It seems like our trip to Bend was about...six months ago now. But hey, better late than never to give you guys the inside scoop on where to drink there, right?
I hope you're thirsty.
Crux was right up the street from our B&B (more on that below), so it was an easy (albeit rainy) walk to and from the brewery. We parked at the busy bar and sipped on some incredibly fresh brews while we debated on what appetizer to order. (We had heard great things about Crux's food menu). We finally settled on the Savory Kale Brownie - an odd yet tasty snack where kale and smoked Havarti are baked together into a "brownie" and topped with Sriracha whipped cream and chimichurri.
Boneyard was also a short walk from our B&B, and it was a must-visit on my list. The tasting room itself is in a garage-type setting, with industrial walls covered in Boneyard and metal paraphernalia. You can't get full pours here, but you can get taster-size portions of any of their current draft beers. (Tip; get the Notorious Triple IPA).
Oh, man. What a hidden gem Silver Moon is! We decided to check this spot out after dinner downtown on Saturday evening, and I am so glad we did. We walked in on a busy, energized crowd dancing and drinking to a local punk-rock band who was playing right in the dining room. The space is huge, so we opted to head to the other side of the bar to take in the crowd and [try to] hear each other speak. The best part? Silver Moon's beer is actually really good. We had a blast sipping on their great beer, people-watching, and listening to the live music.
If the weather had only been a little less rainy (and cold), we would have totally partaken in GoodLife's awesome outdoor beer garden - complete with an outdoor bar and corn hole. But alas, we stayed warm inside their indoor bierhall, where we sipped their made-on-site brews at a communal table. (GoodLife also offers food, cocktails, on-tap local kombucha, ciders, and guest beer taps).
10 Barrel makes some tasty beers, so I was excited to check out their Bend location. We rolled in here borderline hangry (and thirsty), so we sipped on Apocalypse IPAs and gorged on the Hippy Pie, topped with shredded mozzarella, baby spinach, marinated artichokes, mushrooms, red onion, roasted red peppers, and kalamata olives. 10 Barrel's Bend location was definitely a fun place to hang out, and right up the street - a few short, walkable blocks - was Sunriver Brewing. Sunriver was about to close when we popped in, but they were kind enough to let us have a pint (or two) anyway. Definitely worth checking out!
And, once you've hit all of those breweries, you'll need a nearby place to stay. The Mill Inn - a short walk from Crux and Boneyard, and an easy, barely-10-minute cab ride to downtown - is an adorable option.
Breakfast is included every morning, and each room is themed to a specific city (we had the San Francisco room).
Our only gripe with The Mill Inn is that the walls are paper thin. As in, I could easily hear the woman next door to us whisper - as if she was in the same room. Besides that, though, we loved The Mill Inn's proximity to everything - and the homemade breakfast was pretty fantastic.
Have you done any traveling lately? Or, any trips on the docket for this summer? We're eager to get to Seattle for a weekend soon!
