10 Barrel Jamaican Me Pumpkin
Worthy of note both for symbolism (it was 10 Barrel's last seasonal release before the AB-Inbev buyout) and for its irresistible mix of pumpkin spice and rum flavors. A masterpiece of barrel aging.
Bend Brewing Co. Salmonberry Sour
It's a tight contest these days, but this flavorful yet approachable beer (a gold-medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival) proves that BBC is still Bend's go-to brewpub for sour ales.
Worthy Smoked Wheat Everyday
2014 was the year Worthy kicked it into high gear, releasing a series of innovative one-offs at its brewpub—but this one, a Grodziskie-style ale that mixed wheat flavor with attractive smokiness, stuck out the most.
Wild Ride Hopperhead
The best beer in Redmond is now found at Wild Ride, which debuted in May with this piney, crushable IPA and a dozen or so other solid releases that proved Bend doesn't have a monopoly on decent beer around here.
Ale Apothecary Be Still
Definitely the year's oddest release, a funky, carbonation-free wild-fermented ale aged in Pinot Noir barrels. It's the kind of experiment we've come to expect from Paul Arney's forest brewery, whose planned tasting room in Bend could be the big beer story of 2015.
