The Nerdy Portland Brewery That Goes Beyond A Typical Board Game Cafe By Making Good Beer

Food and drink are often an afterthought at board game cafes. I'm used to dry hummus, paninis, and maybe a bottle of boring lager. While I have found good places for nerds to eat and drink in my current home of Los Angeles, most notably my regular haunt Guild Hall, I've never found one that brewed its own beer. On a recent trip back to my hometown of Portland, Oregon, I stopped in at TPK Brewing Co., where the owners brew beer that does the hard job of standing out in a city full of great breweries.

Co-founder Jess Hardie (with Elliott Kaplan and Dana Ebert) is TPK's head brewer, and made beer at home before interning at Von Ebert and working at Oregon City Brewing. The IPAs and lagers at TPK are smooth and hoppy, without the usual hop bitterness but with plenty of flavor. The seasonal Village Lich (a North American Beer Awards gold medal-winner) is a Maibock with candy cap mushrooms that add a maple undertone. Many of the beers and cocktails have tabletop gaming-inspired names, like the Critical Sip Cream Soda (housemade cream soda with vanilla-bean-infused vodka) and the Short Rest (a zero-proof cocktail with NA orange bitters, lime, ginger, and soda water). 

The food is made by TPK's kitchen partner, En Vida PDX, and goes beyond the standard hummus platter. Caribbean and Latin American dishes like maduros, Cubanos, and a Colombian hot dog dominate the menu, but you can still get a burger and fries. The arepitas de queso were crispy, cheesy, and paired well with the beers.

The name TPK stands for Total Party Kill, which is when an entire adventuring party dies in a roleplaying campaign. Unlike other gaming cafes that are essentially a standard coffee shop with shelves full of games, TPK leans into a medieval pub atmosphere with cottage doors and a peaked roof. Visitors can still find games, figurines, D&D books, and Magic: The Gathering cards to borrow or purchase, but the hardwood accents, carved tap handles, plants, and wooden signs make the space more immersive. A large, brick hearth oven anchors the main room, calling back to the days when the space was occupied by Tabor Bread. Upstairs is another themed room where players can buckle down and focus on their D&D campaigns. 

Guests play all kinds of games here, but the tavern focuses on roleplaying. One of the three founding partners, Dana Ebert, runs a massive campaign using a world created by the TPK team. Players can sign up to play a six-session, three-month-long chapter in the world, run by Ebert and other staff game masters. One-off campaign sessions to get to know the tavern's bespoke world are also available. Newcomers can book an introduction to tabletop roleplaying games, and a strict code of conduct ensures a safe visit for everyone looking to play. The pub even brews the story's villain: the Ashbringer is a stout made to embody the fiend.

In one of the best U.S. cities for craft beer, it takes a lot to make an impression. A brewery can't get by with mediocre offerings, and even skilled brewers find the market difficult. Not everyone visits TPK to game. Plenty of Portlanders sit at the sidewalk tables enjoying the sun and a standout beer. At TPK Brewing, you don't have to settle for a dull lager — you can order a bright, flavorful one like the Labyrinth Lager (made with maize!) or Rice and Dice.