Upp Liquids from Tonya Cornett & former 10 Barrel innovation brewers takes over at Immersion Brewing
One of the world’s most lauded brewing teams is launching Upp Liquids in Bend, Oregon, specializing in innovative beers, seltzer, and spirits to meet the rapidly changing fermented beverages industry. The new project will take over the existing Immersion Brewing Co. and undergoing a name change and complete rebrand this June. The new name represents a bigger vision: Uniting People and Places through unforgettable beverages.
With 100+ years of collective brewing experience, Tonya Cornett, Ian Larkin, Jose Ruiz and Ben Shirley - all former 10 Barrel Innovation team members are opening Upp Liquids in partnership with Immersion Brewing owners Sean Lampe and Amanda Plattner.
Tonya Cornett, a 30 year industry veterans and one of the most award-winning Brewers in the world, was laid-off from her role as innovation and R & D head of Bend, Brewing-founded 10 Barrel Brewing in September 2024 in a move that shocked the industry. Fresh off winning the 2024 Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing and becoming the first brewer to completely sweep an entire category at the World Beer Cup, Cornett and her entire team of brewers were laid off by 10 Barrel’s new parent company Tilray Beverage which foretold further cuts and consolidations across their craft brands.
“Immersion gave us a strong foundation, and now we’re ready to take things to the next level,” says co-founder Tonya Cornett, who helped name UPP after hearing time and again how people remember exactly where they were, and who they were with, when they first tasted a great beer.
Upp Liquids will eventually make everything from beer to packaged cocktails, hard seltzer, and cider and mead once all of their licenses come through. Their inaugural brews are 1st Upp Super Juicy IPA, Chasin’ Sunsets a yuzu ginger tart ale, and Arriba a Mexican-style lager, all three are on tap now at select locations around Bend and they are currently working on hard seltzer cocktails while waiting for distilling licenses. Upp hopes to produce around 1500 barrels before adding additional tanks and selling 1/3 of that in the taproom, and the rest for distribution and package.
“We love variety and a constantly rotating line-up,” says Cornett on what kinds of beers we can expect from Upp Liquids. “We have always incorporated food and cocktail inspired elements into our beverages. We will offer a wide variety of beer styles including sours, of course.”
Under the ownership of Anheuser-Busch/InBev, 10 Barrel Brewing extended their products from beer into spirits with canned cocktails, hard cider, seltzer, and non-alcoholic drinks. In the current alcoholic beverage landscape it may not be enough to serve only one rapidly diminishing market thanks to changing tastes of consumers and price increases. The Upp Liquids team made up of former leaders in those innovations is not leaving those categories behind, but now are unbound by the limits of corporate initiatives and free again to explore their own creative whims.
“I think it is important to constantly educate your consumers. I can remember when craft beer was nearly impossible to sell. We moved past that with beer education. Now more than ever I think we need to give people a reason to spend their money in our breweries. We need to show them that there is much more to beer than IPAs. For me, sours have always pushed the boundaries of what most people consider beer. It is a fantastic opportunity to sway someone who may be a cocktail drinker to order a beer,” adds Tonya Cornett on her vision for staying relevant in a changing craft beer landscape.
Immersion Brewing (550 SW Industrial Way #185, Bend, OR 97702) is a full restaurant and cocktail bar space in Bend, Oregon’s popular Box Factory building just south of the core downtown area and adjacent to the Old Mill District. Immersion Brewing’s last day will be May 31st, after that it will undergo a full refresh and rebranding before reopening as Upp Liquids in early June 2025.
New beverages, new collabs, same location
Interactive events, tastings, and community connection
The taproom you know and love isn’t going anywhere, it’s just getting an
UPPgrade. Same spot. New energy.
