Founded by Chad Kennedy, from Laurelwood brewing, and Roger Worthington, from Indie Hops, is Bend’s tenth brewery. The match sounds like one made in heaven and the two look to break ground on the new brew facility on the east side of Bend in 2012 that will begin brewing in early 2013.
Their site plans include the brewery, company offices, tasting room, seasonal outdoor beer garden, greenhouse, and approximately 7,000 sq ft for a hops garden. The current plan will also include a “Beer University” and the team is looking to establish agreements with Oregon State University to work with their agricultural, master gardener, and brewing club programs to use the Beer Garden, Hops Garden and Greenhouse as “classrooms” for their students. Chad said that while a restaurant is possible down the line, they will open with a tasting room to showcase the beer.
The brewing systems will be both a 2 Barrel (4 kegs) pilot system and a 30 Barrel main system. The main system may come from the same manufacturer as GoodLife’s brewing system which could be beneficial for equipment problem solving. The beer generated by the brewery will be packaged in cans and begin with core styles like IPA, Pale, Lager, and maybe even a Bavarian Hefe. Kennedy said that they are looking to move upwards of 80% of their product outside the area.
Read More >> Bend Oregon Beer’s complete interview with Chad Kennedy