I'll admit when I heard about the acquisition of Boneyard by Deschutes Brewery I thought "WHAT?! NO, WAIT, I don't know...." How will this change Boneyard? Will it remain the hardcore, "white whale" brewery that I know and love? Will people flock from all over the country just to get a sip of a delicious Notorious, Diablo Rojo or Suge Knite? I posted some of my thoughts on Boneyard's Facebook thread that was announcing the merger. I finished my thoughts with, "Wow, I just realized how selfish I am" wanting to keep all this goodness to ourselves (speaking for Bendites). On the flip side though, Deschutes Brewery is awesome! I can see so much opportunity on the horizon for Boneyard Beer. I've had time to process this news now, and my dismay has turned to excitement for the future of delicious Boneyard Beer. I still had some questions, so I reached out to Boneyard Beer's owner and brewer Tony Lawrence with a few questions.
Source Weekly: How excited are you about this new venture?
Tony Lawrence: Excitement level over the top, let's say 13 out of 10. Although navigating this transition has us all working extremely hard.
SW: How long were you guys in talks before this was finalized? Were there any associated sticking points to work out?
TL: I'd say some random conversations amongst business partners, friends or brewers has always been a topic ...More out of curiosity really. 2020 and the pandemic changed everything of course, It was clear to us, that operating as we have been for the first 10 years was not going to be a sustainable strategy for the next 10 years. Teaming up with Deschutes will now allow Boneyard to get that velocity needed to carry us to that 20-year mark and more.
SW: Will Boneyard be amping up R&D? If so, I'm stoked!
TL: You know it! Our team now has access to the two-barrel pilot brewhouse for example, and other process equipment or materials that is largely unavailable for suppliers my size.
SW: After your distribution has expanded, have you thought at all about having pub exclusive beers, allowing for the continued niche of only being able to get some beers locally, similar to Deschutes (I really hope so)?
TL: The Boneyard pub always has been and always will be the house where the most offerings can be found. From the question above that will continue to be the case. The last year has left our pub with limited offerings as the brewery went into consolidation mode. Looking forward to getting our standard lineup back up as well as lots of new one-off beers. More Hops.
SW: What are you most excited about when thinking of the future of Boneyard?
TL: New products and customers in new territories. Lots of cans..... then more cans. Seattle to San Diego is where I live my life mostly and when Boneyard is 100% in those markets it's a dream come true.
Wow, those are some great answers! I am really looking forward to the Bend powerhouse that is Boneyard Beer with a Deschutes Brewery backbone. I can't wait to see what type of collaborations come about. Hurray for R&D! No good beer came without it! Cheers!
