Central Oregon's New Crop of Breweries & Beer Bars
I am on a much needed vacation in Bend, and while I suspect many of you are familiar with the many great breweries here (Deschutes, Boneyard, Ale Apothecary, GoodLife, Sunriver, etc.), there are a few new places not many have heard of. In Bend and nearby Redmond there are at least seven new or upcoming breweries, as well as new offshoots or pubs from local favorites adding to the already incredibly robust beer scene.Porter Brewing Co. recently opened in a new development of Redmond and is especially of note, as it is just the second Oregon brewery with a focus on cask ales. I wrote about Porter Brewing Co. and its commitment to proper cask serving techniques while exploring un-traditional styles earlier this year. Read the full writeup here and pay the place a visit when rolling through town.Geist Beer Works is another new brewery that just opened in Redmond this past August with a 4.5 barrel brewhouse. There is a small taproom located in a concrete industrial space and apparently the owners formerly had another brewery called Copper Canyon Brewing in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and have brought that brewhouse to Geist. I didn't get to stop by, but the lineup seems to be primarily fruited, big and barrel-aged beers and double IPAs. Geist is also contract brewing for another little startup called Braveheart Brewing. http://www.facebook.com/Geist-Beerworks-195965234447030/Mystic Roots Brewing (formerly launched under the name Good Earth Brewing) is yet another Redmond startup, but what makes this one unique is its attachment to Smith Rock Hop Farm. The owners Clare Thompson and Natalie Hoshaw of the just three-year-old and one acre hop farm have founded the brewery with hop breeder and brewer Miles Wilhelm. Mystic Roots is awaiting final permitting, but plans to brew stuff like krieks, saisons and barrel-aged imperial stouts on a just one barrel brewhouse with hopes to expand to a 7bbl if successful. http://mysticrootsbrewing.com/Initiative Brewing is looking to become a full brewpub with lots of outdoor seating, a full kid-friendly menu, and large fire pit just south of the downtown area in Redmond. First it will take some serious work in renovating the former Juniper Bank building, which doesn't allow for a kitchen. Still, the owners are bullish on their prospects, as they have already published a full food menu on their website from which they plan to operate out of a mobile kitchen (not food carts.) They have secured a brewer from Rogue, and owner Ryan Churchill was strangely quoted in a Redmond Spokesman article proclaiming the following:
“We looked at breweries all across the state,” said the energetic Churchill. “Some are making some pretty awful beer and they’re growing at an exponential rate.”