Beer lovers have a lot to be excited for Saturday. Thirty-two Breweries from Portland to Prineville are preparing for the annual statewide celebration of Oregon craft beer known as Zwickelmania. That includes 14 on the High Desert.
“We’re doing a self-guided tour, and we’re going to give the first 50 people a commemorative pint,” Jeff Schwartz with Deschutes Brewery said.
The event gets its name from a special tap called a “zwickel,” that draws straight from the tank.
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All breweries participating are celebrating in different ways.
“We haven’t had this building open up to the public in nine years, so we’re really excited to open it up,” Sunriver Brewing Director, Ryan Duley said. “We’re gonna have some small bites and a DJ playing.”
Sunriver is also releasing a new IPA called “Bondi.” Patrons will be able to be the first to get their hands on the new product before it even hits the shelves.
Deschutes Brewery says they will have seven different tasting stations open, where patrons will taste a variety of brands. People will also be able to go down to the brewery floor, where they will be able to taste beer straight from the zwickel.
Zwickelmania begins at noon and ends at 4 p.m. on Saturday. If you’re in Central Oregon, here are the local participating breweries:
- Bend Brewing Co. – Bend
- Bevel Craft Brewing – Bend
- Boneyard Beer – Bend
- Cascade Lakes Brewing Co. – Bend and Redmond
- Craft Kitchen & Brewery – Bend
- Cruz Fermentation Project – Bend
- Deschutes Brewery – Simpson Avenue and Bond Street locations in Bend
- GoodLife Brewing Co. – Bend
- McMenamins – Old St. Francis – Bend
- Silver Moon Brewing – Bend
- Sunriver Brewing – Sunriver
- Van Henion Brewing – Bend
- Wild Ride Brewing – Redmond and Prineville
- Worthy Brewing Co. – Bend
If you’re outside of the High Desert, a full list of participating breweries can be found at this link.
