsession gone to greater length than in Portland, Ore. The city is trying to turn beer tasting into a tourist attraction, bragging that it has more breweries and brewpubs per capita – 43 in all – than any other city in the U.S.
All that – and the city’s rainy weather – makes brew tours a top draw, says Mike Sherwood, director of the Oregon Brewers Guild.
A busload of beer lovers is hopping from brewery to brewery as part of a four-hour Saturday lecture and beer tasting. Among the attendees: a dozen high-tech executives from Japan and Singapore, who, given the choice of a round of golf or a round of beer, picked the latter.
‘Kanpai,’ yells Teruo Tabata as he sips a Portland beer called McTarnahan’s and scribbles his assessment: ‘More adult,’ he writes.”
Wall Street Journal, Monday, April 27, 1998
“. . . tours are set up so even if you don’t like beer, you’re still entertained.”
Eric Bieber, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air Magazine
The BrewBus is calling us
“Moderation fuels this tour to sample a taste of Portland and 20 beers at four breweries.
The Merry Pranksters divided people into two camps; those on the bus and those off it, though evidence of ridership was intangible. Not so with the new BrewBus, where those on the bus receive a diploma of brew knowledge.”
John Foyston, The Oregonian, July 19, 1996
Finally, I would enjoy a cleverly designed tour of Portland, on board the Portland BrewBus...
“...First stop was the splendorous Portland BrewHouse Tap Room & Grill, located in the upper Northwest industrial section. We began the trip with a tasty lunch of bratwurst, sauerkraut, salad and five types of beer and ale. Later, a guide led our 12-member group through the sprawling Bavarian-style facilities. By the time we re-entered the bus for our second stop, the collective mood was downright giddy...
...At the Widmer Brewery, we were greeted by happy employees who treated us with kindness. The Portland BrewBus was back on track, and we faux tourists gleefully sampled all the hefeweizen, bock and amber we could...
...The trek ended at Nor'Wester Brewpub with another tour and a lot more beer 'sampling.'
This was the kind of trip that locals could enjoy alongside out-of-towners; one nondrinker even participated and gave the BrewBus high marks.”
Richard Martin, Willamette Week
“It's about time somebody organized a tour around Portland's greatest asset! Everyone's been to the Rose Garden and Multnomah Falls a thousand times. Now I have a tour to take visitors on that's actually fun for me, too!”
Jack Miller
“The BrewBus is the best tour I've ever been on. The beer was great, the people were really nice and it was a really interesting way to see the city.”
Karen Simonds
“We moved here from Boston recently, partly because of the craft beer scene. When people from back east come to visit, we can take them on the BrewBus and say, `See?! This is what's great about Portland!
David and Susan Geller, June 12, 1996