Oktoberfest, the weeks-long Bavarian beer festival and fun fair that is to Germany what apple pie is to the USA, kicks off in Munich Sept. 17. Bend’s own downtown Oktoberfest, somewhat smaller-sized but no less ribald and fun, takes place on the 16th and 17th. The main difference between the two: Germans will drink Märzen […]
Kevin Gifford
Posted inFood & Drink
The Best Beerfest on Earth
Brews for New Avenues redefines what an event should be
Summer might be ending, but beer events continue to downpour across all of Oregon. The Bend Brewfest has ended, yes, but it won’t be long before both Sisters and Hood River hold their respective fresh-hop beer festivals, for example. (And speaking of Hood River, Crow's Feet Commons is holding an event this Thursday, Sept. 1, […]
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Bend’s Chinese Beer Connection
Jing-A Brewing brings the craft to Beijing
It’s probably not a great surprise that Beijing, the third-largest city in the world, has a couple of breweries. It is a surprise, however, that one of them has a connection right here in Central Oregon. Jing-A Brewing Co., which opened its own facility and taproom in China’s capital a couple years ago after a […]
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Festivals of All Kinds
Beer Wars and Brewfest cap off a busy summer
The paddleboard’s been paddled, the lake swum in, the trail hiked, an unduly large number of food-stall dumplings consumed; now it’s time to cap off the summer with some beer. Summer is always a busy time for craft enthusiasts, but over the years, Bendites have seen the second half of August turn into an unofficial […]
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A Vessel Worthy of the Craft
DrinkTanks expands along with the rest of Bend’s beer scene
For the past 10 years or so, the watchword for Central Oregon beer has been “expansion.” It’s a trend that continues apace, although it’s perhaps not so noticeable at the moment because not as many new breweries are opening. But our existing breweries are expanding like there’s no tomorrow. So it goes, as well, for […]
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Portland’s Beer-Driven Summer
Craft events on tap all over the Rose City
There are few better places to witness the size and scope of Portland’s beer scene than the Oregon Brewers Festival, which took place over the last weekend in July. The largest outdoor event of its kind in the US, OBF is spread out across the waterfront between the Morrison and Hawthorne bridges, offering hundreds of […]
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Four Years of Groggin’ On
Dogs give a “paws up” for their own special brew
Daniel Keeton is a busy man. In addition to brewing for Boneyard Beer—helping produce the RPM IPA that keeps the Pacific Northwest running—he’s been operating Dawg Grog for the past four years, ensuring that dogs across the USA can safely enjoy the miracles of fermentation with their human companions. “Starting the business took some time […]
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The Nation’s Best Beer, By Mail
Tavour brings boundless variety to Oregon drinkers
Beer-of-the-month clubs, where members pay a flat fee each month and receive regular shipments of craft bottles, have been a “thing” since the early nineties. Tavour (tavour.com), meanwhile, is an alternative take on the concept. The difference? Better variety, total flexibility, and a selection of rare and seriously well-curated beer. Available in Oregon and nine […]
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Drink Weed Every Day
Two local companies bottling cannabis-infused beverages
With limited quantities of edibles now on sale to the Oregon recreational marijuana fancier, curious dispensary visitors are finding themselves exposed to a wealth of THC-infused candy, chocolate, cookies, and every other snack-y foodstuff under the sun. Even more of a surprise to some: there are now two locally-brewed and bottled cannabis-infused beverages to choose […]
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Drink Around Track Town
Three beer-centric walking tours of Eugene
The Bier Stein, located off Willamette Street about a mile from the U of O campus in Eugene, is a veritable shrine to good beer. Originally opened in somewhat cramped quarters in 2005, the bar/restaurant/bottle shop moved to much larger digs three years ago, expanding to offer thousands of bottles and some of the best […]