The Upper Lip

Amazing selection. Favorite spot to enjoy a beer. Semi-​secretive location. Way less crowded compared to its more well known counterpart.

A wonderful upstairs space with a bit of a hidden feel to it. Compared to some of the grittier, almost industrial-​feeling beer spots around town with off-​the-​cuff charm, this place might have to weather a few accusations of pretentiousness, or at least coldness in its vibe. But if you’re stoked about the beers here (or enjoying the momentum of hanging out with someone who is), then it won’t feel that way at all. It’s a fantastic tidy space with some style to it, though they have not cluttered it up in the slightest.
You enter from the Ankeny street side, which feels like little more than an alley (if there were more buildings on this block, it might be an alley). There’s a barely-​marked door and a long two-​story staircase greets you when you walk in. It doesn’t quite have a speakeasy vibe, but the pre-​existing architecture here kinda suggests that feel, so the fact that speakeasies have gotten more popular lately makes the entryway here seem not out of place at all.
Upstairs, you feel separated from the noise and haste of downtown, with large windows wrapped around two sides, and dim light settling you quickly into a relaxed living-​room feel. Clean, bright wooden floors, a few window tables, and a couple big central tables. There’s a refrigerator on the right with glass doors that run 10 feet from floor to ceiling; it’s clearly custom work and it looks more like a trophy case than a beer cooler. There are keg coolers past that, but you can’t see through those doors. The bottle coolers are so tall that they roll a library ladder back and forth to fetch some of the beers.
The bar is utilitarian, with a small line of faucets and good-​sized display shelves mounted in the window, where all the glassware can sparkle. The staff are nice, though I will say the bartender watched me walk up to check out the tap list and turn to the bar, then he averted his eyes and wandered off to help someone over at the cooler. In his defense, somebody had already bought me a beer (I didn’t know this yet), and he was helping another one of our group at the cooler, so he wasn’t exactly denying me service. But it still felt kinda spacey at the time.
In the end, I did not order any beers, so I can’t comment on the prices. But the choices are highly specialized, especially in the bottle cooler, and the glassware was appropriate to style and very clean. I tend to stay east of the river when I visit Portland, but I have to say this spot could easily become a regular hangout for me. It has an exceptionally good feel to it.

The Upper Lip is located above Bailey’s Taproom. The entrance is discrete with no signs, you’ll miss it if you aren’t actively looking – it’s a door located on Ankeny. Once you find the door, head up the long flight of stairs and you’re there. Its in an open space with very minimal décor, about 6 beers on tap and a giant refrigerator that house numerous bottled beers. There is a book you could browse through with all the selections, price ranges varies from very inexpensive $ 4 to expensive $ 34 – 50. The beers on tap ran about $ 6 – 7 for a 12 oz. pour. The bartender was super friendly. They allow you to bring outside food in, which is convenient that there are food carts around and a Mexican restaurant across the street. It was packed around 5:30−6pm when we came for my friends’ birthday celebration – lots of computer programmers/​techs from start up companies having a beer after work. When it gets full, they lock the door change the electronic sign from a picture of liquor being poured to a «try again later» sign. The crowds started dwindling after 8pm and it was less cramped. I like the causal ambiance of this bar and large selection of beers.

Über-​awesome mini-​taplist from Bailey’s not-​so-​hidden secret in a really cool barrel & bottle-​filled space. And it’s less cramped than Bailey’s downstairs. That’s all you need to know.

Wish I could take all the bottles home, otherwise this is exactly what we were expecting. A great tasting room with a nice selection and friendly staff. I’ll recommend to anyone I know taking a trip to Portland.

ATMOSPHERE:
One of the classiest beer bars in Portland. On a quiet day (mid-​week, no special products on tap) it could be considered intimate. With no real signage, and limited hours, it feels special, almost exclusive. If there’s a beer analogue to The Multnomah Whiskey Library, this is probably it. Interesting views, especially from the little two-​tops lining the alleyway. Second floor, so you get to watch the world go by from a serene and private place. The neighborhood can be considered «colorful», but not dangerous.
Tip: Don’t sit at the bar. It looks like somebody made it in their garage from whatever was at hand. It’s rickety. It actually wobbles if somebody bumps it. And it’s on casters, which is weird, because where would they move it, and why would they want to? This is all wrong.
SERVICE:
Fine. Pretty much the same staff as Baileys.
Can be a hassle to find a bottle you want that was on the bottle list. They need a better system. Or maybe they have a system in place, and I just had bad luck. Also, payment is constantly a problem.
Seems like every time I’m there, the CC auth is a hassle, and they have to play around with it.
FOOD:
None. I suspect they allow outside food.
BEER:
Taplist is sometimes amazing, but sometimes seems perfunctory. Might be best to check the taplist online before going. Warning: In general, this isn’t your best bet if you’re new to craft beer. The taplist is small, and sometimes exotic (better for the refined palate). The bottle list leans towards the exotic/​expensive side. Unless you just want to see what TUL is like, a beer neophyte would do better at Baileys.
PRICE/​VALUE:
I recently spent $ 18 (pre tip) for 12oz of beer here. And I considered that a good value. Product was world-​class, crowd was good, glassware was appropriate, restroom was nice. I walked out happy. There are some good values on the bottle list.
RESTROOMS:
Just one, marked «WC» (water closet). How appropriate that an establishment that doesn’t proclaim its name on the entry door also doesn’t mark the restroom door in a conventional way. And yet it is marked in a way that conveys meaning to a select crowd, those who are sophisticated enough to know what a WC is (maybe I’m mistaken, but I bet the average joe-​sixpack has no clue). Anyway, it’s an adorable little restroom, certainly the best in any Portland beer bar. I wish my bathroom at home was this nice. It’s not ostentatious though, not like a flashy restroom at a luxury hotel, just a comfy charming space. Oddly, the door lacks a closer, so if the last user didn’t push the door closed when leaving, there’s a nice clear view of the toilet. This is weird. Have you ever been in a bar where you could sit at your table and look right at the toilet? This needs to be fixed. Of course, a door closer feels institutional, and maybe this is part of the homey charm of the place. Minor annoyance, mostly I mention it because it’s so unusual. I know I’m typing way too much about a bar restroom, but it really is special.
OVERALL:
Why not 5 stars? Limited hours, beer from cooler is a bit warmish, rickety bar, payment hassles, served wrong product or wrong size… all very minor, but it all adds up. As much as I love the place, there’s always some little disappointment when I visit.

Walk in, «we’re done for the night» says the bartender. I look at my phone, 9:31 PM Friday March 13^th.

Love, love, love! We started off at Bailey’s Taproom, which had a great selection, however, was a bit too crowded for our taste, even midday on a Friday.
This place is just above Bailey’s, you just gotta walk down the alley, and be sure not to miss the door leading to the stairs! We definitely felt like we were going the wrong way since it’s not clearly marked. I’m glad we made the quick walk to check this place out. It’s a lot more intimate and less crowded. A smaller selection of beer, but they still had some tasty options.

I have to say I do enjoy Bailey’s taproom but after discovering upper lip I easily stroll by the crowded bar around the corner to my new favorite speak easy spot. Its up and out of the way of street traffic flow and has laid bad music and a couch. .awesome beer, bottles from all over lining the Windows. I can say I feel at home here drinking. Great service and atmosphere I love the Scottish ale:)

Bailey’s version of a speakeasy; you’ll know they are open by the glass/​bottle card on the window in the alley of Baileys. The large staircase will lead you to beer heaven. I’ve only been here once but its pretty superb. Not as busy as downstairs, 5 – 6 well curated beers on tap, lots of bottles and a large table to enjoy your imbibes. When we were in we had 3 amazing beers: Tropical Tripel, a collaboration between Florida’s Cigar City and Belgium’s De Proefbrouwerij; Hitachino Nest Anbai Ale, a Japanese wit beer infused with sour green plum and sea salt; and Ypres, a bourbon-​barrel aged Flanders Oud Bruin by Belgium’s De Struise Brouwers. How can you top that selection? The bartender was super friendly and recognized us as regulars from downstairs. Only negative is that it seems they close a bit earlier than downstairs.

Everything you ever loved about Bailey’s, plus bigger tables, bigger bottle cooler, sofas and WAY fewer people.
Only 6 taps, but worth the walk up the stairs.