Review: Fire On The Mountain
Now up to the plate: Fire On The Mountain. They have three locations in Portland, as well as one in Denver. The location that we like to go to is the brewery: 3443 NE 57th Ave, the two other restaurants located at 4225 N Interstate Ave and 1708 E Burnside St. Fire on the Mountain, hereafter to be referred to as FOTM, is a restaurant that has recently broken into the PDX craft beer scene. This is one of our favorite restaurants to go to in Portland because the food is phenomenal and now, beer, so it just makes sense to go there.
Apparently, the google image is a couple years old, because I promise you, there exists a restaurant and brewery at that address. The atmosphere at FOTM is relaxed and very much a family joint. If you happen to find yourself there during dinnertime hours, there may be a waiting list, but it is worth it. There is a bar area that has a bunch of seating and booths galore. Every table has a set of Trivial Pursuit cards. Our favorites are the 80s trivia deck.
FOTM is a nice place with really cool woodwork everywhere. It is all clapboard-like barn siding and skylights. There is an upstairs area that is available for large parties and the brewery is viewable through large windows behind the bar. Also, there is a ton of seating outside with picnic tables along the front side and an enclosed area with heat lamps and a fireplace. There are two dedicated parking lots with lots of extra parking on the side streets.
Now on to the beers!
- Strong Brown: Just released as of 2/13/13! K said it was a little bitter but very smooth. He could totally drink a pint. It also had a little nutty taste to it, therefore, K liked it. N also liked it and agreed with K. He planned to have a pint right then and there. I said it was a solid brown with a little bit of bitter taste but it was very good.
- Wondering Rye: K said it was light and very bitter. He said it wasn’t an “an rye” (see: “an beer” in our dictionary) but it wasn’t doing anything for him. N agreed with K and I said it wasn’t bad, although it left a little to be desired.
- Pancho Pale Ale: An oatmeal pale ale. K said that it definitely was in fact, an oatmeal pale, but that’s all there was to it. It was moderately hoppy but not too overpowering. N said there was a lot of the oatmeal taste and that he liked it. There was a kind of malt to go with the hops. I said it was interesting and not as strong of a pale ale flavor than I expected. The pale ale flavor was more subtle. I blamed the oatmeal.
- Shocks of Sheba IPA: K said that the pale ale was hoppier than this. N said it was really boring with a little hops, but mostly boring. I said it was bland. I wondered how many IBUs this beer was rated at and suggested it was as low as 25. Not a lot of bitter, especially for an IPA.
- Electric Mud: K said “…Snickers?! Holy cow, that tastes like Rogue’s Snickers!” FYI, Rogue’s Snickers is half Hazelnut Brown and half Chocolate Porter (which is amazing). K said that it wasn’t bad in the slightest and he liked it a lot. N said it was pretty good and he agreed with K but it has been so long since he had a Snickers that he can’t verify the accuracy of K’s claim. I said it was pretty good with hints of chocolate and nut.
- Extinguisher Wheat: K said it was the perfect wing-chasing beer. N said there was a weird front end taste. I said it was pretty inoffensive. Almost an “an beer.” K clarified that it was a “damn good an beer.” N argued it was a “funny tasting an beer.”
Pints:
K: Had a three-way (only time in history that phrase will ever be used with K, zing!) Extinguisher Wheat, Electric Mud, and Low Spark Dark. The best is probably the Electric Mud.
N: Low Spark Dark
B: I ordered the Extinguisher Wheat but I would probably order the Pancho Pale or the Low Spark Dark
E: Ordered a coke. 🙂
Note: The Low Spark Dark wasn’t on the menu and if we recall correctly, it was just about to be released. The bad thing is that we all loved it but didn’t take any notes for it. You will just have to trust us that all three of us cited it as a possibility for our pint, so it is a very excellent beer.
Food:
The food is a reason to go to FOTM in and of itself. Each of the locations has a slightly different menu, but they’re available on their website (portlandwings.com, the most apt website name possible). We’re huge fans of the garlic knots, but they’re only available at the 57th Ave location.
Obviously, given the website name, the wings are a huge deal. They are amazing. There is a great selection of sauces. Best wings that I’ve ever had. They will let you split your order between two different sauces if you order more than just a couple of wings, so you can experiment. They also have a sauce tasting area with all of their sauces set out and celery sticks for you perusal. The selections include the usual Buffalo varieties, a few really spicy ones, and a few more “experimental” flavors.
N is a big fan of the calzones as well. There are a bunch of toppings to choose from (are they still toppings if they’re in the calzone?).
Verdict:
FOTM is good food and decent beer. In terms of beer, there several good brews, but nothing too out of the box. It’s a great place to go for dinner with a beer included. Especially during the summer, when you can sit outside, FOTM is the place to be. Compared to other breweries, FOTM is a great place, but their beer probably won’t ever surpass the amazingness of the wings, although I may be surprised one day. Go here for wings and a beer before heading to another brewery.
The outdoor patio
The bar with the brewery peeking out from behind
Blurry view of the restaurant from the bar area
The upstairs area as seen from the bar
Wings! 50% medium, 50% garlic, 436% awesome.
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