On a tour of U.S. beer, you can’t get much farther away (in miles) than this Northeast city. In terms of beer quality, however, Portland sticks close. Portland, the largest city in Maine, shares quite a bit in common with Bend (which it is slightly smaller than, population-wise). They are both rather remote large towns, […]
Beer & Drink
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Where American Drinking Has Always Been Great
On a tour of U.S. beer, Philly has long been a winner
Philadelphia is a boozy town. It’s been that way at least as far back as when Founding Father and craft cider nerd Benjamin Franklin wrote, “There cannot be good living where there is not good drinking.” The love for imbibing is symbolized by the Mummers Parade, the Mardi Gras-like string-band and public-intoxication festival that kicks […]
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Best New Brews of 2016
New styles, old standbys
The year 2016 will go down as a year where the far-out varieties of the past are now indispensable. Wild fermentation and sour farmhouse ales used to be the domain of just a few outfits; now most craft joints will have at least some kind of kettle sour. When it comes to picking the best […]
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Our Friend, The Abyss
The stout of Oregon is back, with new variants
Can’t see your car under the snow? Must be time for The Abyss. One of Deschutes Brewery’s most well-known brands, the 11th edition of The Abyss barrel-aged imperial stout made its official debut last Friday at the Deschutes pubs on Bond Street and Portland’s Pearl District. It will eventually be shipped across the nation, from […]
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The Other Beer City USA
On a tour of U.S. beer, Grand Rapids stakes a claim
Many, many towns and municipalities across the US call themselves “Beer City” these days. During my travels around beer country, I still say Bend, of course, is the best one. (That statement’s in print, so it must be true.) The western Michigan city of Grand Rapids is the only one actively promoting “Beer City” as […]
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Land of the Spotted Cow
New Glarus: Only available in America’s Dairyland
Next up in beer reviewer Kevin Gifford’s beer trek across the nation: Wisconsin. It feels, in modern-day Bend (and Portland for that matter), that Boneyard’s RPM IPA is available at every establishment that has a liquor license. It’s ubiquitous. And across the entire state of Wisconsin—from the college bars of Madison to the rural supper […]
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Road Trip: Beer Where People Aren’t
Feel the need to roam? The Source’s beer guy heads across U.S. Route 2 and the Great Northern Plains
With any road trip, the emphasis rightly deserves to be on the roads taken. If time is abundant and solitude is one of the main priorities, there are few better options than U.S. Route 2, which starts outside Seattle, goes on until Ontario, and is mostly a barren two-lane blacktop in between. Spokane, covered here […]
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Going Inland
Breweries in Spokane worth exploring
When it comes to craft beer in the less-populated parts of Eastern Oregon, there isn’t much. Steens Mountain in Burns is one, a tiny outfit that received a glowing profile in BeerAdvocate magazine a few months ago. Beer Valley in Ontario, whose Leafer Madness IPA is a mainstay around Bend, is another. Otherwise, one might […]
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The Glorious Dive Bars of Astoria
Four dank spots one eventful night
What makes for a good dive bar? A pool table helps, as well as a lack of light. The more graffiti in the bathroom stall the better. And the floor also has to be sticky and grimy, but not too sticky or grimy, or else it’ll ruin the buzz generated by the “Tuesday night shot […]
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From the Coast
Tiny Yachats looms big in beer-oriented minds
Bend may slow down a considerable amount once fall kicks into gear, but that doesn’t mean the scene for one of the city’s most well-loved exports is growing desolate. The Bend Ale Festival, happening this Saturday at Northwest Crossing, will offer 40 beers from 20 brewers that encompass quite nearly everyone active in Central Oregon. […]