Letters 11/11-11/18 | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

IN REPLY TO "MIRROR POND PROPOSAL LEVERAGES PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT" (11/10)

City planner overheard at Bend coffee shop: "It will cost more to build a parking garage than what the current parking lots are worth." In other words, the taxpayer will foot the bill.

—Big Ears

IN REPLY TO "OPEN UP AND SAY AHHHH!" (11/12)

I am disappointed that this feature on health did not include any mention of mental health services. While the article featuring the naturopathic doctor mentioned that the clinic focuses on mind-body connections, it failed to mention any mental health care services it provides. Some suggest as many as 50 percent of doctors' visits are for conditions caused or contributed to by psychological distress, yet mental health services are still left by the wayside when we look at integrative healthcare services. I would have liked to have seen a psychiatrist or other mental health care provider featured in this article. Source, you missed the boat.

—Megan

IN REPLY TO "FIVE PREDICTIONS FOR THE NEW 10 MILLION BARREL" (11/12)

Reasonable predictions. I presume any offloading of Apocalypse or other beers to A-B facilities will be done with 10B brewery staff testing batches for accuracy, which is already a common practice in other similar situations. I trust their palates better than somebody from the internet who claims quality will "undoubtedly" suffer. If people decide to boycott 10B over this, that's their choice. I'm a fan of good beer, and know that Bobby, Tonya, and the rest of the 10B brewers can make good beer, so I'll remain open to the likelihood they can continue doing so.

—sharpski

There are many problems with this piece. 1. Yes, distribution will boom, but the beer will definitely change. Once the beer is being brewed at another location by anonymous brewers with different equipment and different ingredients—bought in bulk with a minimum bid—it will be impossible for the former owners of 10 Barrel to control the quality. (Not that they care, they knew this would happen.)2. Apocalypse will not be brewed in Bend. True, and its quality will undoubtedly suffer. Goose Island's 312 was named after the area code for downtown Chicago and now not one drop of it is made in the same time zone as Chicago. That is tragic. Ask pre-sellout fans if the beer is better or worse. 3. Brewers will leave—actually, pretty much everyone will leave. A bottom-line company like AB/InBev will definitely "control labor costs." Translation: your job is still here...at minimum wage. In fact, the former owners, with huge checks in their pockets, though contractually obligated to stay on for a period to smooth the transition, will want nothing to do with the long, sweaty hours involved with brewing and running a restaurant. 4. AB/InBev does not own restaurants. The "flagship" will be gone in a matter of months. Sadly, those who work there are locals and will be out of jobs. Construction on the Portland location abruptly stopped right around the time the negotiations with AB/InBev started. It was slated to open this month. 5. They cannot be "more experimental and more consistent," that is a contradiction. Besides, if 97 percent of their beer is being produced elsewhere (a la Goose Island), exactly who is being consistent or experimental?

—helersceltic

This article misses the point entirely. The issue is not the quality of the beer, or where it will be brewed and distributed, it is the simple fact that 10 Barrel built its reputation and sold itself as a "local-for-locals" watering hole. Bendites have a history of supporting local, independent, non-corporate companies, especially when it comes to beer. Suddenly selling a local brew to Anheuser-Busch and expecting this town to shrug and keep drinking is ludicrous. 10 Barrel is finished. The tourists and Sunriver crowd might go unwittingly, but for Bend this place screams betrayal and I can't imagine any local with a sense of responsibility toward the shaping of Bend's spirit ever going here again. There are much better places in town, with better beer anyway.

—SP

IN REPLY TO "BEERPOCALYPSE" (11/12)

Ale-trail dilemma: You have sworn off 10-Barrel but you don't want that to hurt the other breweries on the Ale-Trail. Solution: make a last visit, buy a beer, get stamped, and makea final pour into a planter.

—Al Johnson

Exactly like a death? That is really shallow and out of touch with, well, life and death. Get a grip. To paraphrase Bugs Bunny..."Th-th-th-that's capitalism, folks!

—Michael Funke

TWO BIRDS, ONE STONE

The temperature has dropped this past week, and as it gets colder it's important to remember that Deschutes County has a large homeless population facing what can be a pretty tough winter. With that in mind, please, instead of burning your 10 Barrel schwag consider donating it to a local charity, which can in turn provide warm clothes to those in need.

—Ben Dight

ECONOMICS, POLITICS AND CLEAN WATER

Having just received a response from the office of Greg Walden regarding protection of clean water, we felt compelled to share the closing paragraph contained therein: "This is why I voted for H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act, which passed the House with bipartisan support on September 9, 2014. This legislation would prohibit the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers from finalizing and enforcing their proposed clean water rule. Instead, we must work towards finding a realistic, commonsense approach to keeping our water clean without creating additional hurdles for economic growth."

Frankly, this scares us. Prior to the Clean Water Act, the Willamette River was a toxic sewer. The upper Deschutes River was, and arguably remains, plagued by sedimentation, with potential impacts to the quality and quantity of water for irrigation. Oregon is a model for innovation, but we are not immune to greed taking precedence over public good. I might suggest an important shift in priorities, perhaps reflected by stating "...commonsense and community-minded approach to keeping our economy thriving without compromising our commitment to clean, ample water for future generations." Partisanship aside, where do you stand on clean water? Let your voice be heard.

—Debby and Kevin

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