Horse Brass Pub is a British-style pub in Portland, Oregon, in the United States.[1][2][3] Established in 1976, the bar and restaurant serves British cuisine and has approximately 50 beers on tap.

Horse Brass Pub
The pub's exterior, October 2017
Map
Restaurant information
Established1976 (1976)
Street address4534 SE Belmont Street
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
Postal/ZIP Code97215
CountryUnited States
Coordinates45°30′59.0″N 122°36′55.8″W / 45.516389°N 122.615500°W / 45.516389; -122.615500
Websitehorsebrass.com

In The Beer Geek Handbook (2016), Patrick Dawson called owner Don Younger "the godfather of 'American Beer Geeks'", who "helped blaze the path for good beer in America".[4]

Description

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The bar's interior, 2021

Horse Brass Pub is a British-style pub on Belmont Street[5] in southeast Portland's Sunnyside neighborhood. The pub has dark wood, exposed beams,[6] and darts.[7] It has approximately 50 beers on tap and is "especially popular with the late-night crowd".[8][9] The menu has British cuisine[10] such as bangers and mash,[11] fish and chips,[7] meat pies, sausage rolls, and Scotch eggs.[12][13]

History

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Horse Brass Pub was established in 1976.[14] The bar was owned by Don Younger.[15][16][17][18]

Prior to Oregon's ban on indoor smoking, the pub was known for having a smoky atmosphere.[19][20]

Reception

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Thrillist says Horse Brass Pub "has never not been a great place to knock back a few. It’s the best British pub outside of Britain, right down to the halibut fish and chips".[14] The bar has been described as "venerable"[21] and "a pre-eminent beer destination in a city full of brewpubs and beer bars".[22] It has also been called "a beer-supping shrine run by the godfather of Portland's beer scene".[23]

Melissa Stranger included Horse Brass Pub in Business Insider's 2015 list of the "best Irish pubs in 19 big cities around the US".[24] David Greenwald included the pub in The Oregonian's 2017 list of 38 "kid-friendly" beer establishments in Portland.[25] Men's Journal included Horse Brass Pub in a 2017 overview of "America's Founding Craft Beer Bars", or "beer bars that set the pace for the rest of the country".[26] In 2022, Julia Silverman of Portland Monthly said Horse Brass Pub was "perhaps the most authentic of Portland’s British pubs".[27]

In 2017, Willamette Week's Ezra Johnson-Greenough said "Portland's status as a beer mecca can be traced back to a grungy, smoky, dimly lit neighborhood British pub".[28] Reporting on the bar's early history, in 2018 the newspaper's Parker Hall said Horse Brass Pub "would eventually become one of the most iconic beer bars in the United States".[29] The bar placed second in the Best Beer Selection on Tap category of Willamette Week's annual "Best of Portland" readers' poll in 2020.[30]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Horse Brass Pub". The Portland Mercury. 2016-09-21. Archived from the original on 2016-08-07. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  2. ^ Foyston, John (2009-10-28). "Portland's iconic Horse Brass Pub turns 33 this Sunday". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  3. ^ John, Mattie (2015-12-08). "Horse Brass Pub in Portland, Sunday at 6 P.M." Eater Portland. Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  4. ^ Dawson, Patrick (2016-05-03). The Beer Geek Handbook: Living a Life Ruled by Beer. Storey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-61212-531-2.
  5. ^ Acitelli, Tom (2017-06-01). Whiskey Business: How Small-Batch Distillers Are Transforming American Spirits. Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1-61373-461-2.
  6. ^ Frane, Alex; Moore, Jenni; Cottell, Pete (2022-09-27). Portland Like a Local: By the People Who Call It Home. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7440-7825-1.
  7. ^ a b Sawyer, Adam (2018-10-01). Unique Eats and Eateries of Portland, Oregon. Reedy Press LLC. ISBN 978-1-68106-186-3.
  8. ^ The Beer Book: Your Drinking Companion to Over 1,700 Beers. Penguin. 2014-10-01. ISBN 978-1-4654-3767-9.
  9. ^ Hampson, Tim (2010-07-19). Great Beers: 750 of the Best from Around the World. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7566-7258-4.
  10. ^ Fodor's Inside Portland. Fodor's Travel. 2020-04-07. ISBN 978-1-64097-251-3.
  11. ^ Cook, Samantha; Hull, Sarah (2011-03-01). The Rough Guide to the USA. Rough Guides UK. ISBN 978-1-4053-8952-5.
  12. ^ Dresbeck, Rachel (2014-03-18). Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-0781-3.
  13. ^ Cioletti, Jeff (2016-08-01). Beer FAQ: All That's Left to Know About The World's Most Celebrated Adult Beverage. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-61713-676-4.
  14. ^ a b "Horse Brass Pub - Thrillist Portland". Thrillist.com. Thrillist Media Group. Archived from the original on 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2016-09-27.
  15. ^ Crouch, Andy (2010-08-10). Great American Craft Beer: A Guide to the Nation's Finest Beers and Breweries. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-7624-4160-0.
  16. ^ Shomler, Steven (2015-06-01). Portland Beer Stories: Behind the Scenes with the City's Craft Brewers. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62585-420-9.
  17. ^ Morrison, Lisa M. (2011-08-29). Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest: A Beer Lover's Guide to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Timber Press. ISBN 978-1-60469-313-3.
  18. ^ Weissman, Michaele (2011-06-01). God in a Cup: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Coffee. HMH. ISBN 978-0-544-18661-3.
  19. ^ Portland, Oregon: Including the Metro Area and Vancouver, Washington. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-5580-6.
  20. ^ Dresbeck, Rachel (2011-03-01). Insiders' Guide® to Portland, Oregon, 7th. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-7627-7477-7.
  21. ^ Bernstein, Joshua M. (2011-11-03). Brewed Awakening: Behind the Beers and Brewers Leading the World's Craft Brewing Revolution. Union Square & Co. ISBN 978-1-4027-9379-0.
  22. ^ Beaumont, Stephen; Webb, Tim (2013-09-02). Pocket Beer Book 2014. Octopus. ISBN 978-1-84533-861-9.
  23. ^ McFarland, Ben (2009). World's Best Beers: One Thousand Craft Brews from Cask to Glass. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4027-6694-7.
  24. ^ Stanger, Melissa. "The best Irish pubs in 19 big cities around the US". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  25. ^ David, Greenwald (2017-02-27). "38 kid-friendly pubs, breweries and beer bars in Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  26. ^ "America's Founding Craft Beer Bars". Men's Journal. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  27. ^ "Need to Mourn the Death of Queen Elizabeth II? Do So at One of these British Pubs in Portland". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on 2022-12-04. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  28. ^ "An Oral History of The Horse Brass". Willamette Week. 2017-03-01. Archived from the original on 2023-03-06. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  29. ^ "Horse Brass Pub's Former Owner Purchased the Place With a Drunken Deal Written Out on a Napkin". Willamette Week. 2018-05-23. Archived from the original on 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  30. ^ "BARS + NIGHTLIFE". Willamette Week. 2020-07-22. Archived from the original on 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2023-06-09.
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