The Bend Beer Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Fri, 28 Apr 2017 20:35:00 +0000

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Beau

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 10:05:00 +0000

hi bendbeerblog

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beau eastes

Not about beer, but reubens

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Tue, 27 Dec 2016 23:06:00 +0000

I have not been very successful about writing about beer regularly here. Mostly because I already write for a living, it's difficult to also spend my free time writing. Maybe I'll try a little harder to write here this year.

Regardless, I have committed to writing not about beer, but about reubens, in my free time. Why? This summer I met an employee at Deschutes Brewery who endeavored to eat 100 burgers in 100 days in Central Oregon. (You can check out his blog and the results here.)

This seemed like an amazing idea I wanted to try...but with less commitment and with a different sandwich. I love reubens, and they are usually amazing on the East Coast. They are hit or miss in Oregon, I have found.

So I thought I would try to eat every reuben in Central Oregon (but not one a day) and attempt to find the best one. I am going to track my progress here, since I don't really want to start another blog just about reubens.

What makes a good reuben? Glad you asked. I think the proportions of a sandwich are key. Too much or too little of any element -- bread, meat, cheese, sauerkraut or dressing -- and the whole thing can be not enjoyable. And if the corned beef is underwhelming, the sandwich is likely to follow suit.

I am rating each reuben on a 5-point scale, based on deliciousness and value for the price (dinner menu). It would probably be hard for me to give a reuben under a 2, unless it was missing some key component.

Anyway, here are the first seven I have eaten; stay tuned for more reubens later on!

Deschutes Brewery Pub

The effort from the biggest brewpub in Bend is a solid one. Everything in the sandwich tastes good; the meat is delicious, the gruyere cheese is good even though I am a swiss purist. The bread is pretty. You get a crap ton of fries, as you can see.

But it's not a perfect reuben. The bread is a little on the dry side and kind of gets overpowered by the insides. And at nearly $14, this is more than I would rather pay for a reuben that doesn't blow me away. Still, I would eat this and be happy most days of the week.

Rating: 3

Price: $13.5

Bend Brewing Company

BBC on locals' night is a killer deal. Three bucks for a pint. That being said, I've never been a huge fan of the food; I always go for the beer.

The reuben is fine. It's not offensive in any way, but to look at it doesn't make you believe you are going to be eating an amazing reuben. Everything is there in good proportion.

But it's a bit of a riff on a reuben with pastrami instead of corned beef, and half of the meat is also turkey breast. I'd rather just have a perfectly executed reuben than other stuff in it.

But I am not grading on a curve because of that. It's still just a serviceable if not exciting reuben. And it's a bit on the small side.

Rating: 2.5

Price: $11.95

Cascade Lakes Brewing

The pub that is the last stop on the way to or from Mount Bachelor is not best known for its food.

But this is a pretty good reuben, despite the fact that is uses half pastrami and half turkey. Every bite was balanced with every element. It's a huge sandwich, but it does it without anything feeling out of whack.

The bread could have been grilled a bit better on the version I had, but it's definitely in the upper echelon of the area's reubens.

Rating: 3.5

Price: $11.95

Brother Jon's Alehouse

I know it's early. But this may be the best reuben in Central Oregon.

The picture I took doesn't really do the sandwich justice, but trust me, it's amazing.

Brother Jon's makes great sandwiches. Mostly because they use great meat -- in this case beautifully shredded corned beef -- and bread. The ratios are perfect -- never too much bread or any of the other components. And despite there being a giant pile of meat, it doesn't overwhelm everything else.

I would give up every other reuben in Bend and be happy to eat this one exclusively. But the search will go on. It's also $11, which is an amazing value. I won't give it a five just because I think a 5 is nearly impossible to attain. But it probably deserves one.

Rating: 4.5

Price: $11

JDubs

JDubs is a newish spot in town that has not really succeeded in any iteration that proceeded it at its spot on Bond Street. But they have reasonably priced beer and a good menu.

That included a reuben (I had this more than a month ago, but it doesn't appear on the online menu) that I enjoyed. For some reason I was cutting calories and had a salad on this day, despite the pile of fat that is a reuben.

Everything here is well done. Great shredded corned beef, grilled bread just how I like it, good ratio of kraut and sauce. It still doesn't have the "it" factor that would lead me to believe that it was the best reuben I would have in Bend. But it was pretty damn good.

Rating: 4

Price: $11

Sunriver Brewing

Let's start here: This is not a reuben. It does have most of the elements of a reuben, but it's served as a mini-calzone, with a Thousand Island dipping sauce.

As a thing just to eat, it's nearly a 5. I would eat just the pretzel in the sauce all day and be happy. As a reuben, it's a little weird. There is way more pretzel than there is "inside stuff." Meaning not enough meat and cheese to offset all the dough.

In the exercise of grading reubens, I have to ding it for that. And it's not really a reuben. But it's still delicious.

(Note: This is from the pub in Sunriver. But they have it in their Bend pub too.)

Rating: 4

Price: $14

The Pumphouse

Don't go to Terrebonne just for the reuben.

This is not a great reuben, with sliced pastrami instead of corned beef, and just doesn't have enough "meat," both literally and figuratively.

Of course, in the middle of ranch territory, getting something other than a burger or a steak is probably sacrilege.

It gets a bonus just for being a sandwich under $10, which is nearly impossible to find at a Bend restaurant.

Rating: 2

Price: $9.95

Nearly a third of all Oregon beer comes from Central Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Sat, 07 Mar 2015 02:24:00 +0000

In what might shock no one, Central Oregon makes a lot of beer.

What's up, beer world? I am giving this blog thing another go, after going on hiatus twice in the past. What better excuse to start up again than a look at last year's beer numbers which the OLCC released in February.

Luckily, BBB alum/possible future contributor Beau Eastes already did the math for us.

Fun math, based on @OLCC's numbers, #CentralOregon produced about 28% of Oregon's craft beer last year; 147,200 beer barrels. @thebulletin
— Beau Eastes (@beastes) February 27, 2015

The big dog, @DeschutesBeer accounts for about 90,000 barrels; @10BarrelBrewing almost 26,000 and @BoneyardBeer about 14,500. @thebulletin
— Beau Eastes (@beastes) February 27, 2015

My (uneducated) predictions for brewers that will move up in 2015:

Crux (No. 25)

Crux is working on getting a production facility up and running in a huge space on the east side of Bend right now (not far from where 10 Barrel is). If they aren't in the top 10 by the end of this year, I bet they will be within the next couple of years.

Baker City (No. 28)

In terms of quality, Barley Brown's might be No. 1 in Oregon right now. Every time I have one of their beers, it's memorable, and I think it's one of the best I have had for that style.

Pfriem (No. 24)

Much like Barley Brown's, Pfriem is making great beer in Hood River. They also have a cool little pub near the river. Check it out if you haven't been. In fact, spend a beer weekend in Hood River, if you haven't done that already.

Gilgamesh (No. 34)

The wife and I fell in love with this place during a trip to the coast last year....it's tucked away near the airport in Salem (still a neat spot, though). They are making lots of cool, funky beers and styles that you might find nowhere else. In the land of IPAs, that's a refreshing change.

Another fill station: Growler Phil's on the west side

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 20:32:00 +0000

Out for my morning run today and saw this sign on Galveston:

The "Galveston corridor" (someone actually called it that on a real estate marketing piece in my mail) is getting a fill station called "Growler Phil's" in mid-March, according to its Facebook page.
It's going to be located inside the Primal Cuts butcher shop. The fill station revolution is in full swing, as fill stations are popping up around Bend faster than brewpubs. The Brewsite has a rundown of all the Central Oregon fill stations here.

Besides the obvious play on words, Growler Phil's also near Brother Jon's. So, we like the effort put into the name.

On a sidenote, it's worth noting that Galveston is continuing to do well in supporting local businesses. My wife and I bought a house in the neighborhood four years ago. New businesses since we arrived include is a casual restaurant/pub (the aforementioned Bro Jo's) a brewpub (10 Barrel), a donut shop, a cupcake shop, a yarn shop (people must shop there, 'cause it's still open), a furniture store, and a butcher. Spork made its home on Galveston for some time, as well. And the produce stand that used to be on 14th in front of Century Center is now moving in next door to Primal Cuts this summer, as evidenced by the temporary wooden building going up now. All Galveston needs is a coffee shop...so someone please put one in at 1303 where Sugar used to be, and I'll be there every day.

New content: Central Oregon tap list

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 09:51:00 +0000

So, in case you didn't know, there's a lot of beer brewed in Bend. And until you try to list all of the types, it really is an amazing amount of beer.

We tried to put together a master list of everything you can get in the brewpubs/breweries. You can check it out here. We listed the beers, and also included links to the parts of the breweries' websites where the beers are described. Hopefully, this is a cool resource that someone will get some use out of. We'll do our best to update the list, although the links will always be there.

The taps at 10 Barrel

The final tally? So far, we're up to 130. That counts McMenamins, which doesn't actually brew all their beer here. And it doesn't include some seasonals we're still tracking down.

Regardless, that's ridiculous. You could drink one Bend beer a day for more than four months and not hit a repeat. And, in truth, you could do more than that, since seasonal taps are constantly rotating. It would be a great project to see if you could drink one unique Bend beer once a day for an entire year. Someone do that, and get back to us if it can be done.

Zwickelmania hits Bend next weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 10:47:00 +0000

Zwickelmania has gotten pretty big in Oregon, and Central Oregon is no exception. The fifth annual statewide event -- in which breweries offer tours, samples, and a chance to meet brewers -- takes place this Saturday, Feb. 16 from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Just about every Central Oregon brewery is taking part. Below is a rundown of C.O. happenings, with information provided by the Oregon Brewers' Guild website. I'll try to keep this updated if anybody posts any updates or more info via social media.

The coolest part is a possible shuttle bus that is theoretically supposed to hit all the Bend breweries listed below, although there aren't many details available. So you may or may not want to count on that to get around.

In case you never googled it before, a zwickel is a "sample valve" in beer/brewing terms.

10 Barrel
62970 NE 18th St
Bend OR 97701
541-585-1007
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Full Tours, Tastings, BBQ

Bend Brewing
1019 NW Brooks St
Bend
541-383-1599
Sample the brews while getting a tour of our brewery.

Boneyard Beer
37 NW Lake Pl – Suite B
Bend OR 97701
541-323-2325
11-4pm
Details to come

Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.-7th Street Brewhouse
855 SW 7th St.
Redmond OR 97756
541-923-1795
11-4pm
Details to come

Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. The Lodge
1441 SW Chandler Ave Suite 100
Bend
541-388-4998
11-4pm
Details to come

Crux Fermentation Project
50 SW Division St
Bend OR 97701
11-4pm
Get up close and personal with samples pulled straight from the zwickel on tours given by the founders and brewers. We’ll also be featuring tastings of our soon-to-be released Imperial Stout from the very barrel it’s aging in.

Deschutes Brewery
901 SW Simpson Ave
Bend
541-385-8606
11-4pm
Brewery Open House staffed with Tour Guides throughout the facility to explain the inner workings. Brewers in the brew house chatting about recipe development and offering samples of in-process product. Zwickel tasting on the fermentation cellar floor.

GoodLife Brewing Company
70 Sw Century Drive 100-464
Bend, OR 97702
541-728-0749
11am-4pm
Head Brewer will be on-site to give one-on-one tours of one of the newest breweries in Bend. Plus free group rides on the Cycle-Pub around town.

McMenamins Old St. Francis School Brewery
700 NW Bond St
Bend
541-382-5174
11-4pm
Beers: Hammerhead (Aged with Three Rocks Rum soaked Oak spirals), Dry hopped IPA and Castle Rock Old Ale (Pouring from a Firkin) Food: House made Thai & BBQ seasoned potato chips & Cheesy popcorn

Silver Moon Brewing Co.
24 NW Greenwood Ave
Bend, OR 97701
541-388-8331
11-4pm
Brewery open house and tours, tastings of some special brews, brewers will be on hand to chat

Three Creeks Brewing
721 Desperado Ct
Sisters OR 97759
541-549-1963
11:30-4pm
Details to come

More good press about beer in Bend

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:09:00 +0000

As soon as I complain about a lack of respect for the craft beer scene in Bend, and I start seeing the city getting kudos from seemingly everywhere.

First, Bend gets a mention from away.com, as one of the top "beer towns" in the United States, along with San Francisco and Asheville, N.C.

The Bend Ale Trail even gets a shoutout. Check it out below:

Deschutes Brewery is also mentioned in a CNN Money piece on craft breweries here.

Ray's growler fill station opens Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Growler stations in Bend continue to bubble up.
Ray's Food Place will open its own growler fill station Friday, Feb. 8, in its former liquor store area. It's a nice-looking setup with saloon-style doors that open up to a 15-tap bar.
Fills are $9.99 across the board and $14.99 if you buy a growler.
I just caught a brief glimpse of the taps during my dinner break this evening, but it looks like they're going heavy on local beers. Don't quote me, but I thought I saw Mirror Pond, Black Butte and Boneyard's IPA, for better or worse, among others. (I know, I should have written down everything they're pouring.)
Good beers, but when I fill a growler I usually like to get something that's not readily available in Bend. Just me.
Anyway, sounds like you can get samples but can't sit down and order a pint.
Thoughts?

Bend: Not top 100 in beer, but is top 10?

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 19:14:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I saw a list of the top 100 "beer bars" in the U.S., and Deschutes -- or any other Bend brewpub, for that matter -- didn't make the list. And I was wondering how an oversight like that was made. I mean, I guess when you're making a list of 100 places from all over the country, and you're not a huge beer nerd, I can see how Bend might miss the cut. But, this was from a beer website/magazine that fancies itself an expert on all things beer. Do we live in a bubble? Is Bend as beer paradise a figment of our imagination?

Then the world got set back on its axis, as this story listing the top 10 beer cities in the country was posted by the Seattle PI. He even notes how Bend doesn't get the proper props from other beer lists. Excerpt:

In exactly NONE of the two dozen lists I read on google did the name “Bend” show up. BIG mistake. Here’s a town of 80,000, sitting all alone in the middle of Oregon’s High Desert, with no major college or national business headquarters except Country Financial, no major sports teams, and a downtown the size of a phone booth, and you’d think Nothin’ is Happenin’ In Bend, except for some pretty fancy skiing up there on Mount Bachelor. And you’d be WRONG, so totally freakin’ wrong....

...and you have Bend – a national-class beer destination and one of the country’s hottest emerging craft beer cultures.

PDX was No. 2. But I think No. 8 is pretty good. And the analysis was written by someone who did his research. So, fear not. We live in beer country. Life is good.

Opening night at Worthy Brewing

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 20:32:00 +0000

Braving the crowds and the east side, I checked out the first night at Worthy Brewing, the new brewery/brewpub in Bend. We knew it would be a bit of a cluster, but willing to accept that fact, the wife and I went anyway.

Anyway, here are my takeaways from night 1:
--Worthy will be printing money. It will pretty much become the top spot to go out on the east side immediately, unless they screw something up. There's no comparable place to go without crossing 3rd Street. It's a great space and location. The beer and food are good (see more below). And the outside patio will be packed when it's warm. We overheard someone connected to the pub say that they were planning on showing movies outside in the summer.
--Great building. Outside of the remodeled Deschutes, this is probably the coolest looking brewpub in town. And it might even surpass that. It's open and inviting, has a great bar, a community feel. We start chatting with our table neighbors during dinner. Anyway, long story short, they clearly put a lot of money and effort into the building. And it shows. (Photo credit, Worthy's Facebook page.)

--Good beer. We tried all five of the beers that Worthy currently has on tap (we're guessing they are planning on more, as their sampler has six slots.) The stout was the big winner in the family...my wife, who would probably never drink a whole glass of stout but nevertheless at least samples every one I get, said it's the best she ever tasted. High praise indeed. They also have an IPA, an imperial IPA and a pale that were all fine, if not mind-blowing. I was also a fan of the Go Time Xtra Pale Ale, which is definitely different than just about anything you can get anywhere else in town.
--Reserving judgment on food/service: I wouldn't make any long-term judgments about a restaurant on its first night of operation. The front of the house did a good job keeping the masses in order and trying to get everyone seated as quickly as possible. Although I had to laugh at people walking in at 5:30 and grumbling about a two-hour wait -- what did you expect, exactly, at the first night of a brewpub in Bend? The service was definitely a little spotty, but once again, this is new staff at a new place. And we were happily sipping our beers while we waited. We had a burger, the reuben and some fries on the side. The serving of fries seemed pretty small for six dollars. The burger was good but served rare, sted mid-rare -- once again, not going to judge consistency issues on night one, and we like our burgers on the pink side anyway. The reuben had good flavor, but there was a lot of bread for the amount of meat on the sandwich. Anyway, the meal wasn't a debacle, it was tasty and it all got eaten. I'll be interested to see where they are at in a month, though.

Long story short, I'd expect waits at the dinner hour for a while, judging by last night's crowd, and probably at lunch, too. But you should definitely make the pilgrimmage, when you get the chance.

PDX Marathon + brewpub adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:09:00 +0000

So, I went to Portland this weekend to run the marathon. It was my first one, it was a lot of fun, but it also hurts like hell -- during and two days later.

More impressive than my time of 3:50:41 was the fact that I made it to seven brewpubs with the wife over the next two days. We started with Deschutes in PDX (I know, I am from Bend and went to Deschutes, lame). But, I had never been to the one in Portland, and I really wanted Black Butte XXIV. And that is exactly what I got:

Also had the fresh hop porter, which was weird and good at the same time.

Here's the rest of the brewpub hopping, and the recollections my still marathon-addled brain can come up with:
--Rogue. I had the stout that was on nitro. It was yummy.
--Bridgeport. Skipped the beer here for coffee and dessert, as I was still starving and sleepy after getting up at 5 a.m. Awesome peanut butter pie.
--Hopworks Urban Brewery. Had the ESB, which was fine, but the sample of "Give Me Liberty," a fresh hop bitter, was awesome, and I brought a growler home.
--Double Mountain and Full Sail, Hood River. Highly recommend the Killer Red IRA at DM. And had the 25th anniversary lager at Full Sail, which is like a lager on steroids.
--Ice Axe Grill (Mount Hood Brewing). Had the multorporter ale. Which is a confusing name. It's a porter. Or at least it tasted like one. The only guy working the front of the house was slammed, so I didn't get more info. Regardless, it was good.

Truth be told, I had meant to go to Solera in Parkdale instead of Ice Axe, but for some reason I had it stuck in my head that it was in Government Camp. An adventure for another time.

Fermentation Celebration in Bend this July

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:49:00 +0000

Isn't every day in Bend a celebration of beer? In July, however, things get a little more serious with the "Fermentation Celebration."

The party will take place July 12th in the Old Mill District starting at 5 p.m. Twelve different Central Oregon breweries will participate, although we haven't seen a full list of who is in. Not shockingly, Deschutes is included, however.

You can get in for free, but if you want to sample beers, it will cost you $15 (includes a Silipint and 4 ounce samples at each brewery's stand).

The winner of the Ale Trail Beer for a Year will be revealed at the celebration (more on that and how to enter here).

Get more details on the shindig from the Old Mill website here.

Growler fills on the cheap on the east side

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:54:00 +0000

If you don't venture over to 27th Street very often, now you have a reason to go.

Before hitting a fellow BBBer's barbecue this weekend, I headed over to the Shell Stop and Go to check out the growler fill station for the first time. Improbably, there is actually a fill station in a gas station convenience store. Knowing that OLCC laws are kind of a pain, a growler fill station in a gas station seems kind of unlikely. But they do serve food there, too, in the form of Baldy's. So maybe that makes it ok.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand. They have an amazing selection of beer for just $8.99 a fill. Which, if you're keeping track, is generally cheaper than you fill a growler just about anywhere, other than on special days at the breweries themselves.

Here's what they currently have on tap, according to their Facebook page:

Goodlife- Sweet As
Boneyard-Diablo Rojo and RPM IPA
Three Creeks-8 Seconds IBA
Cascade Lakes-Riverside Red and Monkey Face Porter
Deschutes-Hop Henge-(soon Hop in the Dark)
Bend Brewing Co.-Metolious Golden Ale(coming soon)
10 Barrel-One Hop Wonder and Sinister Black
Silvermoon-Get Sum Summer Pale Ale
Phat Matt's-Kolsch
Rogue-Imperial Stout

Great selection, good prices. Do yourself a favor and get a fill there.

Get Irish-ish beer in Bend on St. Patrick's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 10:01:00 +0000

I was going to put together something about beer on St. Patty's Day in Bend, but luckily, Jon at The Brew Site beat me to it. And, honestly, it sounded like a lot of work, anyway, so I am happy enough to link you to Jon's research here.

And if you're looking for something to do on the cheap, McMenamin's has a free lineup of music today, including Five Pint Mary and the Moon Mountain Ramblers. More details here.

Bend is the model for liquor license in 'Cartlandia'?

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 09:43:00 +0000

A story over at Oregon Live informs us that "Cartlandia" in Portland -- the place where a bunch of food carts gather, for the uninitiated -- is getting an annual liquor license.

That's interesting enough, but more interesting to our readers in Central Oregon is that Bend, with its outdoor beer gardens at the "fill-in-the-blank" fests and other events, may have helped matters. From the story:

"In my mind, I see this like I sometimes see in downtown Bend -- a roped-off beer garden," said commission member Ron Roome, who is from Central Oregon. Roome said he felt comfortable approving the license after the owners of the property, Roger Goldingay and his wife Carol Otis, agreed to close it after 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends.

Could it possibly be long till one or more of the many food carts in Bend follow suit and apply for a license? If they do, Beau and I will have to cross off one of the items on our "list of things we think are good ideas but will never actually do (TM)". We've thought for a long time that a food cart with a liquor license would do gangbusters. We weren't sure the OLCC would go for the idea, but apparently, they did. So, here's hoping we can drink at Spork this summer.

Craft beer sales nearing $1 billion in U.S.

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:55:00 +0000

A fascinating story over at brewbound.com breaks down the crazy growth of the craft beer industry in the United States. Off the top, craft beer will likely hit $1 billion in annual sales soon.

And while that's amazing news, it probably doesn't come to a shock to those of us in Bend, as craft breweries continue to pop up and do well, with seemingly no end in sight.

Cut+paste from the story:

Craft’s dollar share in U.S. Supermarkets was up 15 percent over last year to 10.8 share, the sixth consecutive year of growth. That’s double the share it held in 2006. These numbers prove why craft beer is the number one growing beverage-alcohol segment in U.S. Supermarkets
So what products are responsible for the growth? Wandel pointed to several areas. Variety and seasonal packages, IPA’s, large-format bottle offerings, the rise of canned beer and even private label brands (see below) are the major catalysts.

No mention of Deschutes Brewery in the story, but it does note that Boston Brewing (they do Sam Adams) is still the leader in craft beer sales, ahead of Sierra Nevada and Craft Brew Alliance.

So, it appears the craft beer revolution has some staying power nationally. The question in Bend is if the bubble will ever burst locally for some of the smaller/newer brewers, and is there a tipping point at which we can't support anymore breweries? Or will we just keep drinking more and more, no matter how many breweries there are?

Easy game: Vote for beer in High Desert Madness

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:48:00 +0000

After what appears to be our third hiatus since we started this blog, I figured it's time to give it another shot. People keep following us on Twitter despite the fact that we've done absolutely nothing for four months. So, I figured we'd provide some content for those people who apparently want more information about beer in Central Oregon.

First up in our return? High Desert Madness at The Bulletin's website, which you can check out here. What is it? It's a March Madness-style bracket pick'em, in which stuff from Central Oregon goes head to head to see what thing is the best. That sounds confusing, but it's really easy when you check out the bracket.

Anyway, we're here to tell you should vote for "beer," which is a No. 1 seed. Seeing as there are approximately 5 million microbreweries in Central Oregon, this seems like it should be a walk in the park for beer. The other top seeds all have flaws. Roundabouts? The one at Reed Market and Brookswood is awful, and we really don't need another art project. Mount Bachelor? Not everyone loves snow. Bikes? C'mon, they close down streets for races all summer, and a lot of cyclists don't know how to use bike lanes.

So, there you go, "beer" should be your winner. If you don't vote for beer and you get a hangover the next time you drink, we won't feel sorry for you.

Bend Ale Trail Adds Two More Local Breweries

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas Alberg) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:50:00 +0000

The popular Bend Ale Trail, developed by the lovely folks over at Visit Bend, have added a pair of stops to the local brewery expedition. The Ale Trail now includes Good Life Brewing and Brew Werks, which join local brewery stalwarts Deschutes, Cascade Lakes, 10 Barrel, Bend Brewing Company, Boneyard, McMenamins, Silver Moon, and from up the road in Sisters, Three Creeks Brewing.

I just pulled out my smart phone and checked the Ale Trail app and it doesn't look like it's been updated yet, but hopefully that'll come soon. For now, users can download the existing version from visitbend.com/apps or at the iTunes store. If you prefer to shun technology and are more of a rotary kinda person (if you are, please send in a picture of it as I'm convinced they cease to exist), you can grab a Bend Discovery Map at a handful of locations. Once completed, swing on over to the Bend Visitor Center with your stamped passport and you'll get a big pat on the back (trust me, this sounds better when you've had a few pints under your belt) and your choice of a very cool commemorative Bend Silipint or Bend Brews book.

Ready to hit the trail? Yeah, me too. Looks like I have a couple more stamps to get!

Brewed Awakening Book Signing Tonight at Deschutes

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 08:50:00 +0000

A book signing tour is hitting the Deschutes Brewery pub in Bend, for "Brewed Awakening: Behind The Beers and Brewers Leading the World's Craft Brewing Revolution."

You can get the details on tonight's event, which takes place with author Joshua Bernstein from 5 to 8 p.m., here, or check out the book website here.

The recently released Abyss will be available. There will also be a tasting of a "Brewed Awakening beer" —a dry-hopped cask ale IPA.

Here's a quick rundown of what's in the book, as written by the author:

Why Brewed Awakening? Concerning beer, the last decade has witnessed more seismic changes than any time since Prohibition. There are more than 1,700 craft breweries in America, from community-based nanobreweries to the new breed of national brands such as Dogfish Head and Stone. Untethered from stodgy tradition, and driven by unbridled creativity, American and international brewers are leading a boundary-less charge into the global future of beer.

And here's a look at the book, in video form:

Free Pork Sliders at Good Life & Other Humpday Specials

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas Alberg) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:30:00 +0000

In case you're feeling a little hungry this humpday afternoon and want to wash down some quality food with a pint, Good Life Brewing is offering FREE Primal Cuts pork sliders to patrons who order a pint of beer today, starting at 4pm. According to their Facebook page, the offer is on the table until the sliders run out.

If you're not familiar with Primal Cuts Meat Market on Galveston St., they offer some pretty incredible tasting (albeit awfully pricey) meats. If I'm not mistaken, Good Life Brewing uses Primal Cuts exclusively for their meats. I've had a few of their sandwiches at the pub and I must say they're pretty darn tasty. So that being said, I'm sure the sliders will be good as well.

If you happen to get there too late for the snacks, however, and prefer to keep your midweek indulging on the cheaper side, don't forget it's $6 growler night at Boneyard Brewing off Colorado at 37 Northwest Lake Pl # B. It's also locals night at Cascade Lakes with $2.75 pints from 4-6pm - a great deal if you can make it there from work in time.

Happy humpday everyone and enjoy your Wednesday suds in Bend!

Vote for beer in Central Oregon

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:26:00 +0000

Central Oregon Magazine is taking votes for all sorts of categories for its 2012 Apex Awards. (We know, it's not 2012 for two months.)

Of course, we're interested in the beer-related categories. In case you want to just skip to those, they are "Best brewpub," "Best Brewery" and "Best Happy Hour." You can do your voting here.

Let us know who you put on your ballot, and why!

'Meet the Brewer' Night on Thursday at the Platypus Pub

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas Alberg) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:00:00 +0000

The Home Brew Shop and Platypus Pub in Bend is hosting another "Meet the Brewer" night on Thursday. Following up on the meet-n-greet with Hopworks Urban Brewery's Jaime Rodriquez last week, the newly minted basement pub will be talking with a brewer from Eugene's Oakshire Brewing this go-round.

Oakshire seems to be gaining some steam in the past 6-12 months and definitely has a presence here in Bend, both in selling bottles in stores and on tap in pubs. A quick glance online on their website shows that they are currently selling their beers at places like Whole Foods, Nature's, Brother Jon's Public House, The Blacksmith, Jackson's Corner, Newport Ave. Market and a handful of others (including the Brew Shop, of course). They were also here a couple times this summer at beer festivals if you got a chance to sample their wares at the Bend Brewfest and the Little Woody Barrel-Aged Brew Festival on Labor Day weekend. Personally, I'm more of a fan of their darker beers like the Overcast Espresso Stout and the O'Dark: 30 Cascadian Dark Ale, but they seem to do well distributing their Watershed IPA and Oakshire Amber as well.

Event starts at 7pm on Thursday at the Platypus Pub, which is located in the basement of The Home Brew Shop on the corner of 3rd and NE Lafayette Ave. in the old church. If you get there a bit early, you can still catch happy hour too (runs till 6:30pm), which features $.75 off beers and some food specials.

Beer report: GoodLife + 10 Barrel

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 09:03:00 +0000

Last week several Bend Beer Bloggers had a few alcoholic beverages, so we figured we would report on what we drank to enlighten you, the Bend beer drinking audience.

After taking in some free music at McMenamin's, I headed over to GoodLife to check out their Locals Night for the first time. They have $2.50 pints all day, and $7 growlers too. Anyway, our party made sure to have one of each of GoodLife's three offerings (truth be told, we tried almost everything they had on tap, as well). Right now they have a pale (Mountain Rescue), an IPA (Descender) and a wheat (Sweet as Pale). All of them were fine beers, although we all agreed that none of them truly distinguished themselves. The wheat was good, and didn't have the aftertaste that can plague some wheats. And the IPA was very hoppy (in a good way), checking in at 70 IBUs. Below, from left, is the pale, the IPA, and the wheat.

You can read more about all their beers here.

For a nightcap, we went over to 10 Barrel, pretty much to try their Ping Pong Pumpkin Ale. And it was worth the trip. It strikes the perfect note of how much pumpkin flavor you want in a beer -- earthy and a hint of sweetness. We suggest you check it out before fall is over.

Local Designer & Beer Lover Launches 'Beer Me Bend!'

noreply@blogger.com (Lucas Alberg) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 23:26:00 +0000

I saw a tweet come through earlier today announcing a new Bend-based website dedicated to beer. Beer Me Bend! is a very cool new site designed by local resident and graphic designer Carrrrrlos (aka Carlos Perez) that highlights craft beer in Bend.

The site drills down on each local brewery in town, as well as lists out some of the happy hour specials and locals nights throughout the week. Though it looks like no blog is attached, he does highlight some of the local beer blogs (including the good folks bringing you this news) and has some nice social interactivity with Twitter streams and Facebook updates. He also provides some nice resources for tours, homebrewing supplies and good places around Bend to buy craft beer. In the end, Beer Me Bend! looks to be a great site designed by a local Bendite who loves good beer. And for that, we say cheers!