The Guild

Suds and Portland politics have long been intertwined, from the Goose Hollow Inn, owned by a former mayor whose antics while in office were unforgettable, to the current mayor, whose sharing an appellation with a certain Boston brewery makes at least his name easy to recall. Moving from politics to pints, the man behind The Guild, opening Thursday

Conceived by hard-blogging activist Jesse Cornett after his bid for city council fell short, this next-level "Oregon pub" sports a two-story wall of windows facing upper Lower Burnside, a majestically lofted second floor, and deep red walls sporting prominent dark wood panels, all housed in a LEED certified building, so the beer stays green even when it's not St. Pat's. Stomach-fillers include the "Ploughman's Platter" (meats + cheeses + stuffed date), a Rogue blue cheese-studded apple-chicken salad, and sandwiches like a house-smoked pulled pork Cuban and a muffuletta with asiago, tapenade, salami, ham, and a rotating "meat of the day" -- which sadly for lovers of '80s teen sex romps, never seems to be that guy from Porky's. To slow your cognition to a reasonable rate, Guild's pouring eight Oregon micro handles, from the big flavors of Portland's Amnesia, to sour masters Double Mountain, to a keg of Oakshire's rare Willamette Dammit, presumably named for what locals yell after a tourist mispronounces it a third time.

Guild plans on rolling out entertainment in the coming months, including giving up the 2nd floor lounge TV area for PDX soccer fans, or possibly even political junkies, who can watch returns together, and bitch about how the city is going to ale.