In what might shock no one, Central Oregon makes a lot of beer.
What's up, beer world? I am giving this blog thing another go, after going on hiatus twice in the past. What better excuse to start up again than a look at last year's beer numbers which the OLCC released in February.
Luckily, BBB alum/possible future contributor Beau Eastes already did the math for us.
Fun math, based on @OLCC's numbers, #CentralOregon produced about 28% of Oregon's craft beer last year; 147,200 beer barrels. @thebulletin
— Beau Eastes (@beastes) February 27, 2015
The big dog, @DeschutesBeer accounts for about 90,000 barrels; @10BarrelBrewing almost 26,000 and @BoneyardBeer about 14,500. @thebulletin
— Beau Eastes (@beastes) February 27, 2015
My (uneducated) predictions for brewers that will move up in 2015:
Crux (No. 25)
Crux is working on getting a production facility up and running in a huge space on the east side of Bend right now (not far from where 10 Barrel is). If they aren't in the top 10 by the end of this year, I bet they will be within the next couple of years.Baker City (No. 28)
In terms of quality, Barley Brown's might be No. 1 in Oregon right now. Every time I have one of their beers, it's memorable, and I think it's one of the best I have had for that style.
Pfriem (No. 24)
Much like Barley Brown's, Pfriem is making great beer in Hood River. They also have a cool little pub near the river. Check it out if you haven't been. In fact, spend a beer weekend in Hood River, if you haven't done that already.
Gilgamesh (No. 34)
The wife and I fell in love with this place during a trip to the coast last year....it's tucked away near the airport in Salem (still a neat spot, though). They are making lots of cool, funky beers and styles that you might find nowhere else. In the land of IPAs, that's a refreshing change.
