(Photo above by Ken Marunowski)
It is no secret that brewers in Central Oregon make darn good beer. Considering the competition, they must; otherwise, they’d get the ol’ brewery boot! Four breweries are now situated around the Empire Boulevard area in Bend, just northeast of downtown by about seven minutes on Highway 97. These breweries, Craft Kitchen & Brewery, Monkless Belgian Ales, Bridge 99 and 10 Barrel Brewery, are all making it happen in their own unique way while together are creating a new beer-drinking destination. Let’s call it the Empire Boulevard Brewery District! Meet the breweries below.
Craft Kitchen & Brewery
Although Craft has been brewing beer off Layton Avenue for multiple years, only recently has this small batch brewery opened a bar and food truck in the same location where brewing, drinking, and southern-style grubbing happily meet. Unlike many breweries that bring in food trucks to do the cooking, Craft proudly and famously manages its own cuisine in its own food truck where everything is made from locally sourced ingredients and from scratch. From delectable brisket smoked for fourteen hours over apple and cherry wood to the tasty Tillamook Bay oysters, fried or po-boy style, the food alone is reason enough to pay Craft a visit, and then another.
And the beer is no joke either; with the award winning Juice is Loose, a hazy IPA, and the rich Russian Imperial Whiskey Barrel-Aged Stout, serious beer drinkers will find no wrong. Along with other styles of beer, a rotating cider, red and white wines, kombucha and other non-alcoholic beverages, all thirsts will be satiated. Family and pet friendly with a coloring table and board games for kids and the now requisite Cornhole for those able to toss a bag, Craft keeps it local and green, reducing its carbon footprint through the absence of paper products and straws, the use of electronic menus, and the re-use of its spent grain to local family farmers producing Barley Beef. “Craft is who we are and what we do,” says owner Courtney Stevens. “We seek to provide our guests with a mom & pop style experience where we get to know and appreciate one another, bringing the local community closer together.”
Monkless Belgian Ales
Located on High Desert Lane (a brief stroll from Craft), Monkless fills a much needed niche in the local brew scene, providing a plethora of delicious Belgian-style ales to tantalize the palette, one that demands an occasional respite from the IPA haze craze. Having received numerous awards from the likes of USA Beer Ratings and Oregon Beer Awards, including 2018 Brewery of the Year and a Gold Medal for Friar’s Festivus respectively, Todd Clement, an organic chemist (PhD) turned brewer, is certainly making his mark. Patience and devotion to his craft reflect Todd’s reverence for the monks who originally perfected this style of beer, in part, to provide an alternative to the contaminated drinking water of Old World Europe. Along with his wife Robin, the couple sought to solve their own problem: How to provide the underserved local community with a hang-out close to home that offers an alternative type of beer, namely Belgian-style ales? “We’re a little off the beaten path,” says Robin, “so if you come here, you seek us out,” and that makes everyone happy!
With a team of seven dedicated employees, three of whom do the brewing, Monkless has been commercially producing beer for 4½ years now, which includes a very handsome production line of 16.9 oz cans and bottles. Nick, an energetic bartender who exhibits an uncanny knowledge of his product through vivid descriptions of the various styles, both seasonal and standard, welcomes all to Monkless’s cozy tasting room. Rotating food trucks compliment the tasty brews on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while Uber Eats is always on the ready to deliver.
10 Barrel Brewing
When 10 Barrel partnered with Anheuser-Busch in 2014, a general upheaval and ensuing backlash resulted amongst beer enthusiasts. Since then, order has been restored in the galaxy, and the masses continue to flock to both locations. For those in the know, partnering with A-B was actually a beautiful thing because it provided 10 Barrel a formidable backer with ample funding, whose hands-off policy allowed the brewery to keep doing what it’s been doing very well since 2006: providing guests with a high quality drinking and dining experience while additionally (post 2014) extending benefits to employees and allowing for expansion. Thus the “new” pub established in 2017 and located on Northeast 18th St., right in the neighborhood of Craft and Monkless.
10 Barrel’s northeast side location boasts a substantial bar, ample indoor and outdoor seating with its signature firepit, a banquet space for large parties and events, plenty of parking, and a view directly into the brewery itself, not to mention its awesome pizza and brew. Fifteen draft options across many styles keep beer drinkers coming, including year-round flagship brews like Apocalypse IPA, limited release seasonal selections like the widely popular Pray For Snow, and extremely limited small tank offerings like Double Chocolate Stout. Complimenting such unique beer selections are its unique patrons. Unlike the westside locale where ball-caps and flannels and the latest in yoga wear dominates, the northeast side hosts families, soccer teams from Pine Nursery, and regulars as well as community events like weddings, movie premiers, and fundraisers for charities. Come one, come all, and experience the sense of community for yourselves!
Bridge 99
Located just north of Empire Boulevard on Layton Avenue, Bridge 99 is a small batch brewery named for a local US Forest landmark, the Lower Bridge over the Metolius River near Camp Sherman, aka Bridge 99. This affiliation with and affinity for The Great Outdoors reflects the general attitude of friends and owners Trever Hawman and Rod Kramer who utilize local, fresh ingredients and sustainable practices when brewing the twenty plus beers featured on draft. Not only do the styles of beer vary widely, but so does the alcohol by volume, or ABV, among them. From easy drinking, light brews like Peck’s Penstemon Pilsner at 4.6% ABV and Pulaski Session Ale at 4.5% ABV to heavy hitters like the Barrel Aged Imperial IPA, Red, and Porter, it seems prudent to consider both style and ABV when making selections. Free Flowing Brut IPA, named in honor of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act 50th Anniversary, is a clean, dry Champagne-inspired brew, a portion of the proceeds from which benefit Discover Your Forest, the non-profit partner of the Deschutes and Ochoco National Forests. Clearly, Bridge 99 is as serious about the environment as it is about beer!
In harmony with this ethic, the interior is beautifully crafted of wood and its state-of-the-art brewery absolutely pristine. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating provides brewery goers with room to enjoy great beer, good conversation, and excellent food provided by the three rotating food trucks: El Buen Zason del Mago (authentic Mexican) Monday through Wednesday and Bomb Betty (hot sandwiches & dishes) and Curbside Bistro (gourmet pub style) Thursday through Saturday.
