In early 2019, I started a tour of Portland breweries with two goals.

One, get to know the Portland beer scene more deeply to strengthen my coverage of it. And two, provide a comprehensive resource for craft-beer enthusiasts for where to go and what to try.

Forty-nine stops later, the Portland Breweries Series is complete -- we’ve written about every Portland-based brewery. At every place, I sipped a sampling, then offered critiques on the Untappd app. Plus, my guide to the best beer offers my favorite at all 49 breweries.

From world-class lagers to chewy stouts, from barrel-aged sours to dank IPAs, I tasted a lot of great beers. In fact, it was rare that I was underwhelmed with what landed in the taster flight placed in front of me -- yet another tribute to Portland’s legendary beer quality.

Some beers absolutely stood out. This list was easy to compile but hard to limit. But a Top 10’s a Top 10, so here are the 10 best beers I tasted this year, ranked and completed with The Oregonian/OregonLive’s 2019 Beer of the Year.

Old Town Brewing in Northeast Portland, April 22, 2019. (Beth Nakamura/Staff) Beth Nakamura/Staff

10. Yasuni

Brewery: Old Town Brewing

The beer: Hazy IPA, 6.5% alcohol by volume

This oft-overlooked brewery is killing it with the hazies, starting with its original, Pillowfist, then earlier this year the Yasuni. It offered a big, soft smack of pineapple juice with a round, well-balanced bitterness that’s gentle on the finish and has a creamy mouthfeel to boot. Yasuni would be great with an appetizer or – as I had it in May – sitting outside and soaking up the sun.

Details: This one-time beer was brewed in April, but Old Town’s new hazy IPA series, Haze of Our Lives, is available on tap and in stores; 5201 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.; otbrewing.com/beer-yasuni

The entrance to Hair of The Dog Brewery and Tasting Room in Portland. (Noble Guyon/Staff)Noble Guyon

9. Matt

Brewery: Hair of the Dog Brewing

The beer: American strong ale, 12.5% ABV

Another in a long line of big Hair of the Dog beers, this 2019 version of Matt is shockingly smooth for a high-alcohol strong ale and delivers a balanced sweetness. It’s aged in bourbon and brandy barrels to impart rich depth and booziness, along with smoky chocolate notes.

Details: Available in bottles; new vintage brewed every few years; 61 S.E. Yamhill St.; hairofthedog.com/beers

Little Beast Brewery located at 3412 S.E. Division St., May 24, 2019. (Mark Graves/Staff)Mark Graves/Staff

8. Dream State

Brewery: Little Beast Brewing

The beer: Foeder-aged ale with strawberries, 7.0% ABV

Simply amazing. This fruit-forward ale is aged six months in a cabernet sauvignon foeder – a large barrel – and has seven yeast strains and 100 pounds of Oregon strawberries per barrel. It’s fruity, layered and complex with a delicate tartness and effervescence. Roll-your-eyes-back-into-your-head good, Dream State lives up to its name.

Details: Available in bottles, with draft release in spring; 3412 S.E. Division St.; littlebeastbrewing.com/beer

Great Notion Brewing has locations in Northeast and Northwest Portland. The Northwest Portland location is pictured. (Andre Meunier/Staff)Andre Meunier/The Oregonian

7. Jammy Pants

Brewery: Great Notion Brewing

The beer: Fruited sour, 7.0% ABV

This juicy, fruity sour reminded me of a SweeTart candy that would include strawberries and raspberries – and they’ve thrown some dry pomegranate in there, too. As its name implies, this beer is super jammy but only slightly sweet – in lovely balance with the tartness. Chewy and smooth, this culinary-inspired flavor explosion is in true Great Notion style: big, bold and creative.

Details: Available on tap and likely again in cans, though not currently scheduled for canning; 2204 N.E. Alberta St., 2444 N.W. 28th Ave.; greatnotion.com/beers

Threshold Brewing & Blending, at 403 S.E. 79th Ave. (Mark Graves/Staff)Mark Graves

6. Roma

Brewery: Threshold Brewing & Blending

The beer: Experimental coffee stout, 7.5% ABV

Quite a few coffee stouts are percolating out there these days, and Roma, by new Montavilla neighborhood brewery Threshold Brewing & Blending, stands out as one of the best I can remember in quite a while. Infused with Columbian Gesha coffee, Roma offers the intense aroma of a warming cup of joe followed by a well-balanced toasted-malt java hit – and a bit of smooth, creamy sweetness as well.

Details: A barrel-aged version is on tap, with bottles schedule for release Saturday, Dec. 21; 403 S.E. 79th Ave.; threshold.beer

Upright Brewing in N. Portland Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2019. (Mark Graves/Staff)Mark Graves

5. Special Herbs

Brewery: Upright Brewing

The beer: Experimental farmhouse, 5.7% ABV

This annual release doesn’t fall easily into a style category. Brewer Alex Ganum creates flavor in this hopless beer by combining spelt, lemongrass, Sichuan peppercorns, hyssop and orange peel and ages it in wine and gin casks. Starting out like a Thanksgiving spiced cider with orange and clove, the flavor moves toward a Japanese tea with a bright and lively finish.

Details: Available in bottles at the taproom; 240 N. Broadway; uprightbrewing.com

Ruse Brewing's Papyrus Iris, a New England IPA. (Mark Graves/Staff)Mark Graves/The Oregonian

4. Turquoise Mountain Sunrise

Brewery: Ruse Brewing

The beer: Brett barrel-aged golden conditioned with pineapple, 5.2% ABV

This incredible beer from our 2019 Brewery of the Year was among a few from Ruse that could have landed on this list, and it narrowly nudged out the Papyrus Iris New England IPA. But Turquoise Mountain Sunrise is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. With a farmhouse funkiness that’s slightly tart, this golden goes bigger than your average saison with a generous dose of fruitiness and a distinct pineapple juice profile. Think beer cocktail, as the flavor reminded me of a Mai Tai, but it wasn’t cloying or clownish, just balanced and beautiful.

Details: Released annually in summer on tap and in bottles; 4784 S.E. 17th Ave.; rusebrewing.com/menu-item/turquoise-mountain-sunrise

Breakside Brewery's Northeast Dekum Pub on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019. (Dave Killen/Staff)Dave Killen/Staff

3. Quiescence

Brewery: Breakside Brewery

The beer: Barrel-aged sour, 5.9% ABV

No surprise to see a Breakside beer land in the Top 3. Arguably Portland’s most awarded brewery, Breakside had quite the haul at this year’s Great American Beer Festival – seemingly an annual ritual for the nearly decade-old brewery.

Breakside continues to be one of Portland’s favorite breweries, with its two pubs consistenly packed. It has achieved its status by churning out superior beers across styles, from its collection of IPAs (and collection of awards to go with them), to lagers, to barrel-aging, to sours.

Quiescence was released toward the end of last year, the final offering in Breakside’s 2018 Barrel-aged sour program. The Flanders-like sour conveys spot-on acidity and a fruity, saison-like funk in a blend of 13 wood-aged sours aged for a year in pinot noir barrels. It’s out of production, so if you find a bottle out there grab it to pair with a charcuterie or cheese board.

Details: One-time brew no longer available on tap, but as an alternative many of the beers in Breakside’s 2019 sour series are reminiscent of Quiescence, say brewmaster Ben Edmunds; 1570 N.W. 22nd Ave., 820 N.E. Dekum St., 5821 S.E. International Way, Milwaukie; breakside.com/our_beer/quiescence

Wayfinder Beer, since opening in fall 2016, has become one of Portland's most heralded breweries. (Jim Ryan/Staff)Jim Ryan

2. Funeral Bock

Brewery: Wayfinder Beer

The beer: Black bock, 7.0% ABV

One of the top breweries in Portland, Wayfinder Beer and brewmaster Kevin Davey are lager specialists, with an emphasis on German styles. At the 2019 Great American Beer Festival, Wayfinder took home a bronze medal for its Munich-style helles lager Hell. But Wayfinder also excels with other styles, such as its clean but full-bodied Relapse Cold IPA, a beer produced through a labor- and time-intensive brewing method called “decoction.” The boiling process creates a cleaner, lighter profile in Wayfinder beers, Davey says.

Funeral Bock was my favorite among the standout tap lineup at Wayfinder. This black bock lager boasts a beautiful balance of roasted malt, sweetness and light bitterness. It’s incredibly clean and bright – especially for a dark-colored beer – while staying full-flavored throughout with a touch of spice and a hint of smokiness.

Details: Look for the release again next fall; 304 S.E. Second Ave.; wayfinder.beer/tap-list

Von Ebert Brewing opened a year ago at 131 N.W. 13th Ave., in the Pearl District space vacated in March 2018 by Fat Head's Brewing. (Mark Graves/Staff)Mark Graves

1. Volatile Substance

Brewery: Von Ebert Brewing

The beer: West Coast IPA, 6.7% ABV

The moment catches you off-guard. It might be that first bite at a restaurant, or that first spoonful of a new ice cream flavor.

Or that first sip of an IPA that you figured would be pretty good, but wow. That moment when involuntary things all happen at once: Your shoulders shudder, your mouth creases into a smile, your eyebrows raise and you turn to the person next to you and say, “Oh. My. God.”

Meet Volatile Substance, The Oregonian/OregonLive’s 2019 Beer of the Year.

It’s no small challenge for an IPA to stand out in the sea of India Pale Ales, but Volatile Substance does. This robust West Coast IPA has a subtle but strong malt character and sturdy hoppiness throughout – without stepping into the overly bitter zone. It’s zesty with a touch of fruity sweetness, dry and dank with notes of pine. And it pulls it all together in exquisite balance.

Von Ebert Pearl District head brewer Sam Pecoraro says he created the Volatile Substance recipe for purely selfish reasons: He wanted something to drink himself (fortunately he clearly is willing to share). He built it dry, with a reasonable ABV and a simple malt bill, then heavily dry-hopped it with his favorite varieties. The malt bill is 80% Pils and 20% Vienna. The hops are 75% Mosaic to bring out notes of mixed berries – blueberry, raspberry and blackberry, and 25% Simcoe to evoke piney and dank complementary elements.

Volatile Substance was last released in cans in September. It is one of four IPAs that Von Ebert distributes in cans, along with Haze Hop, Sabrage and Sector 7. The brewery will release them in rotating order in 2020, with Volatile Substance’s next release in February, and they will be available in Portland, southwest Washington, central Oregon and California stores. Volatile Substance is a permanent tap at the Von Ebert taprooms, where crowlers are available.

Pecoraro says the name came from the Violent Femmes song “Never Tell.” But then he went on and did tell: An Imperial version of Volatile Substance will be released “in the near future.” He says it will be called Never Tell and will be a “bigger version of Volatile Substance, with another variety blended into the mix.”

Sounds like an early contender for the 2020 Beer of the Year.

Details: Permanent tap, also available in cans; 131 N.W. 13th Ave., 14021 N.E. Glisan St.; vonebertbrewing.com

-- Andre Meunier

Subscribe to Andre’s text service to get alerts about beer releases and news from the Portland and Oregon beer scene. Also, check out his beer reviews on Untappd, where he’s andremeunier13, and follow him on Instagram, where he’s @oregonianbeerguy.

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