Visiting Bend/Sunriver (early 2017)

No specific date AFAIK, just "this spring." http://www.bendbulletin.com/home/4815398-151/boneyard-beers-bend-pub-pushed-to-spring

 

If I had to name just one place for variety and local focus, it'd be WhiteWater Taphouse, though I think you'll find most bars represent local breweries fairly well. As for bottles and cans, I recommend two options: 1) Broken Top Bottle Shop + Westside Growler Guys and 2) Whole Foods + Eastside Growler Guys. In both cases, you get a good bottle/can selection plus a growler fill place that offers crowlers within a stone's throw. The Brew Shop is also good, but they may or may not be in the middle of a move when you're here.

You should have no trouble scoring Abyss, including variants. Even if the above bottle locations somehow sell out, the downtown pub would have you covered. Mother of All Storms seems highly likely too, though it's not quite as plentiful as Abyss is in Deschutes' home town.

 

Early spring is still chilly in the mornings and evenings, but usually clear daytime weather. I doubt you'll need anything out of the ordinary, just keep an eye on the forecast as it gets closer.

 

It may also be worth noting that the dress code in the NW is usually more casual than the East. Khakis and a button-up shirt will get you anywhere, jeans/t-shirt/hoodie wouldn't look out of place in all but a select few places. Your specific company or industry may vary that, but for your personal time you needn't follow any rules except maybe keep handy a layer you can add if it's cold/take off if it's warm.

 

The brewpub should be your destination over the tasting room; it has the bigger selection of bottles between the two locations, and better hours for your needs. In addition to Abyss and variants, they have released several brewpub-exclusive bottles over the past few years. Also, there's always stuff on draft at the pub you won't find elsewhere.

Unless you plan to take a brewery tour or want a bunch of Deschutes merch, there's not much reason to go to the production brewery. The tasting room there is a gift shop and the start/end point of the tours, but not a place to hang out with a pint.

 

Stopped by The Brew Shop yesterday, and when I asked one of the principals about news on a new location, he remained as casually "we're still looking" as ever. I've previously speculated that they may be waiting until the last minute to announce that they're simply closing up shop rather than moving, but the "new stuff" shelf continues to populate, which I wouldn't expect if they had plans to wind down operations soon. I don't know if that means they have beyond the end of this month to relocate, or they are playing things super close-to-the-vest. I'll keep my eyes and ears open.