My Quest would not be complete without a visit to this small former logging town, located on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains and home to 14 Breweries. Including one of my favorites, Deschutes, craft beer's 6th largest brewery. The weather during our visit was beautiful and as an added bonus, it was hop harvest time. Oh my.... fresh wet-hopped beer put this visit over the top. The Beer Culture in Bend is so great they have an Ale Trail Map that you can follow, obtain a stamp at each brewery. If you visit at least ten Breweries you receive a nice Ale Trail gift. Did I complete the ale trail.....does the sun rise in the east? Well Bend did not disappoint, I enjoyed each brewery here are a few fall into the do not miss category:
- Deschutes Brewery- as I mention this is one of my top ten breweries and my visit only solidified my ranking of this brewery. Deschutes has two locations in Bend, the production brewery with tasting room in the old mill district or the Brewpub in downtown. With my limited time and so many breweries to visit, I chose the Brewery. The Tasting room was very large and very crowded. They have a very large bar and numerous tabletops to allow you to enjoy your samples. They had a wide range of their beer to choose from and stayed in my favorite dark and IPA styles. The Obsidian Stout and Black Butte Porter were exceptional. I also enjoyed the Inversion IPA, Fresh squeezed IPA and Pine Drops. Words cannot describe how good these IPA's are when they are fresh. Well I could have stayed all day, but the quest must move on to other breweries.
- Rat Hole Brewing- this is a small upcoming nano-brewery located in an office complex in the old mill district of Bend. They have a very good food menu to go along with a nice beer selection. They have nailed their porters, i really enjoyed their vanilla porter and the fence post porter. They were also serving a very good Fresh hopped IPA. They are not far from the Deschutes Brewery and it is worth the stop.
- Boneyard- on the trail to Boneyard brewery, the GPS was leading me out of town into a residential area along the highway. Then the traffic suddenly increased and every one was scrambling for open parking spaces. Their it was a double garage overflowing with people. I squeezed my way inside to find this small tasting area in front of the brew works packed with people filling growlers and sampling beer. Believe me this garage nano-brewery was cranking out some great beer. The IPA's were fantastic. The RPM IPA and Double Venom IPA were unbelievable. The Notorious Triple IPA and I have to admit the Orange is the new Jack was very good for a pumpkin ale. Boneyard is a true craft brewery, no bling just great beer. Note on the Ale Trail passport, they have the largest brewery stamp. I assume this sends the message they may be small but they are big in the Bend Beer scene.
- Crux Fermentation Project- located in an industrial section of town, this was another very popular Bend Brewery. The large indoor and outdoor tasting areas were packed. I was able to find a seat at the bar and enjoyed one of the many sampler flights that were being poured. THe Half Hitch IPA and the Cruxtennial APA were my favorites of the flight. Do not let the crowds steer you away, there is always room and this was another great Bend beer stop.
- Worthy Brewing- was the start of my second day in Bend. Located in a newer shopping plaza this modern brewpub looks more like a restaurant, but do not be fooled, they do have a great food menu, but they are also brewing some great beer. Since it was fresh hop season, they highly recommended the Big Sticky fresh Hop pale ale and Worthy Imperial IPA and they did not disappoint. Since it was a little before noon, I thought it was appropriate to enjoy the Coffee Break Mocha Latte Stout, a very nice breakfast beer. THis was a good start to the second day in Bend.
- Silver Moon Brewing- located on the outskirts of Bend, right along the Bend Parkway. As luck would have it, Brewer, Aaron Hofferber, was enjoying a brew at the bar during my visit. I was able to have a great beer discussion with Aaron. He was a Home brewer that decided to take his passion commercial. Aaron and the staff at Silver Moon are brewing some great beer and they operate a very friendly tasting room at the brewery. The Lord Dark Helmet was a tremendous Schwarzbier and the Maui Wowie DIPA was an Imperial IPA that sits with the best IPA's. I was also able to enjoy the Bourbon Barrel Dark Side Stout, a bourbon barrel aged stout....enough said. This is another must stop in Bend, great hospitality, great beer and food, you can't ask for more.
My visit to Bend definitely will make my top ten list of brew towns that I will have visited on the quest. I could write much more, but space and time are limited. All of the Bend Breweries offered a unique experience, I wish I had more time to spend at each one. Well California is on the Horizon and as the sun sets I say goodbye to Bend...........I will BE Back.