Apex (sometimes Apex Bar)[1] is a beer bar in Portland, Oregon.[2] Jesse McCann opened the bar in southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood in 2010. The cash-only and bicycle-friendly business has dozens of beer on tap, a large patio, and pinball machines. Apex is popular and has garnered a positive reception. It is slated to stop operating at its current location in August 2024, as the lease was not renewed.
| Apex | |
|---|---|
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 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 2010 |
| Owner(s) | Jesse McCann |
| Street address | 1216 Southeast Division Street |
| City | Portland |
| County | Multnomah |
| State | Oregon |
| Postal/ZIP Code | 97202 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 45°30′17″N 122°39′12″W / 45.5047°N 122.6534°W |
| Website | apexbar |
Description
editThe beer bar Apex operates at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Division Street in southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood. The cash-only[3] business has a tap list of approximately 50 beers, a large patio and an outdoor cigar bar,[4] as well as bicycle parking.[5] It does not serve food or allow children.[3][6] The renovated industrial interior has a long bar and pinball machines in the foyer.[7]
Willamette Week has said: "Apex is Portland's least provincial beer bar, pulling in killer beers from all over ... rather than just close to home, with a selection not only geographically broad but vertically deep: Four-year tappings are common enough they're sometimes unannounced. It's also Portland's hugest roadside beer patio and its most adamantly cash-only bar. It's one of the bike-friendliest, if not always the friendliest."[8] Sunset magazine has called Apex "a go-to for rare beers served with care".[9] Apex has poured beer from Gigantic, Hair of the Dog, and Hamm's.[10]
History
editJesse McCann opened Apex in 2010,[5][11] in the space that previously housed Lovecraft Biofuels.[7][12] In 2015, Apex hosted an event to celebrate Fremont Brewing's launch in Portland, pouring ten of its beers.[13]
In 2024, Apex's future became unknown when the lease was not renewed. An announcement posted to social media on June 30 said, "Just when things were starting to feel like they're returning to a pre-COVID vibe, we're on the hunt for a new home." Operations at the current location will end in late August.[5]
Reception
editAndy Kryza included Apex in Thrillist's 2015 list of the nation's 33 best beer bars.[14] The website's 2018 "beer drinker's ultimate guide" to Portland said: "Apex offers a staggering array of beer styles in an unpretentious environment that's bolstered by a huge, packed patio open year-round. Whether it's obscure German or Belgian brews, barrel-aged imperial stouts, or delicate saisons that you crave, this ... porch is a perennial crowd-pleaser that's amenable to people bringing in outside food. And this is excellent news as it sits in one of Portland's best neighborhoods for dining out."[15]
Willamette Week's 2017 overview of the city's best patios, porches, and rooftops said Apex offered "the best and most crowded beer patio in all of Portland".[16] The newspaper's Nigel Jaquiss said Apex was popular in 2022.[17] The business won in the Best Beer Selection on Tap category of Willamette Week's annual readers' poll in 2015,[18] and was a runner-up in the same category in 2022.[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Blue, Elly (2014-11-29). Bikenomics: How Bicycling Can Save The Economy. Microcosm Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62106-943-0. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ DeBenedetti, Christian (2016-04-26). The Great American Ale Trail (Revised Edition): The Craft Beer Lover's Guide to the Best Watering Holes in the Nation. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-7624-6102-8. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ a b Frane, Alexander (2020-09-25). "Where to Drink Beer in Portland This Fall". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Ballantyne, Ross (2017-10-05). "APEX". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ a b c Wong, Janey (2024-07-08). "After 14 Years on Division Street, the Future of Beer Bar Apex Is Uncertain". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Katz, Anna (2019-06-11). Easy Weekend Getaways from Seattle: Short Breaks in the Pacific Northwest (1st Edition) (Easy Weekend Getaways). The Countryman Press. ISBN 978-1-68268-391-0. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ a b "APEX". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2023-06-03. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Big Beer Halls Where You Can Drink With Half of Portland". Willamette Week. 2017-03-01. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Apex". Sunset Magazine. 2013-07-30. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Beer Buyers Are the New Rock Stars of the Craft Beer World. We Crawled Across Town To Rank Their Lists". Willamette Week. 2017-03-07. Archived from the original on 2024-03-02. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Short Subjects". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Distefano, Anne Marie (2010-04-19). "Beer Bar Apex This Week". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Russell, Michael (2015-11-18). "Fremont Brewing launches Portland distribution with party at Apex". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "A Toast to the 33 Best Beer Bars in America". Yahoo News. 2015-03-30. Archived from the original on 2024-07-08. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ Cottell, Pete (2018-09-12). "The Beer Drinker's Ultimate Guide to Portland". Thrillist. Archived from the original on 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Portland's Party Patios, Porches and Rooftops". Willamette Week. 2017-05-24. Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "A Cold Building in a Hot Neighborhood Will Soon Have New Life". Willamette Week. 2022-10-26. Archived from the original on 2022-11-05. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Best of Portland Readers' Poll". Willamette Week. 2015-07-15. Archived from the original on 2019-01-06. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "Drink Winners". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on 2022-07-15. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
