Ferment Brewing Company — Restaurant in Hood River

Our last day, lazy Sunday afternoon had us walking from our hotel (Hood River Hotel) up to Ferment Brewing. The walk itself over was nice and peaceful with a handful from our wedding party chit chatting amongst each other rather than being on our devices!

ATMOSPHERE: The building is big, beautiful and looks brand new. I'm not sure what's on the ground level but the bar and restaurant are on the second level. Outside is a huge lanai, half open and half covered with a modern firepit and views of the valley. The area is tranquil as the brewery is set far back from the interstate with no other major roads nearby. Inside features a big bar used for ordering (no seats) and lots of low top seats. A live band serenaded patrons on the lanai. Several food trucks were set up in the parking lot, which I'm assuming you can bring food to the brewery even though they serve some bar-style apps and grub.

BEVERAGE: Summer IPA I'm not a beer aficionado by any means so I chose by the name which sounded good (LOL), tried a sample of it and really liked it. It had a slight bite/bitterness but was very smooth. Most people would try more selections but I like to stick to one brew once I've started.

Bloody Mary My spouse's drink that was beautifully topped with a skewer of deviled egg, salami, pickle and green olive and dunked celery stalk. Beautifully presented with good flavor.

FOOD: Salmon Dip What goes better with beer than salt? Salty chips and a tasty dip (possibly cream cheese-based due to its thickness) with lots of salmon meat mixed in. Highly recommended!

Kim Chee Dip Another winner. If you're into the Korean fermented cabbage, this won't disappoint. Also really thick, the flavors were spot on and there was no spice if you're wondering.

Fries Simply traditional shoe strings done perfectly. Good portion size to boot.

Pepperoni Pizza They're about 1.5 times larger than a Pizza Hut personal pan. Very good - thinner/chewy crust, lots of cheese and decent amount of pepperoni.

SERVICE: Like other breweries I've been to, everything is self serve as there is no wait staff. Head inside to the bar, order, run a tab or pay and bring out your own order. Bartender service was friendly and quick.

OVERALL: Nice digs, good brew and food. A definite return should I find myself in the...

We were expecting so much more from this place and we're disappointed in our visit. The place itself is new and modern and they took a lot of time putting together a really beautiful facility. Unfortunately when I walked in to be seated it felt like a corporate environment. The word that came to mind was sterile. It felt like you had to walk into the reception area and then go into the restaurant and bar. One big miss is the way the bar and restaurant is laid out. It almost feels like you're in conference rooms, but not actually rooms. While it's beautiful with lots of nice wood and big windows, it doesn't feel like a bar and restaurant. The food itself was just okay. We ordered the salmon burger and the fried chicken burger in both underwhelmed. The presentation was great but they just weren't that tasty. The beers are pretty good as we tried a couple of them, but they only had one cider. Seriously? In Hood river with only one cider? It didn't feel like a bar and restaurant experience where there's a big open area to mingle, talk and have fun. On the other hand, they do have a big outdoor section on the second floor which has a better layoff and a great place for kids. The staff was really nice and helpful. Overall this place is in a great location, looks beautiful, but it feels too corporate and sterile with a bad layout and food that was more meh...

1st time visiting Ferment and my wife and I were very impressed! The space is amazing! There is a huge deck with lots of cozy places to chill with a beer. The inside has a nice bar and tasting room with cool views of the brewery below. The large dining room in the corner has huge floor to ceiling windows overlooking the water and beautiful hills beyond. The building is very cool... It's 3 stories... The active brewery on the ground floor... The restaurant, tasting room and amazing deck on the 2nd floor, and the 3rd floor has a company called Centrl Office that I believe has a monthly membership for shared office space which would be an amazing place to work out of. The whole space had a great vibe... It reminded me of a modern cabin/lodge. Lots of angles and corners covered in Douglas fir.

The night we went, there was a live hip hop tribute band performing on the deck so we grabbed a couple of beers and a couple of wraps and headed outside. We sampled 5 of their IPAs and all were delicious (even the IPA 3.0 which was just 3%) but we both decided on a pint of their 6% summer IPA. The wraps were very good but I look forward to eating in the dining room which seemed to have more choices than the "to-go" menu available on the deck.

Can't wait for my next trip to Hood River. This just might be my new favorite brewery in a town of many awesome...