Heyooooo 👋!
The legendary Tawna is away on a well deserved vacation. Which means you get to hear from me this week. I’m Justin Keyes-Bundy, the voice and brains behind the Visit Bend social accounts. (Shameless plug: if you don’t already, you should follow us on Instagram and TikTok.) 

You are here for *BREAKING NEWS* a complete list and understanding of the newest Bend Ale Trail additions, correct? Well, let’s get to it!

Bend, Oregon has long been known as a haven for beer lovers, with a plethora of breweries and taprooms serving up delicious craft brews. If you are new here, the Bend Ale Trail is a popular self-guided tour of the city’s breweries that offers the opportunity to explore the local beer scene, sample some of the best brews around, and win some nifty prizes (and bragging rights). Now, the Bend Ale Trail is expanding, with even more breweries and tasting rooms along your trek. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the Bend Ale Trail or a first-timer, the new additions will surely provide an exciting and tasty experience. 

Let’s take a closer look at the new breweries and taprooms that have joined the lineup, and what you can expect from this must-do beer tour.

Sunriver Brewing Eastside – The Badlands

Sunriver Brewing Eastside – The Badlands  

A take on the American Beer Hall, Sunriver Eastside serves as a meeting spot for friends and family. It features large locally crafted wood tables (more on that in a second), kids play area, and outdoor seating for those gorgeous summer days.

The long table in the center of the space was constructed from a salvaged elm tree from Terrebonne, Oregon. Elm trees are not native to the area and it’s suspected that the tree was planted sometime in the early 1900s—making it over 100 years old! Now, this piece serves as a reminder of Sunriver Brewing’s commitment to craft and community. 

Speaking of craft, you have to try the Rippin’ NW Pale Ale. This American-style pale ale has just enough citrus to balance that crisp hoppy taste. 

Van Henion Brewing – The Brewer’s District

Van Henion Brewing – The Brewer’s District    

With over 65 years of combined brewing experience, the team at Van Henion Brewing has perfected the art of brewing lagers and IPAs. As a lager forward brewery, they opened a swanky German inspired space in NE Bend—with a cuckoo clock anchoring the center of the bar. 

As they say, it’s 5 cuckoo clock somewhere. 

The Cellar/Porter Brewing – The Old Block

The Cellar/Porter Brewing – The Old Block

Looking for a spot that ~ feels ~ like you took a trip across the pond, but on a much smaller budget? Welcome to The Cellar—Porter Brewing’s newest location—where they serve up exceptional English ales and an even better atmosphere. 

What makes Porter Brewing so unique? For starters, the beers are hand-pumped. They ditched the typical beer tap, which adds carbonation, for traditional hand-pumped English beer engines that were imported from the UK. They serve 100% cask-conditioned real ales that are unfiltered, unpasteurized, and go through a secondary fermentation in the cask to naturally self-carbonate—this is why you will find many of their brews have a low AVB. And finally, after each brew, their healthy spent grains are donated to local ranchers for their livestock.

I opted for the Justin Time Stout—which I will happily spread the rumor that it was named after this here, hard-working, Visit Bend social media manager. 

The Lair/Kobold Brewing – The Old Block

The Lair/Kobold Brewing – The Old Block

Kobold Brewing’s newest location, The Lair, can be found on Bond Street in Downtown Bend.
Lair… Bond… I swear if there is a bartender named James…

Back on topic. Their tap list has all of the Kobold classics, such as Mystic Daze Hazy IPA, High Desert Flail Ale, and Heffen N’ Peffen Hefe. So, order a fire roasted pizza and hang out for a while. 

Funky Fauna Artisan Ales – The Outer Rim

Funky Fauna Artisan Ales – The Outer Rim

Just as the name suggests, Funky Fauna Artisan Ales, is a small, independently owned and operated craft brewery using 100% native wild yeast. Located just outside of the Deschutes National Forest in Sisters, Oregon, Funky Fauna’s backyard is the perfect location to capture that native yeast-like little Pokémon right out of the air.

Want to know what you are getting yourself into? I’ll let the menu description speak for itself: 

The Benny 

Brewed with Lamonta Pale Malt, Rimrock Vienna Rye and Wickiup Red Wheat from Mecca Grade. Hopped with Meridian from Crosby and fermented in a single oak barrel for 9 months. Then conditioned on fresh Spruce tips from our backyard and heaps of vibrant, lush Douglas Fir tips foraged in the Cascade Mountains. Then bottle conditioned with native wild yeast for bubbly excellence. (Notes: Wild Barrel Aged Table Siason with Spruce & Douglas Fir Tips)

*swoons* 

Wild Ride Brewing Prineville – The Outer Rim

Wild Ride Brewing Prineville – The Outer Rim

Sticking with the vibe of their original location, Wild Ride’s Prineville spot has,”four walls, concrete floors, garage doors and a tall ceiling”…along with a wide array of award winning brews, ample outdoor space, and excellent food carts.

Speaking of brews, I’m going to say something controversial. The key to ordering a pint that perfectly balances out those rich, robust red ale flavors is to top the last third of the glass with a vanilla cream ale. As luck will have it, both of these delicious ingredients are on the year-round brews menu: 3 Sisters American Red Ale + Cold Chillin’ Vanilla Cream Ale. Try it, you’ll be thanking me later. 

Boneyard Tap Room – The Riverlands

Boneyard Tap Room – The Riverlands

Boneyard Beer was created in an old auto shop tucked away in the backstreets of Bend, Oregon’s historical district.

They had one goal in mind— make great beer. I have to agree, for a brewery that was originally built by a “boneyard” of old equipment from 13 different breweries around the country, they do a damn good job at it. 

Keep doin’ what you’re doin’.

Ale Apothecary Tasting Room – The Western Front

Ale Apothecary Tasting Room – The Western Front

Inspired by the unnamed brewers of history, Ale Apothecary’s goal is to tie the brewery to the land and create beer with a sense of place. They use the wild airborne yeasts we share with the trees and hand-make beer without the fingerprint of industrialization. All their beer is mashed in oak, boiled in copper, open-fermented in wood vats, then aged in barrels until it is corked into bottles to mature in the cellar before being released. 

During my visit, I ordered the crowd favorite Ralph—a wild ale brewed with White Fir and aged in Oregon Pinot barrels.

I also snagged a bottle of the City of Blades to take home. Made with regionally sourced peaches and aged in a second-use bourbon barrel. This fermented beverage required plenty of slicing and dicing—and was aptly named after Solingen, Germany, known as the City of Blades, for their expertise in the area of making sharp things.