Great Drinks, Great Outdoors

June 12, 2013 (Updated July 30, 2014)
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It’s summer — time to take it outside. Whether you’re camping, boating, hiking or picnicking in the park, summer fun demands the best libations. Here’s how to get your great drinks into the great outdoors.

Can-do: Grab a six-pack of Oregon craft beer in cans. Pack it in, drink it up and carry it out. Lightweight cans are easy to carry, chill fast and don’t break. (Brewers say canned beer keeps better than bottles too.) Look for offerings from Caldera Brewing Company (pale ale, amber and IPA), Fort George Brewery (lager, wit, stout and more), GoodLife Brewing Company (IPA and pale ale) and Fearless Brewing Company (Scottish ale, red ale and IPA) among others.

Get sili: Fine drink deserves appropriate drink ware. That’s the thinking behind Silipints, the Bend company creating silicone pints, half-pints, shorties and shot glasses. Lightweight and unbreakable, they add a touch of class to your campsite bar.

Bottled up: Naked Winery in Hood River designed their Outdoor Vino specifically for the recreation-minded. Rambling Red and Wanderlust White come in BPA-free, light, plastic, recyclable and reusable bottles with screw caps, so you don’t even need a corkscrew. Just throw it in your pack and hit the trail.

Inside the box: When only Willamette Valley pinot noir will do, look to Vista Hills Vineyard’s boxed wine. The three-liter boxes of 2010 Foreman Pinot Noir hold the equivalent of four bottles, and are available through the Dayton winery. (Call or email to purchase.)

Cup overflowing: Copa de Vino in The Dalles offers cabernet, chardonnay, merlot, pinot gris, riesling, white zinfandel and moscato. The single-serving, recyclable and reusable cups are available at grocery stores around the state and the company’s Historic Sunshine Mill in The Dalles.

Editor’s note: Alcoholic beverages are allowed at most Oregon State Parks, U.S. Forest Service areas and BLM lands. For questions about specific locations, check the website of the overseeing entity.

About The
Author

Eileen Garvin
Eileen Garvin lives and writes in Hood River. When she’s not hunched over her keyboard or digging in the garden, you can find her mountain biking, kiteboarding, hiking, skiing or camping somewhere in Oregon.