Where there are outdoor activities aplenty, there also will be craft breweries. That’s just a law of physics…I think. And if it isn’t, it should be! One only need go to Bend, Oregon to experience evidence of this theory.
And experience it you can! The Central Oregon region has well over two dozen breweries of notable size and many more in the start-up phase. Of course as a visitor, we couldn’t take months to check out the whole scene, but we weren’t going to let that stop us getting involved and checking out as much as we could!
Knowing we were only taking up residence in Bend for a week, we were looking for a couple things…
- What’s the experience like? If they had outdoor space that would beckon us to come hang out (and drink more) that was a plus. But, a good restaurant menu and cool surrounding were important too.
- Where are they located? Walkability was key. Sure we had a vehicle and we could (and did) Uber, but being within strolling distance helped. Especially so we didn’t have to worry about one person having to DD.
- Do they have variety? There were four of us, we like different stuff. Breweries that were pretty much IPA snobs got crossed of our list pretty fast.
With that in mind, here goes our list! Enjoy!
10 Barrel Brewing Company
What’s So Great About It: This was the only place we went back to twice. With limited days in town, this says something. The westside location (which they call The OG Pub) is the perfect setting for drinking beer! It has a large patio with roll up doors on the building itself so it all feels very open air. Since it was late September (it gets cool once the sun goes down) the fire pits were amazing so be sure to snag a spot near one. Their beer list has their normals but it also has a lot of stuff you can only get at the pub and lots of variety there too. To top it all of, their food was pretty great too…try their pizzas and top it off with the Cast Iron Cookie Pie.
Favorite Beer: Sasquatch Golden Ale (ABV 4.7 | IBU 23)
GoodLife Brewing Company / The Lot (food truck park)
What’s So Great About It: Ok, these two are not really related but to us they were. (Oh, and also, we all completely dropped the ball and didn’t take any photos when we were actually at GoodLife. I guess we were having too much fun hanging out!) So here’s how this story goes. You should make it your own too!
We went to grab lunch at The Lot–a cool structure (pictured below) surrounded by 3 or 4 food trucks (apparently called carts in this area) and discovered they have 16 local beers on tap there too. Great! That’ll go well with my carne asada fries! I stepped up and asked to taste a Sweet As! Pacific Ale from very nearby GoodLife Brewing Co. I was sold. I ordered one for me and one for Mel (taking my chances) and later that night we went and had dinner at their brew pub. Sweet As! was my favorite beer of the whole trip. The brewpub was just so-so on food on weak on atmosphere (not open air) but oh that beer!!!
Favorite Beer: Sweet As! Pacific Ale (ABV 6.0 | IBU 18)
Deschutes Brewery (Tour)
What’s So Great About It: Deschutes is the titan of Bend beer. They’ve been there a long time and are one of the largest craft brewers in the US producing around a quarter of a million barrels a year. Obviously they know beer, and you can sample what they are working on at the brewery tasting room or at their pub downtown. But, why not pick up on that knowledge!? We made this our very first stop and the tour was a blast. It’s a great intro to get your beer knowledge up and your taste buds wet.
Favorite Beer: Pacific Wonderland Lager (ABV 5.5 | IBU 40)
When we were there in Aug 2017 they had a Prohibition Lager on tap that was awesome.
Sunriver Brewing Company
What’s So Great About It: They have this pub on Galveston Street, right near the river. And it has a wide storefront that is full of roll up doors that are often open. It’s like a moth to flame! The front area was crowded so we found a spot in the back and got it to trying beer. The great thing about their menu is their appetizers were unique, delicious, and shareable!
Beer: Fuzztail Hefeweizen (ABV 5.0 | IBU 20)
Other Items of Note…
