Over Memorial Day Weekend, I was in Bend celebrating the marriage of a childhood friend of mine, Jon (of Beer Bread fame). I reached out to a few breweries letting them know I was in town and to see if they would be interested in doing a brewery tour and sampling. One of the breweries that got back to me was Worthy Brewing. I was wicked excited to check them out even though the brewery tour didn’t work out due to timing on my end. My friend Stephanie (from Vancouver Brewfest fame), her mom and I had a good time taking in the Bend sunshine and enjoying dinner and some good beers.
Worthy Brewing has an awesome atmosphere. Since they were slammed when we got there, Stephanie, her mom and I spent about an hour sitting outside in the sunshine watching families enjoy their meals on long picnic benches, friends play yard games like cornhole and couples enjoying beers while their pooches rested in the sunshine. This place is a kid and dog friendly place. I would love to bring Bullet back here the next time I’m in Bend.
Since it was so busy when we arrived, Stephanie and I ordered a beer sampler to share and after making our six choices we were given a tray and told “Sorry, I’m too busy to put them in order,” by the bartender. Okay, a little weird, but we made the best of it. Here is what we tried:
The Unknown Sampler.
SMaSH Pale Ale: “SMaSH” stands for Single Malt and Single Hop. Brewed specially for Central Oregon Craft Beer Week (which was also happening Memorial Day Weekend), the malt featured Oregon-grown barley malt from the Klamath basin and was hopped with Oregon’s Indie Hops’ Meridian.
COCC Pale Ale Project: This beer was made by the 2014 Central Oregon Community College (COCC) class in the General Certificate in Brewing program. It definitely made me want to go back to college. Maybe I missed my career calling?
Eruption Imperial Red: This imperial red is loaded with Pacific Northwest Hops in the boil, then hopbacked and double dry hopped at the end.
Farm Out Saison: Just for the record, a “saison” is a French styled beer. (We had a discussion about this at the bar with another Worthy customer). Inspired by Dr. Alfred Haunold (which Worthy Brewing’s greenhouse is also named after) this beer is both fruity and malty.
Worthy Brewing’s Hop House
Easy Day Kolsch: This is the light, crisp beer you drink on a hot sunny day. It’s the lowest alcohol libation offered at Worthy Brewing and is often compared to a German-style lager.
East Side Pale Ale: This is actually a British ESB. Instead of the American motto of “Go West” this beer encourages drinkers to “Head East.” Get it?
I really do wish I could say more about the beers in the sampler, but since I’m not 100% confident of what I was drinking, I’m not too sure I can offer up any more to say about them.
By the time we finished up our sampler, our table was ready and we sat down to order more drinks and food. I ordered the salmon fish tacos, which as a table we decided was the best dinner choice, followed by the Reuben Sandwich and then the Cobb Salad. But all that pales in comparison to the chocolate cookie and ice cream we shared for dessert. Seriously, good beer, sunshine, and a chocolate chip cookie with melting ice cream will bring three ladies near tears of joy in gooey goodness.
Mind blowing brownies aside, I enjoyed my fish tacos with Worthy Brewing’s Dinner and Lights Out Stout, a smooth, creamy delicious stout that might have spurred on my desire for more chocolate given the chocolate and coffee flavors of the beer.
Worthy Brewing’s Dinner and Lights Out Stout.
Even though the food was amazing, it did seem as though the kitchen was unable to keep up with the large crowds at the brewery. We waited an hour to get seated and then another hour to get our food. If you are planning on checking out Worthy Brewing, especially on a holiday weekend, make sure you plan to spend sometime hanging out on the patio or at the bar. Even with all that waiting, I really did enjoy my time at Worthy Brewing. I hope Bullet and I will be back again for a tour, a beer and another chocolate chip cookie!
Worthy Cookie.
Have you ever been to Worthy Brewing? What did you think? Have you tried their beer?
For the record, I was compensated for this post, but seriously, I would love to go back to Worthy again with Bullet and friends.
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