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Celebrate Oregon Beer Newsletter
Published 1 day ago • 5 min read
Celebrating Oregon Beer
Your fortnightly round-up of all the beer and hop news from the Beaver State.
Hello Oregon beer fans! Here in the Northwest, we're quickly moving into the activities of winter. That means snow and skis for some, rain and cozy pubs for others. The days are shortening, and we are turning our attention to dark, malty ales and lagers.
Thanks to everyone who has subscribed to this newsletter (we're at 250 already!). You'll find a rich offering today. And, if you are looking for more news and conversation in between these missives, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or BlueSky.
News
Alcohol and Health
Emergency room MD and vintner Laura Catena has a wonderfully nuanced article about the science on alcohol and your health--and it's mostly good news!
Celebrate Oregon Beer is co-sponsoring the 2nd annual Holiday Brew Fest! Held in Pioneer Courthouse Square, this is the successor to the Holiday Ale Fest, which sadly did not survive Covid. But now in it's second year, the HBF will warm you this winter!
All the Details Fri 12/6 5:30 - 9pm. Sat 12/7 Noon - 9pm Sun 12/8 Noon - 5pm
Tickets available now: Buy here Volunteers needed: Sign up here More information about the event, breweries, and beer: website
Proceeds from this event will help support Celebrate Oregon Beer.
Other Upcoming Events
If you have an event you'd like listed, shoot us an email: events@celebrateoregonbeer.com
Weekend Birthday
Weekend Beer is hosting their 6th anniversary this Friday (11/15) in Grants Pass. Live music, new releases, food specials, and ice cream!
Open just a month, Bend's latest brewery is quickly becoming one of its best. Last month, it won a silver at the GABF and this month took home seven medals at the SIP awards.
We are incredibly lucky to live in Oregon, a place where a new brewery can open and instantly make exceptional beer. A big part of that is because the community is so strong. Terranaut founder Bryon Pyka is a an accomplished brewer who previously worked at the much-lauded 10 Barrel Brewery in Bend. In today's spotlight, Pyka gives us more information about Terranaut and what to expect going forward.
Background "I've worked in the beer industry in different capacities my entire adult life. I'm from the Chicago area and worked in beer sales and in the retail segment for years there. When I moved to Central Oregon 11 years ago, I made a somewhat backwards transition into brewing because I had this love of homebrewing. Really, what it comes down to is that there's nothing I'd rather do than what I'm doing now. The brewing industry provides the kind of mental stimulus and social engagement that is just irreplaceable for me, and I love every minute of it."
Pyka, center, with homebrewer Dave Feldman and Oregon legend Tonya Cornett
What to Expect from the Beers "I worked on the Innovation Team at 10 Barrel, running the barrel aged program (specifically focusing on the mixed culture side of things). People kind of expected more of those types of beers from me, but I quite honestly want to do everything except that! I'll still tie in the experience I gained from using unconventional ingredients to do some fun experimental beers, but I'm excited to brew lagers and classic styles. The way I've been describing what our taplist will look like is an even mix of classic styles, modern styles, and experimental beer. As long as that's working for us, we'll stick to that framework.
Making it in Bend "The saturation of the market might make it seem daunting, but because of the growing population, tourism, and the enthusiasm for beer from locals, we also saw a lot of opportunity. That said, we knew that, in order to stand out in Bend, we had to do things well. We really focused on brewing quality and innovative beer and making our taproom space fun, eclectic, unique, and different. Really we cultivated a space that we'd want to hang out in and drink beers that we'd want to drink. That can kind of backfire if you aren't paying attention to trends and what sells, but I think there's a legit market for what we're doing and people so far appreciate that we're creative, inspired, small, and local. We've been getting a ton of beer industry support so far, which is extremely appreciated and meaningful to us."
Tell Us About that GABF Medal-Winner "Bucky is our American brown ale with coffee and vanilla. We used whole bean coffee from Backporch Coffee Roasters here in Bend, and they deserve a ton of credit because, not only do they roast amazing coffee, but they were extremely helpful in guiding us to find the right varieties for this beer. The coffee added chocolatey, nutty notes and just a touch of bright, jammy fruitiness. Then the vanilla rounds out and softens the rougher edges and adds a bit more body. It was just our third batch of beer in our space, so needless to say, we were pretty stoked to win a silver at GABF with it!"
Keeping Up
The Celebrate Oregon Beer website is now live! On it you’ll find information about the state’s brewing heritage, breweries (including region by region travel guides), the state’s unique hop regionandcharacteristic varieties, and info about our amazing fresh hop beer and season. We have a searchable, sortable database of all Oregon’s breweries and taprooms (though the full information for each brewery is not fully completed) as well as a map so you’re never far away from a tasty pint. In the coming year, new features will appear at least as often as this newsletter, where you can stay informed. Next time, we'll have a look at Oregon's ten most unusual breweries.
Celebrating Oregon Beer Your fortnightly round-up of all the beer and hop news from the Beaver State. Welcome to the inaugural newsletter from Celebrate Oregon Beer. This edition is packed full of goodies. If you enjoy the information, please share with friends so we can build our subscriber list. They can subscribe at the website. News GABF Winners Alesong, Grand Fir, and Sunriver were named best breweries in their class, and Oregon took home 38 medals Read more Fort George Goes Solar Fort...
