by Shaun Layton | Imagine going to a small city in BC’s beautiful mountains to find that you could eat and drink there just as well as you could in the heart of Vancouver. Our good friends in Oregon are so lucky. I recently went across the state on a self-guided beer-lover’s pilgrimage, visiting beautiful, river-hugging towns like The Dalles, Hood River, and Portland, and coastal beauties like Pacific City, Cannon Beach, and my new and totally unexpected I-wanna-move-there place, Bend.

Located in Deschutes county, Bend is unimaginatively named after the river it straddles. Home to some 80,000 people and almost 20 breweries, it’s about a three hour drive southeast from Portland, and it’s not one for naps as the road winds picturesquely through the snow-capped Cascades and the Willamette National Forest.

The most famous brewery in town is Deschutes, which has been crushing the craft beer game for over 25 years. It’s a fine place to start one’s explorations. Try the “Fresh squeezed IPA”; they claim no fruit was harmed in the making of this fine ale, and yet it boasts bright citrus notes and a tropical explosion on the palate. Also zero in on the “Zarabanda”, a Spanish take on a farmhouse saison (a collaborative effort with chef José Andrés). Lemon verbena, pink peppercorn, and dried lime are added to the malt, making the end result a fine accompaniment to salty bar snacks.

Another pioneer, 10 Barrel Brewing, was next. It was recently purchased by beer giant Anheuser-Busch, and it was a very controversial acquisition in the craft beer world (you can come to your own conclusions on that one). The beer lived up to the hype; to my knowledge it’s not a product that’s available in BC, or at last not yet anyway. The Apocalypse IPA was the star, a perfect balance of Cascade hops and citrus with woodsy notes.

This was followed by a visit to the Crux Fermentation Project. Recommend by every barman or beer nerd, it didn’t disappoint. That the sun was setting over the Cascades on a perfect June…er, February…evening didn’t hurt, but the overall vibe of the place was incredible. “Hey man, can we take our beer out to the parking lot and watch the sunset? I mean, is there a line we can’t cross?” “Of course you can! Just don’t trip on any of the dogs walking around out there…”

The “Off Leash” session ale was a fitting choice for the moment, and the Saison. The Saison! Spicy and herbaceous at the front with a champagne like mouthfeel and a clean finish. 5:30pm on an early week evening and the place is heaving, with a steady line of thirsty growler fillers. Sidenote: I thought it was a myth, but in Oregon there really are slurpee-like growler-filling walls everywhere. Even in gas stations. One just walks up and fills their growler after filling their tank. It’s incredible.

Other musts in Bend are a school turned hotel/brew pub called McMenamins (they also have a Portland location). For legit coffee, hit Looney Bean, a quaint coffee shop sitting on picturesque Mirror Pond with a yard bigger that most Gastown restaurants. To work off all that beer, the town and its surrounds offers a range of hiking options, chief among them being Smith Rock State Park. It’s about half an hour out of town, and well worth it as you feel you’re in Arizona all of a sudden. Take the canyon trail, and bring your growler.

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