Editor’s Note: We recently unveiled Ask Oregon, a program that allows travelers to ask “Oregon Experts” about traveling throughout the state. We’d like to introduce you to our experts and will be featuring them periodically here on Travel Oregon. This week, we’d like to introduce you to our Beer Ambassador, Jeff Alworth!

What’s your favorite thing about living in Oregon?
There is a reason locals have taken to calling this Beervana. It’s not just that we have more breweries per capita than most places on earth. Rather, it’s the way the idea of good beer has become absorbed into the culture. We drink a far higher percentage of local beer than any state, and Portland consumes more craft beer than any American city–and that’s in total, not per capita. In any given year, you’ll find an example of every beer style brewed somewhere in the state (including exotica like gose, tmave, and Flanders sour ale). In Oregon, you can find local craft beer at Timbers and Blazers games, in movie theaters, and in the state’s best restaurants. Oregon has the best beer culture in the US, and rivals places like Belgium, Britain, and Germany.

What’s your favorite way to enjoy Oregon?
Did I just mention we have beer in our movie theaters? What better way to spend a rainy Saturday afternoon than with a pint of stout and a matinee?

What’s the one tip you always give to visitors?
Make sure you visit more than one brewery–the diversity is breathtaking.

Describe your perfect Oregon Vacation…
The difficulty here is narrowing your choices, because every region has much to recommend it in terms of beer. Central Oregon, once known for its rugged beauty, has become a national destination for its many great craft breweries, including the nation’s fourth-largest, Deschutes. A trip along the North coast takes you through amazing scenery, as the Coast Range tumbles into the Pacific Ocean–creating vertigo-inducing vistas. Along the way you find three of the state’s most respected breweries: Fort George (Astoria), Pelican (Pacific City), and Rogue (Newport). A one-hour trip down the Columbia River Gorge takes you to Hood River, windsailing capital of the world and home to three fantastic breweries. Or, you could just stay in Portland and content yourself with the dozens of breweries and beer bars.

Have a question for Jeff? Ask him here in the comments or find out other ways to contact him on our Facebook Page.