A vision has been planted to transform a hardscrabble Eastside Bend lot into an oasis for the City’s growing band of craft brewery aficionados, after latest local industry entrant Worthy Brewing broke ground on an ambitious project slated for a site on Bellevue Avenue.
The project, which is the brainchild of attorney and part-time Bend resident, as well as Indie Hops partner, Roger Worthington and brewmaster/CEO Chad Kennedy – who was lured to the fledgling enterprise from Portland’s Laurelwood Brewing Co. – is anticipated to include a 22,000 square foot production brewing facility, a pilot brewhouse “for nailing recipes and concocting experimental beer styles” and a 4,000 sq ft restaurant anchored by a wood-fired oven.
Other touted features include a bar top from reclaimed old growth Doug Fir sourced from the Oregon State Hospital featured in Kesey’s ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, a herb and low trellis hop garden showcasing Oregon-grown experimental hops, and a Bavarian beer garden complete with picnic tables, fire pits and shade trees festooned with lights (and more hop vines) – all on land owned by Worthington a block off 27th Street.
As part of encouraging a ‘beer university’ ambience, there will be a yeast-propagation area and a greenhouse to be named after “America’s Greatest HopMeister”, Dr Al Haunold, while ‘Gabion Box’ structures typically built of rocks held together with a metal frame will instead get the Worthy twist, and be made out of beer bottles laced with hop vines dotting the site.
Modern packaging techniques are set to be employed with the installation of a top of the line European-made rotary canning system in the brewery, and sustainability will also be emphasized in the shape of solar panels and thermal water heating systems, as well as voluminous bike racks – especially appropriate as Worthington is an acknowledged cycling enthusiast.
Worthington and Kennedy have been busy with the many facets of starting a brewery recently, including meeting with city planners and builders leading towards finalizing construction plans, as well establishing a brand identity.
The idea of starting a new brewery was apparently hatched after Kennedy met Worthington while sampling some of the varietals offered by Indie Hops – which supplies Oregon-grown Aroma Hops to craft brewers.
The idea blossomed after continued dialog, with Kennedy observing, “Roger was looking for a change, and I suppose so was I. I got to the point where I needed a change.” After nine years at Laurelwood, Kennedy had assumed many duties in addition to being head brewer, adding, “I am confident not only in that I am a good brewer, but I have a good business sense and am passionate about being successful.”
Worthy Brewing is expected to be open by January 2013.
