We’re still feeling the aftershocks of the Great Portland Brewery Glut of the early and mid-2010s, but alongside the recent news of brewery closures and ownership transfers in our city’s oversaturated market comes a bright light in the form of Level Beer, which opened shop last summer in the Argay neighborhood of Northeast Portland. Just a couple of football fields’ distance from the south shore of the Columbia River, Level Beer has—after a year or so of brewing in collaboration with various other breweries in Portland—landed on a promisingly spacious location at the edge of the city that they can call their own. It’s an ideal pit stop going into or out of the Gorge, or the perfect place to wind down if you’ve spent the day cycling on Northeast Marine Drive. And, of course, it’s poised to be a focal point of the Argay and Parkrose neighborhoods, a much-needed “third place” that’s equally inviting to families, childless twentysomethings, and thirsty beer questers.
Level’s aesthetic is a happy mishmash of rustic barn and cozy dorm room. The brewery’s name reflects an affection for classic-era video games; on a recent visit, the taproom walls were covered in paintings of Nintendo characters. The beers themselves wield a variety of game-inspired appellations, such as Ready Player One, Press Pause, and Pixelated Pale. (Fittingly, a Ms. Pac-Man table sits in one corner, opposite a small stash of board games in another.) A large, three-dimensional version of their arcade-like logo sits atop the impressive draft tower, looking both futuristic and retro.
If you’re looking at that logo, you’ve also got your eye on the brewery itself, extending behind the bar into the warehouse-sized room. You may even see the brewers at work—Jason Barbee, formerly of Deschutes and Ex Novo, and Shane Watterson, formerly of Laurelwood—on the shiny new 20-barrel Criveller system, or tinkering on a separate 2.5-barrel pilot system for concocting new recipes. Level’s third partner, Geoff Phillips of Bailey’s Taproom and the Upper Lip, carries his well-regarded beer bars’ attention to presentation over to Level as well.