pfriem family brewers

we decided to give this brewery a try on the first night in town after reading many favorable reviews. after consulting with a bartender, my wife ordered the pilsner and i the blonde ipa which we both enjoyed. there was no seating available at either the bar or tables so the bartender suggested taking them up to the 2nd level where we found both tables and a large couch. we opted to sit at a table overlooking both the waterfront park andriverwhere many people were kite boarding, windsurfing and and sailing. my only regret is we did not get a chance to return.

while most of hoodriveris set back a bit from the gorge, this brewery (along with a few other shops and restaurants) has a spot right by the water. they have limited seating and thus a long wait, but you can't really complain when you can walk across the street and put your feet in the water and watch kiters, wind surfers, etc and take in the beautiful scenery until your table is ready. really unique and tasty beers and good food.

mothra says....what a pleasant surprise. on a recent wine tasting trip to hoodriverrecently, k and i made our way over to viento tasting room and after a nice chat and purchase from tom, he suggested that we have lunch at one of the many brew pubs in town. we chose pfriem brewery. now i have had pfriems beers in the recent past and are becoming some of my favorites. however, i did not expect this level of cuisine from a brew house.

we seated ourselves on a mid-week afternoon around 1pm outside near the fireplace. although overcast, it was mild in temp. cara greeted us with a big smile and not only took our drink order but explained the menu in detail, responded with her recommendations, all without missing a beat. now that is customer service!
in no time, a “strong blond ale” for k and my “unfiltered wit” arrived. now these are two really good beers but i really loved that unfiltered pilsner style of beer. we sipped our beers but, prior to our entrees arriving about 20 minutes later, an appetizer of chicken liver mousse and toast arrived. nothing better than a really good mousse or pate. especially made fresh. yum! we enjoyed our mousse and refreshments and it started to rain. everyone on the patio sprinted inside, .......except us. it’s oregon... for crying out loud.

k’s prosciutto and mozzarella on grilled bread with onions, fig relish and fresh arugula was amazing. but not as amazing as my dish: a large bowl of about 20 steamed clams and chorizo in a frothy red chorizo sauce. spicy, tangy, clams were excellent and two large grilled bread to sop up the sauce. all in a standing rain.
please review the menu as this was one giant pleasant surprise. this is a new favorite and, a stop that we will make many more times in the near future.
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pluses: excellent service by cara with a smile. great menu, marvelous flavors, great low prices, fantastic beer, all for $37.00. a 30% tip on top to the server.
negative: only one. some idiot dog owner left their beautiful large white dog tied up outside without any water. cara was kind enough to go to the dogs aid and fill a bowl full of fresh cool water. well done. mothra says..... new favorite (and this is just my 7th fav) . 4.0 of 5.0

i really wanted to go because pfriem , which is my favorite brewery, was having their one year anniversary and they were celebrating with a party. well, you can’t just go to hoodriverfor the beer alone. actually you could, since there are so many breweries, but it would be a shame to miss out on all the great places to chow down. pfriem was having a full on party down by the river. they had music, a kids area and some of their beer being served outside along with some brats and stuff. inside was packed out with people enjoying their full menu, which we still have not tried, so i guess that means we will go back again. it was fun to celebrate with pfriem we