Golden Valley Brew Pub

We went on a lovely family vacation at the beginning of July (yes I’m still catching up) and we had the opportunity to swing by my alma mater, Linfield College. Go Wildcats! While we were in town, we stopped for lunch at one of my favorite “watering holes” that is also a restaurant.

It’s also where I had my 21st birthday with my friends and LRI co-workers and my first glass of 18 year old whiskey bought for me by one of my professors as my present at said party. (Yeah, there are massive bonuses to going to a small school where you actually get to know your professors personally.)

I digress.

Golden Valley Brew Pub is one of those places that unless you’re a local or a microbrew connoisseur, you’d miss driving through McMinnville, OR. It’s not really on the beaten path even though it’s very easy to get to and there is ample parking. They’ve done some redecorating since my college days and it’s even classier than it was before, but without being pretentious. The amazingly cool bar salvaged from the 1920′s Grand Old Hoyt Hotel in Portland is still there and they’ve riffed the rest of the decor off of its elegance.

Since it was lunch time, we went straight for the burgers. Since 2003, all the beef used at the restaurant has been provided by the Angus Springs Ranch run by the owners of the brew pub. I find that really admirable…running a ranch is really hard work, but honestly, if you want to know where your food comes from and what its been fed and, more importantly, what it HASN’T been fed, that’s really the way to go. There’s a reason I buy beef from my uncles…I know where it came from and I know it’s organic and properly fed, plus it tastes marvelous compared to grocery store beef.

Back to the pub! Joel, myself and two of the kids had burgers and our youngest had to be different and have mac and cheese, but everyone finished everything. The burgers were a decent size and they were succulent and perfectly cooked, even the kid’s burgers! If you’ve ever seen a kid’s burger most places, you’ll know that they are usually super small and incredibly overcooked. These were a decent size without being too large and they had flavor and the kids just devoured them.

My favorite hands down though was their onion rings. Their batter is light and crispy and not greasy in the slightest. Just the perfect crunch with great taste. I ate my first one and I was suddenly 18 again and there for the first time. That’s a serious food memory!

The only thing that I absolutely had my heart set on was their rootbeer and I was sorely, sorely disappointed. Years ago, they brewed their own root beer alongside all their handcrafted ales and beers and I can honestly say it was the best damn rootbeer I’d ever had. It wasn’t sickeningly sweet like the common commercial rootbeers and it had this distinctive tangy quality that made you want to have a second or third frosty mug of it. They no longer make it at all, which is an absolute shame. I would seriously order it online.