Tasting Beer in Bend

Most folks know that breweries/pubs around Bend provide tasters, but recently, I went to Sunriver Brewing pub on Galveston and requested a taster of its Choco Ice Cream Imperial Stout. My server informed me she was unable to provide a taster of this beer because it was specialized. I started to have questions about tasters. I reached out to Sunriver Brewing and a few other breweries to ask a few poignant questions.

I shared my experience and asked Sunriver Brewing: What is the decision process for determining if a taster will be provided for a specific beer? How is it determined if the taster will be free, have a fee or omit from providing a taster at all?

Brett Thomas, founding brewer and director of brewing operations responded with clarifying questions, and an apology for not being provided a taster. He then reached out to Sunriver’s four pubs and provided the taster policies: “Any beer we have on draft may be offered as a taster – typically about an ounce, so that a customer may establish if they have a preference for any particular product. This includes barrel aged beers. I’d add that offering tasters for barrel aged beers is critically important to selling that product as it can be a serious investment for a customer. Draft barrel aged beers are also available as part of a taster tray, with a $3 upcharge. The upcharge coming from higher pour cost associated with barrel aged products.”

Thomas proceeded to provide additional insight: “The way I view tasters of any kind in our pubs is that they are one of the best tools we have for determining a customer’s preference, as well as exposing them to multiple flavors of our beer.” The Choco Ice Cream Imperial stout was great and highly recommended.

I asked Silver Moon Brewing: What beer do you have available right now that you’d really love for people to come in and taste? Angela Moore, “Marketing Magician,” responded with a large list of beers to try: Cosmic Chill IPA, Billy Ray Citrus IPA, Fuzz Phonic, Dark Side Stout and 97 IPA. Moore added that Silver Moon offers flights of beer at the pub, 5 x 5 ounce pours for only $14. Great deal, and it provides enough beer to share! I recommend Dim Hazy, an easy drinking hazy IPA.

I asked Jason Randles, marketing director for Crux Fermentation Project: Are the tasters provided by Crux free of charge, do they vary in size based on what beer is being tasted, and is there a limit to the number of free tasters a person can receive? Randles responded: “We encourage our guests to try any beer they want. No limit. Free of charge. They’re not full 4oz pours but enough to know if you want to commit to a pint.” I recently stopped in and tried Freakcake 2019 alongside Freakcake 2023 (aged for 5 years in barrels). Awesome side by side flight.

Finally, I asked Monkless Belgian Ales to tell me about their tasting flights for a fee. Robin Clements, co-owner, responded: “We sell both four-flight tasters and eight-flight tasters at the Brasserie…customer’s choice of what is available on tap or our staff can make curated recommendations based on the types of beers a customer likes. Those are priced respectively at $10/$20 and are served in beautiful hand-crafted barrel stave flight holders. Additionally, we have curated tasting flights that include specialty bottles from the Godfathers of Belgian beers like Westmalle and St. Bernardus, alongside a bottle of Monkless in the same style. These curated tasting flights are a great way to get familiar with traditional Belgian styles. We offer flights of Belgian Tripels, Dubbels and Dark Strong styles. All of the curated Belgian flights are naturally carbonated and bottle conditioned which is a TOTALLY different experience than draft beers and is by far the best way to experience these amazing beers.” Monkless provides my favorite flights.

My takeaway; it isn’t common to be denied or charged for a taster. It’s important to provide your feedback to breweries and pubs if you have an odd or unusual experience to give them the opportunity to address it. Tasters are an awesome tool for breweries/pubs and customers alike.

This article appears in Source Weekly March 16, 2023.