Seaside and Gearhart, Oregon
On Monday, I made a day trip down to Seaside and Gearhart, Oregon with my Mom. Seaside is an active little beach town, full of candy stores, tourist shops, arcades, and a beautiful beach. Unfortunately, they do not have a brewery or brewpub. I wasn’t feeling much like shopping, so we just drove down the main drag, 1st Ave, and then head to the Cove, at the south end of town to see what the surf was like. Back in my high school and college days, you would have found me here in my wet suit catching waves on my Body Board. On this day, it was bright and sunny, and the waves were looking pretty good. We watched a handful of surfers take their turns on the green Oregon waves. In the distance, you could see the Point was really breaking, and a few surfers were catching some really nice hollow waves.
I digressed. This is a beer blog not a surf blog. After leaving the cove, we drove by Goose Hollow at the Cove,. A small little pub that I had visited before, and remembered had a pretty good beer selection. They were closed, darn, so we continued on. We ended up at the outlet mall, where we went to the Wine and Beer Haus, a small beer and wine store. Not as large as some of the other Beer stores I’ve been in, but they had a good selection of craft beers from around the US. I picked up six bombers (If you buy six you get a 10% discount on your entire purchase) including a Black Butte XXI and a Stone Double Bastard. We had a nice chat with Jeff the owner, who said that he and his entire staff try every beer that comes in, so that they will be able to answer customers questions. He mentioned that they have been receiving about 5 new beers every week. Seaside locals and tourists are in good hands here, they have your Good Beer needs covered.
By this time, I was pretty hungry and thirsty. We hoped back in the car drove a few mile north to coastal resort town of Gearhart. Our destination was McMenamins SandTrap.
The SandTrap is perched above the historic Gearhart Golf Links 18 hole golf course. They have a large restaurant and bar, with a large outdoor deck. They also have meeting and event rooms. The building looks large enough to be hotel, so I wonder if something is in the works there? When you walk in you know you are in a McMenamins. The lighting is dim, with lots of wood, stained glass windows, and paintings on the wall. Straight ahead you see thee great view of the course and the surrounding mountains. There is a small room with a few larger tables and roaring fireplace. Off to left is another room with several booths, and to the right is the large square bar. Seems like no matter where you sit, you get a great view. The menu, like all McMenamins, is pub fare, this time with a little more seafood. We enjoyed a crab fondue, and I had a steak sandwich. Both of which were pretty darn good. They do not have brewing equipment on site, so their beer is brought in from other McMenamins locations. They had all the standards, plus Kris Kringle and a Chocolate Milk Stout on Nitro. Couldn’t complain with the selection. I really enjoyed the SandTrap, and can not wait to bring Lush C there. It is a must stop for any Good Beer Trip to the North Oregon Coast.
Beer Sampler:
Hammerhead (pale ale) – light amber, lingering white head, and a slight floral aroma. Crisp, light bodied, sweet with a citrus hop finish. Fairly well balanced. A nice pale ale.
McMenamins description: “Hammerhead’s signature cascade hop nose and intense hopped flavor blend nicely with the caramel tones from the crystal malt”
Chocolate Milk Stout on Nitro – dark, thick lingering creme head, and a sweet roasted malt aroma. Creamy, full bodied, roasted malt flavor, more hop flavor than you’d expect,. A little sweet, and bitter chocolate finish .
Disclaimer: GoodBeerTrips.com is not affiliated with McMenamins. All beer and food was paid for by Mom.
Good Beer Trips 