Bend. Brewery Only Bottles.

I will be in the Bend area next week for some meetings. I will be there Tues-Thurs, but mostly free after lunch time on Thurs. I want to check out a brewery or two before leaving town. I live in PDX, so I have decent access to most Bend brews. I am curious if anyone has any recommendations for places to stop that have either some brewery only type bottles available or something really interesting on tap. Thanks in advance.

 

Thank you. Good call on Broken Top. I was looking at them online and their bottle selection looks very interesting. They even have some Goose Island? Did you try any of their food?

 

Below Grade....I've never had anything from them. Is there a beer from them that you would recommend if I see it, or is everything good? Their reviews are all good to great on here.

 

Awesome! Thanks again!

 

Perfect! Thanks. Both of those Below Grade sound like they are right up my alley. There are a couple places that Bend shows up around here, but can't say that I've seen Rat Hole.

 

Just got back from Bend yesterday and I wanted to thank everyone for the advice. I was there for a few days, but only had one to be a beer geek and your advice help maximize the little time I had.

First stop. Boneyard. We rolled up just before 11a. One of the brewers was out front still eating a bowl of cereal, but we were ready for action. We checked out the bins of spent grain spilling wort into the the driveway drain while we waited for the open/closed sign to be turned around. Four beer on tap and the Habanero infused one was a great way to get the blood flowing.

Second stop. 10 Barrel. Kinda disappointed that the production facility and the Pub are separate because I knew that they had recently expanded their production and wanted to see equipment. Not really a big issue but the thing that made it odd was that the first two workers that I asked at the Pub didn't know if the other facility was open to the public or if they had a taproom there. The first didn't even bother and the second at least had the effort to go ask someone in the kitchen. We had the 10 Barrel sampler and it was OK. It was a nicely done eatery though.

Third stop. Crux. This is a must visit. I repeat, you must go here. The beer was great. The bar tender was awesome. The smell of beer actively being brewed topped it all off. I had only ever had the Impasse Saison before and am really impressed by how diverse their beers are while still being really we done.

Last stop. Broken Top. Food was awesome and the two guys I saw working there were busting their ass. They had a very interesting selection of beers on tap, although something about the tap list seemed dis-jointed. Bottle selection was solid. It wasn't Belmont Station, but prices seemed in-line and I was able to get some stuff I can't get at home in PDX. I picked up the White IPA and IIPA from Below Grade (had the IPA tonight and it was delicious) and a couple Sofie and Matilda's each. BTW, this is the first place I have seen GI in Oregon, am I missing something.

Again, I want to thank those that helped me plan this mini beer vacation.

 

I think the last time I was in a Whole Foods was when I visited back to Cali. I did notice they had a pretty legit beer selection. I don't have one close to me and never go out of the way to go (NewSeasons Market is right around the corner from me and Market of Choice also has a decent selection) which explains why I haven't seen GI. I might have to drop in the next time I make a run up to Belmont Station just to check it out. Thanks!

 

I would say everything at Crux was Good to Great. We did the taster tray and quite a few more tasters (as long as the bartender doesn't fill them all the way, they are free). It was hard to appreciate the IPA's since we had started with Boneyard. The Hef was BIG on the banana and very good. The Peated Scotch Ale was also very good. Also, the Nitro Stout and Doublecross were standouts. The Flanders Red was just ok on its own (IMO), but I think it is going to be a fantastic base for some barrel projects. The Impasse Saison still stands as my favorites and luckily it's readily available in bottles out here. I just wish it was a couple bucks cheaper