The Bend Beer Scene, Part 1

If you’ve taken a peek at my about page you know that I live in Bend, Oregon: right smack in the middle of the state, the largest city in Oregon east of the Cascade Mountains. Bend is unusual in a number of ways; first, it’s relatively geographically isolated: the nearest Interstate is two hours away, as is the nearest major metropolitan area (Eugene, which might be a stretch to call “major”). It’s planted on the edge of the High Desert, straddling the Deschutes River between the desert and the mountains, so that the eastern half abuts lava rock, juniper trees and sagebrush while the western half sees a rise in elevation and is peppered with Ponderosa and Lodgepole pine trees and sub-alpine microclimates.

Second, Bend was one of those runaway “bubble towns” over the past decade that are now being hit hard by the recession: property values soared and became hugely overvalued, the town became over-built and over-developed, and Bend became known as a “next Aspen” type of community—that is, the small town with metropolitan sensibilities, fantastic outdoor activities, clear air, affluent without the riffraff—in short, the next trendy place to be. As a result the town saw a big influx of people over the past decade that essentially tripled its population overnight. (And now, as I said, is being hit hard by the recession.)

Finally, for a city of only 80,000 people, Bend has a surprising number of microbreweries and a thriving craft beer scene. I’m going to spend some time guiding you around Bend beer over the next few articles, which will encompass Bend proper but also extend out to Central Oregon somewhat. Today we’ll start with two of the oldest breweries: Deschutes Brewery and Bend Brewing Company.

Deschutes Brewery

Everybody knows Deschutes: Their Reserve Series Imperial stout, The Abyss, is currently the number 34 beer on the RateBeer “Best in the World” list, and over the years they have been producing amazing limited series beers and rock-solid “foundation” beers like Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale. I personally think they are one of the best breweries in the United States and consider myself lucky that they’re located in my hometown.

Founded in 1988, Deschutes still occupies their original location in downtown Bend at their Brewery & Public House, the restaurant and brewpub where they not only serve their regular line-up of beers on tap but also their pub-only specialty beers: one-of-a-kind beers brewed to the Deschutes standard in the brewpub and unavailable anywhere else (unless you take a growler to go!). Take a look at the What’s On Tap page on their site for an idea of what they offer (the page hasn’t been updated in awhile, but you’ll get the idea).

Besides the beer, the Pub itself serves up great food and is a Bend icon and hotspot; it’s not uncommon to have to wait for a table, particularly on weekends, but it’s well worth it. Brewery memorabilia and breweriana adorns the walls and the atmosphere is casual and comfortable. The food is a high-quality version of what I’d call “pub standard”: burgers, sandwiches, fish and chips are all on the menu, and the will feature various daily specials that range from “pub” to nearly gourmet. Portions are very generous and the prices are reasonable.

Deschutes Brewery & Public House
1044 Bond Street
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-9242

In 1993 they built their larger production brewery (which has since been expanded further) across from Bend’s Old Mill District near the banks of the Deschutes River. This is where all their beer for distribution is produced—including where they do their barrel aging, and even have a special “lockdown” section just for The Dissident (you wouldn’t want those wild yeasts contaminating the rest of the brewery!).

They offers tours of the brewery four times a day, seven days a week, and the Tasting Room (and gift shop) gives you the first four tasters free. Yes, this includes The Abyss if it’s on tap!

Any beer-themed visit to Bend wouldn’t be complete without both a tour of the production brewery and a stop at the Pub for a meal and (several) beers.

Deschutes Brewery (Production)
901 SW Simpson Avenue
Bend, OR 97702
(541) 385-8606

Bend Brewing Company

The BBC, as it’s known among the locals, is the second oldest brewery in Bend. It was founded in 1995 downtown on the river and hit a nice stride in town as a laid-back alternative to Deschutes: when you couldn’t get in the door at the Deschutes Pub, you could almost certainly find a comfortable spot at the BBC.

The atmosphere is reminiscent of a ski lodge, with lots of natural wood, stone, and high ceilings, and indeed, I know of many a skier who would spend the day at (local ski resort) Mt. Bachelor and then stop in at Bend Brewing for beer and food—”après ski” as they (annoyingly) call it now.

Pub food is the standard fare, and it’s changed little over the years, which is a good thing: there was a stretch of time, in the late 90s and early 2000s, that I liked BBC’s food better than Deschutes (though the latter had the better beer). Now’s it’s a bit of a toss-up, they both have good food. The menu prices are a good value for what you get.

I’ll be honest: in the early years of BBC, the beer was decent but mediocre and nothing to write home about. That turned around in 2002 when Tonya Cornett came on as the head brewer: the beers noticeably improved almost immediately and in the years since, she has created a lot of buzz around Bend Brewing beers and has won several medals at the Great American Beer Festival, most notably for the HopHead Imperial IPA.

On tap you’ll find a regular line-up of house beers, including Outback Old Ale (a favorite), Elk Lake IPA, and Pinnacle Porter, and a rotating selection of seasonals. Except for limited bottling runs of HopHead and Elk Lake (which you can only buy at the brewpub), the beer is pub-only (growlers are available).

Seek Bend Brewing out when you come to Bend. It’ll be well worth your time.

Bend Brewing Company
1019 NW Brooks Street
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 383-1599

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