25 April 2011 – Bend, Oregon– Deschutes Brewery and Boulevard Brewing Company today announced that they will release two versions of a new collaboration beer later this summer. The style, which is described by brewmasters Steven Pauwels of Boulevard and Larry Sidor of Deschutes as a White I.P.A., combines Boulevard’s expertise in making Belgian-style witbiers with Deschutes’ mastery in brewing hop-forward ales. The ale will be made at both breweries and released simultaneously throughout each of their distribution territories.

“To say we’re excited about working with Deschutes on this project would be an understatement,” said Pauwels. “We have a lot of respect for Larry and his team, and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with them through the collaborative process.”

Pauwels and Sidor began exploring the idea of brewing together after crossing paths several times at craft beer events around the country. The brewers discovered they had much in common in their brewing philosophies, both pushing the envelope whenever possible, yet remaining dedicated to the time-honored traditions that keep them consistent and grounded.

“It will be interesting to see how similar the brews turn out despite being brewed more than 1,600 miles apart,” said Sidor. “That’s part of the fun of working together with a brewery like Boulevard. We both use the latest technologies but also stay true to traditional brewing ingredients and methods.”

Despite both beers being characterized as White I.P.A.s, there will be differences in packaging and in how they will ultimately taste. Brewed at their Bend, Oregon facility, Deschutes’ version will be the second beer in their new Conflux collaboration series and will be distributed throughout their 18-state region in kegs and 22-ounce bottles. Their first collaboration, brewed with Hair of the Dog Brewing Company, is still aging in wood barrels.

Boulevard’s version, christened Collaboration No. 2, will be distributed throughout their 20-state region as part of the Smokestack Series seasonal lineup in kegs and 750ml bottles. The brewery’s first collaboration, a partnership with distinguished Belgian brewer Jean-Marie Rock, was released in January of 2010.

Deschutes Brewery today announced that it has finalized plans to expand its brewery headquarters in Bend, Oregon. Due to customers’ continued consumption of the brewery’s damn tasty beers, Deschutes plans to add 6,750 square feet to its production facility, which will include five new shiny fermentation tanks and a fresh remodel of the tasting room and gift shop.

Local firms BBT Architects and R&H Construction are designing and building the project, and Walker Structural Engineering is completing the structural design. Construction on the space is slated to begin mid-May 2011 when engineering is complete, and will be finished in mid-2012. Visitors will still be able to easily access the brewery for tours, tastings and merchandise during the construction process.

I’m a huge fan of Deschutes Brewery from Bend, Oregon and as a craft beer addict, I am thankful for having always had a plentiful supply of their spectacular brews since I was of legal drinking age. I’ve also been fortunate enough to meet the extraordinary people behind their award winning brews and it’s a simple case of great people making great beer. As mentioned, they are from Oregon and one of the really cool things I continually see with Deschutes is their connection with Oregon and it’s more than just the place they are from. You can see Oregon in the names of their beers, in their labels, in the inspiration of each of their unique and exciting beers.

Below is a video for Deschutes that was created by their advertising agency that I really liked and I wanted to share with you. I must point out, however, that there is a very brief moment (one second) of partial female nudity around 3:15, so please be mindful of that. I think it’s a very cool video that captures a lot of the soul that is Deschutes and it also shows some of the inspirations behind their very cool labels. With that said, enjoy.

It’s great seeing cities teaming up with breweries to promote their city, their economy, and well, their beer. Bend, Oregon knows a great thing when they see it, and they’ve seen it with their local craft beer scene, leading to the creation of The Bend Ale Trail.

A collaboration between Visit Bend, the city’s tourism bureau, and eight of the regions top craft breweries, The Bend Ale Trail is an interactive, multi-faceted tour and celebration of the city’s craft breweries. Continue Reading »