Adventures in Tillamook, Oregon (and Slightly Beyond)

Carefully crafted, sour brews made by a down-to-earth, awesome couple. Gorgeous beaches and views of the coastline. A tree that resembles an octopus. This is what you can find - and more! - in and around Tillamook, Oregon.

We take the 1 1/2-hour drive to Tillamook quite often, mainly for de Garde Brewing. Owned by husband and wife duo Trevor and Lindsey, the majority of de Garde's beers lean toward the sour and fruit-forward varieties, with most brews taking anywhere from three months to over three years in barrels before they're packaged. Each and every sip I've had of de Garde's beers - at the brewery and via the bottle - are clearly well-made, delicious, and unique. Few two bottles taste the same, and they've experimented with a ton of interesting flavors and ingredients so far. (Case in point: last weekend, they released The Truffle, a golden wild ale aged in oak barrels with Oregon white truffles).

A short drive from de Garde is Pelican Brewery and Tap Room. With a variety of their own beers on tap (samplers available!), shuffleboard, and an eye-catching pub menu (elk burgers, anyone?), this is a fun and casual spot to sip a few brews. The beers and atmosphere, in my opinion, are not as outstanding compared to de Garde's, but this is still a spot worth checking out while in Tillamook.

Once you've thrown a few beers down your gullet, it's time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Oregon Coast. I still need to explore a lot more of the beaches and coastline here, but one particular place I've been lucky to experience so far is the Cape Meares Lighthouse - with the Octopus Tree a short walk away.

Like every bit of the coast I've seen so far, the views here were breathtaking, and the Octopus Tree was super neat to see in the flesh.

If you're hungry after all that drinking, walking, and sight-seeing, Tillamook is also home to some of the best Mexican food I've ever tasted. There are several roadside shacks that may not look like anything special - but they're making some damn good, authentic Mexican fare for super affordable prices. (Also: The Tillamook Cheese Factory is supposed to be awesome, too. I've yet to check it out, but word on the street is there are plenty of samples to accompany the tour!).