[daolds@gmail.com]

For the first time, we will be in Oregon for 10 days in mid September to experience (almost) nothing but beer.  I have noticed that both Portland and Bend have beer tour companies that offer half day brewery tours.  I'm thinking that this may be a good thing to do the first day we are in these two cities.  I'm sure it is easy to find breweries on our own, but maybe it would be nice to start out with an experienced guide, safe transportation, a little sightseeing guidance, and beer insider info.  We will be in both cities two days each (then heading to the coast).  Anybody have an opinion on which companies to pick?  Is it worth it?  Any other advice on "can't miss" beer/brewery destinations in Oregon would also be appreciated.  Thanks.

[Iliff Ave]

I would suggest taking a couple of days and walking from brewery to brewery while in Portland. I think I hit over 30 doing this myself. It is a great way to see the city and many of the breweries are located quite close to each other. I have never taken a guided tour there so I cannot speak to that.

It is kind of hard to recommend ones not to miss since there are so many. I was a big fan of Burnside on my last trip. Not the coolest place but the beer was very good in my opinion. I think Laurelwood may have the most solid overall lineup if you are going for variety.

If you are shooting up to Astoria, I cannot recommend Ft. George enough...

[klickitat jim]

Hood River!
Home of Full Sail and a host of others. And about 12 miles from Odell, home of a little yeast company

[breweite]

Take the "fruit loop".  There is some great beer, wine and people out there!

[Wesbrau]

Let me echo Ft George of Astoria is part of your plan.  In Bend, 10 Barrel Brewing is definitely the place to be.

[Pinski]

When you go to Bend, go self guided on the Bend Ale Trail. It's fun, self paced and you get a fun souvenir if you complete it and send in your map.
http://www.visitbend.com/Bend_Oregon_Activities_Recreation/Bend-Ale-Trail/
Portland is another deal. So many good options, a guide might be nice but I'm not familiar with any of them.
Tap rooms: Apex & The Green Dragon have tons of variety from around the region. Around town you more than 40 breweries to choose from. Do some google mapping and maybe roam around on either side of the river each day.  Your in for a treat. Hope you enjoy our state. Safe travels!

[cheshirecat]

I have been to Bend to twice for a beercation, have to say a paid beer tour would be a waste of money. 1/2 of the breweries are with in blocks of each other, a few more are just a short walk. Their are only a couple that would require a drive.  As pointed out earlier check Bend Ale Trail, they even have an app for smart phones that is pretty handy. My favorites Deschutes (both the tour at the brewery and the public house), Bend Brew Co., Boneyard, and Crux (this requires a short drive).  95% of the places made solid beer only disliked maybe two (yep we hit them all).

I also agree on Portland. Great walking city. But here a beer tour would be so bad to get you started. But if you see if you can get one that will include some breweries outside the City. Hood River has Double Mountain and Full Sail both of which had great beer.

Good luck and have an amazing trip.

[hopfenundmalz]

I know a couple that rented bikes to tour around Portland. There is also very good public transportation, and the free zone in the downtown area.

One place we have really liked in Portland is Higgins. Excellent food, great beer selection. The bar area is casual.
http://m.higginsportland.com/

Edit - we did the Bend Ale Trail last year, it was 10 breweries. Now, 14, in a city of 70k+. Wow.

[jeffy]

We stayed at the St. Francis Inn in Bend a couple years ago.  It's a McMennamins, so it's got a lot of interesting artsy funk.  The beers are OK, but we found the whiskey and gin they make to be very nice and their outdoor bar area was great as well as the Turkish bath. 
One can walk down the block to the other breweries. 
We've also stayed at the Kennedy School in Portland, but you'd need transportation to get from there to other breweries.

[reverseapachemaster]

That Bend Ale Trail is really cool. My wife is going up to Portland and Bend for business next week (actually Deschutes is one of her clients she is visiting) and wants to hit several other places. I'll put her on the trail.