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The high desert region near Bend, Oregon boasts nearly two-dozen breweries, as well as many great beer bars. The city stands out in a state known for its beer, with more breweries per capita than any other city in the Beaver State: roughly one for every 3,600 people.
The first, and arguably most famous, of these is Deschutes Brewing, which actually has Bay Area roots. Founder and California native Gary Fish moved to Bend specifically to found Deschutes in 1988 because he and his wife fell in love with the natural beauty of the area. They named it after Central Oregon’s biggest river — the Deschutes — a tributary of the Columbia River.
Deschutes produces 10 year-round beers and several seasonals, along with highly sought-after reserve offerings, like The Abyss and “the dissident.” The production brewery offers two tours each day (reserve a tour online at www.deschutesbrewery.com), as well as a Public House in downtown Bend, where you can sample their beer and enjoy sandwiches, pizzas and more.
Just around the corner is Bend Brewing Co., a brewpub that opened in 1996 with great food and impressive beer. Award-winning brewer Tonya Cornett — she’s been the subject of two feature-length films — spent 10 years brewing there and put them on the map with a boatload of medals, before moving to 10 Barrel Brewing to head their R&D brewery, where she makes award-winning experimental beers. Bend Brewing operates a production brewery and six brewpubs in four states, including two in Bend, one on the west side and another on the east side of town.
Also nearby: Silver Moon Brewing offers 16 beer taps and a new line of easy-drinking ales and refreshing IPAs.
Crux Fermentation Project, located off Highway 97, is equally reputable. It was started by legendary brewer Larry Sidor, who brewed for Olympia Brewing before becoming Deschutes brewmaster, and then opening his own project. The industrial building offers brewery tours and a tasting room with 20-plus beers on tap and a menu of eclectic nibbles.
If you prefer a brewery with a full menu, look to Cascade Lakes Brewing. It was founded in Redmond in 1994, but it also operates a restaurant and tasting room in Bend called the Cascades Lake Lodge, with beer, a full menu, lots of games and an outdoor patio.
Those are the classic Bend breweries. But the newer players in town are worth exploring, too. The number of breweries in Bend has doubled since 2000. Here’s a quick run-down on those.
The Ale Apothecary is a farm brewery specializing in wild and open fermentation, and operates a tasting room in town. Boss Rambler Beer Club is in the Westside neighborhood near the Deschutes River, with plans underway to open a farm brewery in the unincorporated area of Tumalo.
Bridge 99 Brewery focuses on local ingredients and sustainable practices, with a location on Layton Avenue. Craft Kitchen and Brewery also makes everything by hand, including the beer snacks, tacos and other pub food from the Craft Kitchen.
Monkless Belgian Ales, as you might expect, focuses on Belgian-inspired types of beer, while RiverBend Brewing makes a wide variety of beers, which you can sip at their pub across the street from the brewery. Shade Tree Brewing is small and does tours in its rural Deschutes River Woods area, with a focus on six year-round beers and two seasonals. Lastly, there’s Bevel Craft Brewing, Bend’s newest brewery, which prides itself on India Pale Ales.
Contact Jay R. Brooks at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com.
