Top Five Brew Pubs in Eugene, Oregon

 I have a friend who moved to Eugene, Oregon from Nebraska - by way of Southern California. She says the biggest change she’s noticed in herself is the taste she’s developed for micro brews and her intolerance for any beers she can see through. Eugene has its share of quaint and bustling brew pubs - cozy establishments where you can meet some friends for burgers and a plate of nachos and sample some delicious locally-brewed suds on tap. 

One of the better known brew pubs in Eugene is Steelhead Brewing Company (www.steelheadbrewery.com) at 199 E. 5th Street - across from the 5th Street Market. Featuring fresh beer bubbling away in large shiny tanks you can see from the restaurant, Steelhead serves up award winning micro brews with a full menu. There is a good-size bar serving “spirits” as well. Seating is both indoors and a covered outdoor area - complete with heaters during cooler weather. This is a restaurant taken over on “game day” when the Oregon Ducks are playing, but a fine place to meet for the business lunch or the cool pint after work. 

For a funkier experience - and not exactly a brew pub, but a Eugene restaurant with a fine changing selection of Northwest micro brews on tap - try the Cornucopia at 295 West 17th. (eugenecatering.com/cornucopia-menus.html) This is an eating establishment tucked into a neighborhood in what used to be a corner market and it has a cozy neighborhood feel to it. Extremely casual, don’t expect stellar service and do expect to shoulder your way up to the tiny bar to request a refill on your pint, but it is a great place to while away a rainy afternoon sipping good beer. The menu features lunch and dinner and there are daily specials scrawled on a signboard at the curb. Seating is both indoors and an outdoor garden enclosure where there is the occasional live musical performance.