A timely drop in on What’s Brewing in Bend was provided by a Chamber Town Hall Forum, featuring local industry leaders expanding on facets of the burgeoning craft beer business.
Bend has become a hot bed for hop heads over the last decade, with a host of new breweries popping up and gaining wider attention – building on a reputation started by illustrious predecessor Deschutes Brewery back in 1988.
During the gathering at Bend Golf & Country Club, Chamber members received first hand information on current challenges and opportunities in the field from panel guests Craig Mavis, Deschutes Brewery plant manager and 10 Barrel Brewing Company partner Garrett Wales.
Addressing the question of why the area is attracting so many new breweries, Wales commented: “We have a unique culture in Bend that is very embracing, especially in terms of artisanship in the community, and craft beer is part of that.
“Deschutes Brewery led the way by being local and supporting local. It’s hard to find a brewery here that doesn’t have a tie to Deschutes, and the bar was set very high for a quality product.
“The brewers are very supportive of each other and we often get together and talk about the product. We believe the more the merrier – it’s not a competition.”
Mavis added: “The craft brew industry is unique. If you look at big name brands like Coors, they are very private. They don’t share and you can’t take photos inside their plant.
“However, craft brewers are always calling each other and sharing knowledge and ideas as we grow together.”
Efforts are also growing to promote the region as an epicenter for craft beer, with the help of the recently launched Central Oregon Brewers’ Guild, of which Wales said: “We held our first meeting recently and voted in our cabinet.
“We are trying to band together and establish goals; the first being the marketing and promotion of the Central Oregon breweries both within Central Oregon, region-wide, and across the West.
“We want to increase the awareness of the quality of our products and embrace the team-based attitude to strengthen efforts, with everyone working together in one specific direction.”
While acknowledging that a newer brewery like 10 Barrel – which is currently moving into a larger production facility in Bend and working on branching out to a new brewpub in Boise – is tough to get started and established, entailing a lot of hard work, substantial capital investment and a fairly rigorous learning curve, Wales said he and his partners were palpably passionate about the industry and appreciated the local supportive and collaborative environment.
Historically, many in the milieu were self-taught and though the industry is undoubtedly fun to be involved with, craft brewing is “still a business, needing checks and balances to make sense and run feasibly” and education has become increasingly important, with many great programs available, including through Oregon State University.
Though the City of Bend has indicated it is supportive of the booming brewing industry, many operators have expressed concern that they may be bearing a disproportionate brunt of wastewater fees, particularly in terms of ‘Extra Strength Charges’.
Mavis said: “We had a meeting earlier this week with the Infrastructure Advisory Committee and we talked about the ESC.
“The way the charges are set up now is such that only about 10 to 14 businesses have been paying those, and Deschutes Brewery is paying quite a bit.
“Looking at the situation now, and the revenue generated, the City realizes they need to cut the pie differently. Residential areas are paying more than they should and there are a lot of businesses that aren’t paying anything. However, they don’t know the strength of their wastewater, volume etc.
“The City is trying to set up a model where businesses would be rated at low, medium, and high levels. There are a lot of people affected and I’m not quite sure how they will do that and figure out what is fair and equitable for, for example, breweries, hospitals, and restaurants.
“They may now take most of the year to establish a base. They are working with us on this and realize some businesses have been overcharged while others are not paying their fair share.
“Ultimately, the breweries want to know how it will impact them. Things are in the works right now, but we don’t know what the end result will be.”
Wales added: “Right now, the City is a pretty friendly environment for the most part. What we are realizing is the cost of doing business here is really high within the City, and it is a large part of our overhead in terms of trying to balance budgets.
“We could have built our new brewery in Prineville practically for free, but we didn’t want to do that; we wanted to support the town and build in town. I was born and raised here, and I love Bend. I think the key is there are a lot of little things that make up for that.
“With wastewater, we are not opposed to paying our fair share, but the way the policy is written right now, it’s not fair. If an industry feels like it’s being singled out and several issues come up, that could negatively impact the industry and Bend would appear not quite as welcoming.
“All of a sudden, you get people willing to make the drive to Redmond or Prineville. I think the City needs to stay diligent and make sure everything is transparent, and does not come across as adversely affecting what is becoming a flagship industry in the area, with a vibrant, entrepreneurial flavor.”
Wales also alluded to the success of the “Bend Ale Trail” which has garnered national attention, and the fact that increasingly visitors from across the country are attracted by the region’s blossoming craft beer culture.
