Bottles Open For Business in Northeast Portland

By Sean White

Yesterday I made my third trip to Bottles, a new bottle shop at 5015 NE Fremont.  Well, to call it a “trip” would be a bit of a stretch since it is less than 3 blocks from Alameda, where I am a brewer.  Sitting down to enjoy a bottle of North Coast Pranqster, I talked with owners Brant Kunze and Shawn Meyer about their new bar, which has been open since August 7^th.

Brant Kunze is in charge of the beer selection, and has stocked the beer cases with a selection of 250+ craft bottles and cans, largely from the Northwest, but also from other areas of the USA, and imports.  Bottle prices are very reasonable (I couldn’t help but be enticed by a 750 ml bottle of De Ranke XX Bitter for $12.50), with a $1 corking fee for drinking on premise.  They also have eight draft lines, with the price of a normal pint being $4.  Brant is a big fan of IPAs , so expect to see some of your favorite hoppy beers.  I had my first can of Oskar Blues Gubna here, and I have to say it rocked my world, my only small quip being a substantial alcohol nose once it warmed up.   The selection also includes a smattering of many styles including weizens, stouts, sour and barrel aged beers, and even some gluten free beers and ciders.   I tried my first sorghum beer, at the recommendation of a friend.  Brewed at the DeProef Brewery, Green’s Endeavour gluten-free dubbel was a pretty drinkable product considering that it had no barley.  It had a fairly sweet dubbel-ish nose, as well as an unnoffensive cidery note, a cola-like sweet maltiness, and a somewhat gruit-like herbal bitterness.  While it is not a beer that I would probably ever choose over one made with barley, it was definitely well brewed.  If I ever, DOG forbid, develop a gluten allergy, I would not feel too short-changed by having to drink this.

Shawn Meyer is in charge of the food, which is all “family-recipe” Southern barbeque.  I’m not an expert on barbeque or its regional variations, but I did get some ribs that were very tasty and paired well with a Stone Ruination IPA. The Barbeque starts at 5 pm and lasts “til it runs out”, which is usually around 8 pm.  Other menu selections include pulled pork sliders, chicken wings, and Carolina caviar.  Next time I’m hoping the pulled pork won’t be sold out when I get there.

Bottles sports a spacious outdoor area with shade and picnic tables, as well as a pinball room.  All the furnishings were made from reclaimed materials, including the bar top.  Brant and Shawn are excited to be a part of the neighborhood, and they feel the area is ripe for development.  I certainly wish them well and I will be stopping in for fairly regular visits, since they will be conveniently located halfway between my work and the house I am about to move into.  You couldn’t have planned that better, guys!