BEER ISSUE
THE
Brew and Other Boozy News Some of the latest happenings in Brewvana By Nicole Vulcan
The governing body managing booze and buds in Oregon has been busy throughout the pandemic, first by allowing restaurants and bars to do takeaway drinks in a temporary, COVID-era rule, and later by changing its name from the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission—you know, just to be clear about exactly what this commission is controlling, exactly. During its 2021 session, in cooperation with the OLCC, the Oregon legislature passed a law that allows businesses with “full-on-premises” sales licenses to continue to sell cocktails and single servings of wine to go. Those businesses can now also sell sealed takeaway containers of malt beverages, wine and cider, as of early June—a rule that now won’t go away with the end of the pandemic. As with the temporary rule, the drinks have to come with the order of a “substantial
Courtesy Craft Beer Marketing Awards
food item,” and there’s a limit of two drinks per food item.
Beer marketing awards are a thing Craft beer makers in and around Bend often get awards for the beer they make—and now they get awards for the marketing that goes along with those beers, too. The organizers of the Craft Beer Marketing Awards announced Aug. 18 that three Bend breweries had taken home awards that recognize the “artwork, design and retail marketing efforts behind craft beer.” The contest is the “first of its kind international global competition,” its organizers said. Crux Fermentation Project earned a Platinum award in the Best Bottle Design category for the design of its Gypsy Coolship series, featuring hand-drawn artwork by Bend artist Sweet Pea Cole. (The beer itself was a cool project of wild-fermenting beers in an open “coolship,” at various notable locations around Central Oregon.)
10Barrel took home a platinum award for Best Merchandise Design/Sustainable or Innovative category for its t-shirt collaboration with Northwest graphic designer and mountain bike gal, Brooklyn Bell. And Worthy Brewing won a gold award in the Wild Card/Coolest Taproom category, getting the nod for its “Hopservatory” star observatory, its DrinkUp DreamOn Outdoor stage and its greenhouse and gardens. In total, 14 awards were handed out to Oregon companies in the awards.
Awards for canned cocktails Not quite in the beer realm, but made by the brewing team at 10Barrel are the canned cocktails that just took home a host of awards at the American Distilling Institute’s Spirit Awards. 10 Barrel’s team won a Gold Medal for its Greyhound, a “certified craft blended spirit” that you may have seen floating around Central Oregon from time to time. Winning silver medals were four other 10Barrel craft
Worthy Brewing crushed it for a gold award.
blended spirits, including its Bloody Mary, the Classic Margarita, the Lemongrass Lime Vodka Soda and the Moscow Mule. The awards were given out at ADI’s conference in Louisville, Kentucky, on Aug. 24 and 25. These canned cocktails get high marks from the Source Weekly drinking team, too.
Sampling Bend's Best Beers
I tried all of Bend’s top-voted beers. I didn’t realize that trying them all at once is not recommended. By Jack Harvel
I
n the Source Weekly’s Best Of 2021 edition, Central Oregonians ranked their favorite beers in five categories: Dark, hazy, light, IPA and seasonal. Being relatively new to the area, I decided to try all the winners and runners up I could find to get a better understanding of the local beer scene. Being relatively new to beer reporting, I decided to drink them all in one sitting, writing as I go. As a news guy the act of reporting on a vice is foreign to me. Writing why a beer is good is, to me, like writing about why puppies are cute. I’ve never had a beer I didn’t like and to date my favorite type of beer is: free. So, without further ado, let’s drink.
Light Beers Sentimental for the Miller Lites I stole from my father as a teenager, I decide to start with the Crux Pilsner, the light beer runner-up. The German-style beer doesn’t disappoint, and reminds me of those Millers had they been thoughtfully brewed by hand and not the cold corporate fist of the Miller Brewing Company. Next up is Good Life’s Sweet As, a pale ale with fruitier notes than the pilsner, and retaining an easy light beer drinkability. In fact, it’s so drinkable I’m drinking another.
Jack Harvel
Dark Beers Three beers in and I’m craving something a little darker, so I pop open our Dark Beer runner-up, 10 Barrel’s S1nist0r Black Ale. Being the (now tipsy) grammar guy that I am, I ignore the strange spelling and take a swig; surprisingly the dark beer doesn’t have the liquid bread characteristics of a Guinness. It tastes a bit like chocolate and it makes you dizzy, that’s a good thing. My fifth beer is one of Bend’s finest, Deschutes Brewery’s flagship Black Butte Porter. I try to focus on the tastes, aromas and mouthfeel, but five beers deep and I am unable to think about anything besides having a cigarette. I go smoke, temporarily destroying my palate and therefore my ability to judge how delicious it was. Having had this one before, I’ll assume it was great.
IPAs Ahh, the India Pale Ale, the most maligned of all beers. People say IPAs are just for hipsters, but that’s impossible because I like them, too. I start with Sunriver Brewing’s Vicious Mosquito IPA, our runner-up in the IPA category. Earlier I said my favorite beer is free, but I’m changing my mind. Now, my favorite beer is: Sixth. Next up we’ve got RPM IPA, which has won this award nine times. Nine
Sometimes, the job can drive you to drink. Don't believe me? Check out the story I covered on page 9.
awards speak for themselves, at least better than I can; my speech is slurred and I’m fergitting I’m supposed to be doing serious beer journalism.
Hazy Hazy’s how I’m feeling and hazy’s what I’m drinking, starting with Good Life Sippy Cup Hazy Pale. Tastes a bit like fruits and beer, and goddamn I’m wasted. 10/10. New favorite Beer: Eight! The winner of the hazy catergory is Deschutes Brewery’s Fresh Haze,
spuriously named as it comes in a can. Despite the false advertising, the beer’s good, and I’m good and really, I’m OK.
Seasonal It feels like Christmas but it aren’t, and our winners for seasonal are both Winter beers. Deschutes Brewery’s Jubelale and Red Chair eevade me for now, but I’m determined to drink my 10th and 11th beer. To archieve thus, I’m maintaining my current blood alcohol lever until it available.
VOLUME 25 ISSUE 35 / SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 / THE SOURCE WEEKLY
OLCC: Don’t call it “Control”
13
