Primary Ingredient | The Source Weekly - Bend, Oregon

Primary Ingredient

Don't forget, beer is 95 percent water

Boy, do we love water. Especially water with a dash of malt, yeast and hops. Springtime in Bend means a fresh round of seasonal releases from breweries around town. Here's a short list of what will be available soon, and the beers that their brewers are looking forward to drinking this spring.

10 Barrel Brewing

OG Ale—7% ABV

Paying their respect to Oregon's original craft-brewing gangsters, Widmer's Hefeweizen and Bridgeport's IPA, the OG will sit somewhere between the two as a wheat IPA that replaces the brewery's popular India Session Ale.

Release Date: May 1

Swill—5% ABV

Based on the German-style Radler beer (a mixture of lager and citrus soda), 10 Barrel has created the sweet, sour and citrus-filled Swill. Owner Jeremy Cox told The Source that the brewers have been working on nailing this light, highly drinkable beer for six months.

Release date: May 15

10 Barrel Owner Jeremy Cox says: Try Deschutes Brewery's Fresh Squeezed this spring.

The Ale Apothecary

El Cuatro—11-12% ABV

Paul Arney, brewmaster and vintage-brewing technique enthusiast at the Ale Apothecary, has done it again with El Cuatro, a sour ale that's been aging for a year in brandy barrels. Interestingly, the beer contains no hops. The malt is instead balanced with acidic elements in an Old World brewing technique. Arney put out El Cuatro in late March and has another batch ready for release soon. Get 'em while you can— El Cuatro is flying off shelves into the cellars of beer hoarders as Arney recommends aging (like a fine wine) for an additional year, and serving at 50 degrees for the very best flavor.

Release Date: On shelves now

Ale Apothecary Owner Paul Arney says: Drink Swill by 10 Barrel Brewing Company.

Boneyard Beer

Bone-A-Fide—5.5% ABV

Boneyard's original flagship beer is back! This pale ale is what co-owner and brewmaster Tony Lawrence calls a baby IPA, on the lighter side for Boneyard but still busting with hops.

Release Date: This week!

Tony Lawrence says: "I'm excited to see what the new player in town, Worthy, has to bring to the table."

GoodLife Brewing

Redside India Red—6% ABV

GoodLife recently released this red ale with bright hop flavors and fruity guava-like notes. The brew is named after local trout in the Deschutes River (way to keep it local!). On top of this great spring sipper, the brewery is also continuing to can its Sweet As IPA for spring.

Release Date: Available on tap at GoodLife

Co-owner and brewmaster Kurt Plants says: Deschutes Twilight is the one to try this season—it's rumored to have more Amarillo hops than previous versions.

Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes River Ale—3.9% ABV

Deschutes Brewery's first session, River Ale, was released in early March. With its signature full Deschutes body, the beer isn't light, but it is a totally drinkable alternative to its heftier Mirror Pond Pale Ale.

In addition to River Ale, Deschutes has teamed up with a group of breweries from across the country for the "Class of '88 Project." These breweries, which opened in '88 just like Deschutes, are releasing two spring creations.

Barley Wine (with Rogue Ales and North Coast Brewing Company)—10.2% ABV

Release Date: Available now

Imperial Smoked Porter (with Great Lakes Brewery)—9.5% ABV

Release Date: May 19

Brewmaster Cam O'Connor says: Pick up some Sierra Nevada's Summerfest.

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