It’s time once again for 10 Barrel’s most polarizing, seasonal beer: Swill. To its fans, the name is clever and ironic; to its haters, the name couldn’t be more accurate. This year they’ve coined it American Radler. But what is that and will it bite? Radlers are traditional German shandies—aka, beer mixed with soda or […]
Beer & Drink
What Makes Bend Such a Beer Town?
There are so many aspects and different definitions to what it means for Bend to be a “beer town,” but, entering its third year, the loosely organized Beer Week is coalescing as a summer ritual that seeks to provide dozens of examples of exactly what that means. With nearly every local brewery opening its doors, […]
Bombs Away Boneyard
Thanks largely to the runaway success of RPM, Boneyard has never gotten around to offering small packaging. They only keg. What will likely surprise most Boneyard fans is that they actually make other beer styles. Styles that are not IPA (gasp!) and have occasionally been left out of rotation, so more RPM could be brewed. […]
X is for Xcellent
According to Armory XPA’s legend, Deschutes chose not to brew a known recipe for the first run of their new equipment in the Portland pub. The reason behind the decision was consistency. New equipment has a learning curve if the goal is matching an existing flavor profile. Why not try something brand new instead? The […]
Free of Pretense; Full of Delivery
As a young brewery, Bridge 99 has little time on the scene. espite its youth, it is wise beyond its years, with very good beer and zero showboating. For the April 9 tasting at Platypus Pub, Bridge 99 brought four beers: Wizard Falls IPA, Candle Creek Pale, Red Rock Red, and Bull Trout Stout. Three […]
Taking Care of Business
A whisky for the non-whisky snob, Professionals Spiced Whisky is sweet and smooth, an easy drink laced with flowery helpings of vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. The base of the spiced whisky is distilled in Canada (hence the spelling whisky, which denotes origin in Canada, Japan, Scotland, England, and Wales) and is bottled and flavored […]
Worthy’s Hop Fetish Goes to 11
Forget about the aggressive name. Worthy’s Eruption is more sports car than volcano. This beer boasts a lot of horsepower with 8 percent ABV and 100+ IBU, but those numbers are misleading. Far from an explosion, it’s all about skilled handling of powerful elements. The result is a medium-full bodied, quite drinkable beer. With subtle […]
One Star So Far
A brewery less than a year old should not be judged on one beer alone. There are tremendous growing pains in any business, let alone one such as brewing beer that relies on food science and microbiology. In that spirit four Rat Hole beers were tasted side by side. This was done to check the […]
Rye’t for the Wrong Reasons
Typically, rye beers are known to be sharp and spicy. “Stonefly Rye Ale” is both…sort of. It could use some time at the gym as all the edges are soft and round. But soft is alright, right? Despite its shortcomings, it is still sharper and spicier than its wheat beer roots. The aromas run the […]
Who Let the Dawgs Out?
Crux has earned a reputation for extraordinary beer. “Off Leash” is a prime example. Labeled a Northwest Session Ale, it departs from any defined beer style. Session beers are not bound by recipe or rigid tradition. It usually only means a beer that has less than 5% ABV and is refreshing. “Off Leash” is full […]

