"We had a really cool plan, but it's not exactly the small homey kind of easy-to-operate place. It's a little more of a chunk than we felt comfortable biting off right now," said Garrett Wales, one of three partners in 10 Barrel who also serves as the operations manager.
While the company is open to locating just about anywhere in Bend, they're looking most seriously on the Westside, which is seriously under served by Bend standards with only one brew pub (Cascade Lakes) for the entire neighborhood. (Gasp!) And don't expect 10 Barrel to hang its shingle on Bond anytime soon. Wales said the company is intentionally avoiding downtown for fear of becoming "just another bar." In the meantime the company's commercial brewing operation has taken off since Wales, whose family previously owned High Desert Beverage, joined 10 Barrel.
The company now has 125 accounts in Central Oregon and is on over 50 handles in the Portland area less than a month after entering the metro area market.
As far as the brewpub is concerned, Wales said it remains a top priority and that he and his partners are committed to getting it open in Bend before the end of the year.
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