Central Oregon Breweries and Cideries
In 1988, new Bend resident Gary Fish converted an old law office into the city’s first modern craft brewery. He named it for the river that runs through town and, today, Deschutes Brewery isn’t just one of the largest purveyors of craft ales and lagers in Oregon—it’s one of the most recognizable craft brands in the United States.
In the decades since, dozens of craft breweries and cideries have followed in Deschutes’ footsteps—not just in Bend, but throughout Central Oregon—and have earned acclaim for true-to-style offerings and creative takes on classic styles alike. Today, nearly three dozen breweries and cideries produce award-winning offerings throughout Central Oregon, attracting fans from all over the world.
So the next time you’re around our region, here’s a look at some of the best cideries and breweries in Central Oregon.
The Many Bend, Oregon Breweries and Cideries
Downtown Bend is home to the oldest craft brewery in Central Oregon, so it’s no wonder the city is the epicenter of the region’s craft beer scene. Nearly two dozen breweries sit within city limits alone, so it can be tough to know where to start. (Perhaps the hardest part about knowing where to start is knowing you can’t go wrong—wherever you start.) So while we can’t possibly list all the Bend breweries here, we’re happy to share a few notable breweries and cideries in Bend to help get you started.
More than 30 years after opening, Deschutes Brewery remains the heartbeat of Bend’s craft beer scene. A tasting room and production facility is open on the city’s westside, while the brewery’s original outpost continues to pour the chocolatey and coffee-tinged Black Butte Porter, the chewy Bachelor Bitter (a pub exclusive) and another 20 rotating beers in the heart of downtown today.
South of downtown, Crux Fermentation Project is one of the best-loved breweries in Bend, Oregon—and is known as much for the quality of its beers as its backyard-like outdoor space. The brewery pours more than 30 beers at any given time, with selections ranging from light lagers to citrus-tinged IPAs to hearty barrel-aged offerings. Its lively outdoor space, meanwhile, offers a few food trucks, fire pits, and plenty of lawn seating—and routinely hosts live music.
Elsewhere around Bend, Spider City Brewing is the only brewery in Central Oregon that’s owned entirely by women—and has earned acclaim for thirst-quenching takes on creative styles, including a Polish-style wheat ale, fruity sours, Belgian grisettes, and more. Visitors can enjoy Spider City’s beers at the brewery’s downtown tasting room or at its production facility and taproom in southeast Bend.
On the west side of town, Boss Rambler Beer Club delivers good beer and good vibes in equal measure; the hip brewery is known for its hazy IPAs, fruited sour beers, and light offerings—from American pilsners to Mexican lagers—and has racked up numerous awards and plaudits since opening in 2018.
And while Central Oregon might be known for our collective love of IPAs, Monkless Belgian Ales eschews the intense hop flavors for fruitier, spicier, and sweeter beers inspired by—you guessed it—Belgium. The well-regarded tap list at Monkless usually includes a peppercorn wit that delivers notes of orange and coriander, a Belgian-style dark ale, and a fruity, slightly spicy tripel.
Cider fans, meanwhile, flock to Avid Cider Co., part of The Box Factory shopping center. The creative cider maker prides itself on crafting well-balanced fruit ciders that blend clean, crisp apple notes with apricots, blackberries, pomegranates and other crops.
And in nearby Tumalo, just 15 minutes north of town, a pair of popular cideries occupy space on the same block: Tumalo Cider Company pours a variety of dry ciders that offer a hint of sweetness through creative fruit combinations (such as huckleberry lemon), while Bend Cider Company works a wide range of unusual ingredients (such as açaí berry juice) into its innovative offerings. Curious to learn more about the community’s craft scene? We’ve got you covered with our page on breweries and cideries in Tumalo.
Breweries in Redmond, Oregon
Bend might be the heart of the craft brewing scene in Central Oregon, but Redmond holds its own. A half-hour drive north of Bend, the city hosts the region’s second-oldest brewery, along with a slate of creative producers pouring a wide range of award-winning ales and lagers.
Cascade Lakes Brewing Company set up shop in Redmond in 1994, making it the city’s first and the second-oldest in Central Oregon. More than 25 years on, the brewery continues to pour a mix of classic styles (including a blonde ale and a brown ale) alongside today’s most popular flavors (such as a hazy IPA and a light-bodied pilsner). In summer, the pub’s garage doors open up to a fun outdoor space that hosts a fire pit, picnic tables, and horseshoe pits.
In the heart of downtown Redmond sits Wild Ride Brewing, which pours a creative mix of year-round offerings and seasonal delights. Wild Ride’s Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter delivers exactly what its name promises—heavy notes of peanut butter and chocolate—and is among the brewery’s most popular offerings. Four food carts are on-site, dishing a variety of cuisine, and numerous fire pits make outdoor seating an all-year affair at Wild Ride.
Just a block or two west of Wild Ride, Kobold Brewing boasts a wide-ranging tap list in its family-friendly tasting room. You’ll see the usual styles, from flavorful lagers to hazy IPAs, but keep an eye out for Kobold’s darker offerings; the brewery is usually keen to pour at least one inventive stout or porter (sometimes using creative ingredients, sometimes barrel-aged, and sometimes both) at all times—even in the heart of summer.
Since 2018, Porter Brewing Co. has made a name for itself by pouring cask-conditioned “real ales” at its wood-paneled tasting room in Redmond. What makes an ale “real,” though? In short, it means the beer is unfiltered and unpasteurized—and goes through secondary fermentation in a cask, rather than a keg, before it’s served. The beers are generally warmer than what might come out of a keg, and they boast less carbonation—but, in turn, deliver a flavorful pour that showcases the characteristics of the beer’s ingredients.
If you want to dive deeper into the city’s craft beverage scene, here’s where to learn more about breweries and cideries in Redmond.
Breweries Across Sisters, Sunriver, and Prineville
With so many craft breweries throughout Central Oregon, it’s no surprise some of the region’s gateway communities have gotten in on the fun over the years.
Three Creeks Brewing, for instance, opened in 2008 and has been pouring a variety of true-to-style ales and lagers at the eastern edge of Sisters ever since. Its year-round beers include all the usual suspects (including a pine- and citrus-tinged IPA and a roasty chocolate porter), while Three Creeks’ seasonals and one-off beers run the gamut from Scottish ales to imperial red ales to slightly spicy saisons. For a look at where else to enjoy a cold one around town, learn more about breweries and cideries in Sisters.
And since 2012, Sunriver Brewing has been pouring its balanced beers for visitors at a brew pub in The Village at Sunriver. Since opening, Sunriver has earned acclaim for its dialed-in takes on popular styles—including an award-winning hefeweizen that showcases subtle grapefruit and lemon flavors and a mildly bitter West Coast IPA that delivers notes of pine and lemon. (Still thirsty? Check out our page on breweries and cideries in Sunriver.)
And at the eastern edge of Central Oregon, Prineville is home to Crooked Roots Brewing. The craft brewer pours its own offerings—including mixed-fermentation sours and a slightly tart cranberry cider—as well as beers, ciders, meads, seltzers, and wines from producers throughout the region. For more on the city’s beer and cider scene, we’ve rounded up all you need to know about breweries and cideries in Prineville.
Wherever you go, be sure to drink plenty of water, drink responsibly, and call a ride-sharing service or taxi if you’ve had one too many. It’ll make your next trip to our breweries—there will be a next trip, right?—that much more fun.
