Beer & Drink

If you made it through Central Oregon’s inaugural craft beer week without running across a tasting or some other beer-related promotion, then you probably stand to lose your beer connoisseur credentials.
In fact, it was hard to darken the door of any self-respecting taproom without running into a meet-your-brewer event or a food pairing special. In all, there were more than a dozen craft beer related happenings, all of which were well-received, according to Garrett Wales, president of the newly minted Central Oregon Brewer’s Guild and partner in Bend’s meteoric 10 Barrel Brewing.

It's been a few months since Tyler West left Silver Moon Brewing for Oakshire Brewing in the valley. So, microcosmos stopped over there week to see how life was shaking out for one of Bend's first and most well-loved breweries under the leadership of new head brewer Brett Thomas.
And holy crap is that guy cranking out the beers.
For starters, Thomas and his new assistant brewer Stuart Long out of Lost Abbey in San Diego are rolling out four new seasonals in the next two weeks, including Epic Trail 2012 – an American wheat, the Imperial Red Bonecrusher, the GetSum Summer Ale – a hoppy wheat beer made with Amarillo and Simcoe hops, and a special summer pilsner.

Man, we just love this canned beer revolution. You can take 'em anywhere and they often taste better than their bottle brethren.

When this beer burst on the microbrewing scene in 1999, it was the strongest beer around. Though other beers have since topped World Wide Stout's current 18 percent alcohol marker – including Dogfish Head's 120 minute IPA, which clocked in at 21 percent several years ago – this 70 IBU stout is still one of the most cellar-worthy beers available in Bend these days.

The latest seasonal release from Cascade Lakes is a smooth-drinking pale ale that will temporarily replace the Pine Marten Pale Ale. Soon available in six packs, Project X is a classic Northwest pale, that uses a blend of two-row, crisp, Munich and cara grains to create a well-rounded beer that puts as much emphasis on its malt profile as it does on hops.

Dave Love, co-founder of Old Mill Brew Werks is finally making the big move from brew purveyor to brew creator. Love recently inked an agreement to take over the old 10 Barrel space in the Brinson business park in northeast Bend where he will begin brewing as Bend Brew Werks.

I typically avoid beers with names that include fruit products or words like “cornucopia” or “bouquet” that evoke images of bridal showers and wild flowers. I prefer names like Terminator and Abyss, but I made an exception for Deschutes' Menagerie Sour Ale, an off-the-beaten path offering from the newly reopened Bond Street Public House.

One of the best things about the holidays is the delicious high-alcohol winter seasonals that breweries start to roll out beginning in November. These boozy, heavily-spiced beers often divide our beer loving staff and the community at large: there are those who love the flavorful, wintery touch and those who would just as soon have another piney IPA in their clutches.

If you didn't pick up last week's paper, you missed our story about the growing fresh-hop craze among local brewers who went hop wild earlier this fall, picking hundreds of pounds of hops that flavored more than a dozen different seasonal brews. If you haven't had a chance to taste any of these concoctions, you should hurry because they won't be around much longer.