Food & Drink

On the move Ponch’s Place is undergoing a transformation. The brick-and-mortar beverage pavilion at the food truck lot is closing Aug. 7 due to ongoing staffing shortages. A note online says food trucks remain open; however, some have relocated. The Tin Pig is now at Ballers & Brews. The cart, open for nearly a decade, […]

There’s something appealing about a place where you can order a craft cocktail, grab a sliced brisket sandwich, pick up bone-in chops or ribeyes for the grill and leave with provisions for your next mountain adventure. That is exactly the niche The Way West hopes to fill. The new collaboration between Bend Brewing Company and […]

Last month, the married owners of Funky Fauna Artisan Ales, Michael Frith and Danielle Burns, shared on Instagram that after four years in business, they’re having a rough go even during summer’s high season in Bend’s hospitality industry. “We’ve experienced the slowest stretch in our li’l brewery’s history, including our slowest day on record.” To […]

Ryan McVay has been making beer longer than most people realize. The brewmaster for Three Creeks Brewing Company in Sisters got his start homebrewing with his mom at age 16, studied fermentation in Germany, worked in a Bavarian monastery brewery, and has spent the last several years quietly stacking awards in one of Central Oregon’s […]

I’ve always understood pairing a bold red wine with a rich beef bourguignon — classic culinary logic drilled into home cooks and sommeliers alike. But beer as a cooking ingredient? That idea had never crossed my mind. Turns out, I’m behind the curve, and I doubt I’m the only one. Beer-infused cooking has quietly become […]

Stacey Donohue has attended the Little Woody beer festival since it began in 2009. “Even during Covid,” she says. “I went with a friend, and it was Covid and smokey.” Her reaction to this being the last Little Woody? “It’s devastating.”  The iconic Little Woody celebrates regional barrel-aged beers. The event, which is only for […]

First there was the English India Pale Ale, clocking in around 5% alcohol and boasting a hop bill only nominally bigger than a pale ale. Once discovered by American microbrewies, it still took decades to ascend as the powerhouse style of craft beer. Ever since — American IPA merely became the largest category at the […]

Far be it for me or anyone to tell you what beer to drink and when. You want a double-digit ABV double IPA? Just know that the more alcohol you consume, the greater the risk of severe dehydration and, by extension, heat stroke you assume. Which is why the first hallmark of a good float […]

Broken Top Bottle Shop is bowing out A popular westside restaurant is closing for good. Broken Top Bottle Shop at NW Pence and College Way will celebrate its last day in business on July 31. The restaurant, which has been open more than 14 years, offers a wide selection of beer as well as a […]