Hoptrip Day 3

On the third day of our Hop Trip, we stayed in Portland for a highly anticipated collaboration with Breakside Brewery. For those unfamiliar with West Coast breweries, Breakside is a titan in the IPA scene. Their reputation attracts plenty of collaboration requests; they agree to about 10 a year. Lucky us. 

We were greeted at Breakside’s Slabtown location, which opened in 2019 as a hop lab dedicated to brewing super-hoppy beers. We met up with Dylan Norby, Breakside’s R&D brewer. He grew up in hop country and has spent the past decade honing his craft to become an expert in his own right. Dylan knows how to brew great beers, but we quickly realized he knows how to drink them, too.  

Dylan and Uiltjemaster brewer Paddi agreed that the collaborative brew would be a West Coast IPA. That’s exactly what we wanted, as West Coast IPAs are the style on which Breakside’s stellar reputation is largely built. They brew about 150 different beers—with a core lineup of 7–8 beers—but when it comes to West Coast IPAs, they are probably the most awarded brewery in America.

The mechanics of a collaboration are no secret: two like-minded brewers get together and spend a day brewing beer, sipping beer, eating wings, and sharing stories. It’s just a fun, casual event that, in this case, took place at Breakside Brewery & Tasting Room in Milwaukie, where one particular beer totally blew us away: their Fresh Hop IPA – Crystal (2025). Good lord! After just two sips, we realized we had a contender for our favorite fresh hop beer of the trip. Alas, there were no cans available to buy and bring back home to wow our colleagues and friends. 

The Breakside x Uiltje beer doesn’t have a name yet, but it will be released in late October or early December at all three Breakside locations. If you happen to be in Portland around that time, give it a try and let us know what you think. 

Another day in fresh hop paradise. Tomorrow we're off to Yakima Valley for another important selection session.