Portland beer or wine place with online gift certificates

December 16, 2017 1:30 PM

I need to buy a gift for my sister-in-law. She and my brother just moved to Portland, OR. They both like beer and wine, and trying new places, and so I'm thinking of a gift certificate to a local brewery, brewpub, winebar, or similar. I am open to other suggestions, but we have a $25(ish) limit. The only catch is that I am not in Portland, so it needs to be someplace that will sell me a gift certificate online.
posted by lazuli to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

How about an actual gift card instead of a certificate? It might not arrive by Christmas but you could send an ecard explaining the gift.

http://store.deschutesbrewery.com/deschutes/pub-gift-cards
posted by yohko at 1:50 PM on December 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: If they would enjoy harder beverages, the Portland Distillery Passport is a fun thing to try. I gave one to my honey (and bought one for myself) a few years ago and it provided some fun & easy date-night adventures. Bonus Portland points if you ride your bikes on the outing and stop at a food cart for dinner.

On re-read this would exceed your budget, but if you went in on it with another family member, this would be a fun gift!!!
posted by heidiola at 2:15 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

I am a Portland mefite and would be happy to be an elf and pick up and deliver a gift card.
posted by vespabelle at 2:48 PM on December 16, 2017 [4 favorites]

A McMenamin’s passport or two could also be a great present if they don’t already have them. Mcmenamins are ubiquitous all over Oregon and a few in Washington and there are prizes at various milestones. If you manage to fill your passport the prizes are extensive. Free nights at Mcmenamins hotels, tickets to concerts at McMenamins locations and a year’s worth of happy hour prices on beer, among others.

Also, check your Memail.
posted by bendy at 4:27 PM on December 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

I was going to recommend Deschutes too. The bar/restaurant is a real crowd-pleaser, both for their beer and their food. Fat Head's isn't as nice, but might be another option in the same area.
posted by AppleTurnover at 5:09 PM on December 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

You'd need to call to see if they do gift cards, but Belmont Station is kind of an amazing must-stop for beer lovers. There's tons of good brewerys about, but Belmont Station carries some really hard to find stuff.
posted by furnace.heart at 6:36 PM on December 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

From Belmont Station's website:

Gift Certificates
We sell gift certificates in any amount, however we are unable to process phone or internet orders. To order a gift certificate by mail please send a check to us for the amount of the certificate and include a stamped envelope addressed to the person you would like the certificate mailed to. Please allow at least 10 days from the day you send the order for delivery to the recipient.

Belmont Station
Attn: Gift Certificates
4500 SE Stark ST
Portland, OR 97215
posted by blob at 7:41 PM on December 16, 2017

Response by poster: You are all lovely lovely people and I thank you all, and I will probably come back to this thread when I need birthday gift ideas! I ended up purchasing a mobile-version of the Portland Distillery Passport for her -- I figure my brother can buy one on his own if he wants to join her, as it seemed like something she could maybe invite new co-workers to join her on, too.

The website asked me how I'd like to deliver the gift card and I chose "Print it out or send the link myself" (they're visiting here for the holiday, so I wanted to wrap something for her) and then I got a confirmation email saying they had sent her the link, so I'm hoping that's just a form letter being overgeneralized, but she's pretty good natured so even if the surprise is ruined, I'm sure it's ok. If not, distilled spirits will ease her pain.

Thank you all again, and happy holidays!
posted by lazuli at 8:26 AM on December 17, 2017 [1 favorite]