Wayfinder Beer — Restaurant in Portland

Another new brewery, you say? Another new brewery,. ho-hum, right? Weeeell sorta but not really, as Wayfinder has tried to be a bit classier than a lot of other local breweries. The location is...a bit on the iffy side, certainly hide your valuables in your car because the neighborhood is home to a certain class of resident that seems to enjoy breaking car windows, if you know what I mean (seen it happen in person). What a great way to start a review, eh? I believe in honesty, and it's important to warn people before they lose laptops, backpacks or other items via theft while they visit this GREAT new brewery that plays off the industrial warehouse feel of its' hood. The facade of Wayfinder is all wood, like a privacy fence, which it sort of is, but built into a massive outdoor patio and firepit area. The outdoor space easily matches their indoor space on sheer footage, so warmer days will see a lot of action on that deck. As you find the entrance and go inside, the warm brick and wood theme tells you they wanted this place to feel cozy, comfortable. It works. Plenty of deep, high-backed booths are available, and the bar stretches most of the length of the entry room. Behind that bar sit a row of taps, offering their own beers and several guest pours. As of this review Wayfinder makes most of their beer in collaboration with other local breweries, using their equipment off site, while everything gets installed and sorted out at Wayfinder itself. I will say the beers are solid, they did a good thing by working with established breweries to get product out and get name recognition before becoming fully operational - it says a lot about Wayfinder that other local breweries would be willing to help them get started. That's some respect right there. Service, atmosphere, quality, it's all here. It's a touch on the expensive side, pints are a dollar or two more than they could be, and the food menu is geared towards a bit more...gourmet pub food. I've got no problems with that, it's just one of these places that aims a bit higher, even...touristy (thinking local 'flagship' taprooms of national brands). What I saw of the menu being served looked great, so put this on the dinner date spot list instead of just a casual brewery stop. 4 1/2 stars, great brewery. Neighborhood is garbage, though, and street parking next to tent squatters within sight of this place...

Any self-respecting beer nerd will tell you solid hazy IPAs and refreshing fruited goses do not a great brewery make. I’m not self-respecting, so I won’t tell you that. But it’s true. So I guess I am telling you that. Those are fun beer styles. And depending on when you visit, you may find those beer styles on tap at Wayfinder. But the attention to subtle details and the embrace of traditional German brewing techniques are what really make this brewery shine.

For example, decoction mashing is the process of raising the mash temperature by pulling out some percentage of the mash, bringing that bit of mash to a boil in another receptacle, and then returning it to the mash tun to raise the entire mash temperature to the next rest step. Grizzly old Teutonic brewers had to do it this way because they had no way to accurately measure temperatures. And because the poor-quality brewing grist was often cut with ground boot leather and the dashed dreams of sad, chubby Bavarian children.

The point is, brewers don’t do this anymore. It’s labor-intensive and inefficient. But these guys do. Because they are crazy. But the results are pretty amazing. So go here, to this place called Wayfinder. Don’t order the hazy IPA or fruited gose until after you’ve sampled at least two of their traditional German styles. You will not be disappointed. And if you are, I don’t care. FIVE STARS.

Bonus bar review – The bar at Wayfinder feels nice under the forearm. Wide, well-worn planks. Decent depth. Not as much heft as I like, though. It’s not that I’m concerned about the bar straining under the not insubstantial weight of my leaning thorax. I’m sure it’s structurally sound. I would just like to see thicker planks. But I always want thicker planks. FOUR...

Honestly, one of, if not THE best place in this neighborhood to grab a bite and a beer. I don’t know if it’s the whole time, but while we were there, minors were also allowed, so you don’t have to worry about finding something to do for your kids for dinner, because they can just tag along! I came here with a plus one, and we sat out on their patio, trying to get some last summer eats moments in. First off, I love the fact that water is self serve, because I’m someone who tends to drink a lot of water and FAST hahaha. The host who was there was quick and friendly. Our server went above and beyond to consistently check up on us, but not to the point where he was hovering. He was also incredibly accommodating when we asked if we could have samples of beers, and was always super quick to get them for us too. Food wise, I didn’t get a sandwich, but my date did, and wow, it looked and smelled so good. We did, however, get some fried pickles for the table, and I can speak from experience that those were incredibly delicious! Everything came quickly and also piping hot, so it was nice to get to enjoy our beers a little while we snacked on them as they cooled. I’m not a beer expert by any means and don’t usually choose to drink it much on my off time, but I thankfully came with someone who was, so he pointed me in all the directions and, honestly, wether it was because of his judgement or not, everything I tried was delicious. I actually drank them down pretty fast, just because of how good they were by themselves. I remember we got there for happy hour and I got their Hefeweizen, and their one named Flower in the Kettle! (I think) hahah. All in all, great atmosphere, amazing food, delicious beer, stellar service. What more could...