Lake Oswego tap house Driftwood closed after just one year in business, so we asked readers which tap houses they tend to frequent.

Many readers said they did not know about Driftwood, and some said they just don’t live near the Lake Oswego area. Some said they like the friendly vibes, but some had a bad experience. Some readers said it needed to be more family-friendly; some said they left when kids started arriving.

About 50% of nearly 50 reader respondents across Oregon said they never visited Driftwood, but they like to drink at other tap houses. About 20% said they visited Driftwood once, and 10% said they visited often. About 18% said they never went there.

Here’s what readers have to say about tap houses in Oregon, and about visiting Driftwood. Answers have been edited for clarity.

“Driftwood is local, friendly, and has nice vibes.”

“I didn’t know it existed until I saw this article.”

“(Driftwood) is not near to where I live and I don’t go to Lake Oswego often.”

“I didn’t know about it, and there are many bars/breweries/taphouses around. Can’t get to them all.”

“Restaurants are now a ripoff.”

“I like craft beers.”

“I’ve never heard of it before now, and it’s not near where I live or where I do anything.”

“Driftwood is casual, prices are a bit lower than at restaurants and bars, and they have a large and changing variety of mostly local brews of many different types. I prefer dark beers, stouts, and locally made, sulfite-free ciders, so I have more choices at tap houses. Also, you can bring your own food and snacks so I can bring things I’m not allergic to.”

“Lake Oswego has a reputation of disliking people not from Lake Oswego. Example: The lake debate, limited parking. zoning codes… Why socialize with a bunch of snobs.”

“I like the variety and chance to taste all different types of beer from all over Oregon and beyond.”

“I like that it was a quiet place to go with a friend where you could have a cocktail or beer, decent food. Proximity was convenient for me, but I can see where it was off the beaten path for some.”

“I like the service.”

“I like the location.”

“I’ve not heard of Driftwood until reading this article. I live near Newberg so Driftwood’s location is not convenient for me.”

“Driftwood was just awful…”

“It is close to my Portland neighborhood. I met some other “mom friends” there. The New Seasons is my regular grocery store. I was excited to have a small, fun but not too rowdy bar with good food close. It was newly opened and the man serving our table was offensive so I did not return. He asked me where I was from, I named the state I was born in, he said “no, where are you FROM”. As a nearly 50 yr old biracial woman I understood this question to be about my cultural heritage. I repeated the name of the state I was born in. He was unsatisfied with this answer and asked me if I was Latina and said his ex wife was Latina and she was a “bitch”. I gave a half smile hoping he would take the drink order and leave us alone. He did, but I was not interested in interacting with him, or chancing an interaction again. The chairs were also not the right height for the high-top but I chalked that up to working out the kinks of a new bar and that would not have deterred me from giving it another try. I do frequent other tap houses and was sad this place didn’t work out for me. On the rare occasions I’ve had troubling interactions with business staff, I usually wait a while and try again, but doesn’t look like that will be the case with the Driftwood.”

“Tap houses and brew pubs have priced their way out of business. For 10 dollars I can buy a 6 pack of craft beer instead of paying 7 dollars plus tip to drink out.”

“I like the prices and happy hour timing.”

“I love this place.”

“It’s not in my ‘hood.”

“I prefer to stay more local.”

“It was too far out of the way, not convenient.”

“Wanted to check it out, just not all that convenient.”

“I forget it was there.”

“Tap houses in this neighborhood need to be cozy, family friendly places. This seemed more like a cocktail bar than a tap house. I was not comfortable taking my kids there.”

“A bunch of kids came in to see their moms getting day-faded right after school. Seemed normal for them. It felt like an odd lifestyle to me. Country-club type vibes. Once kids were running around we left.”

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