The BendBrewFest, Bend’s epic beer event is just around the corner. August 13-16 means four days of serious craft beer drinking. With a whopping 72 breweries this year, plan to pace yourself throughout the day and plan to hit up the most obscure breweries first.

The best time to hit up the BrewFest would be, well, as soon as it opens.
The fest runs from 12p – 11p Thur-Sat and 12p – 8p Sun. They added an extra day, no doubt just to make sure those kegs are good and kicked, and to give any local stragglers a chance to experience some craft brews they may not have come across here in Bend.

If you are looking for a place to stay in town there are plenty of options, but most notably The Riverhouse has a Beer me! Special. From now until Labor Day, mention Beer Me! while booking a minimum three night stay to receive an assorted six pack of local brews in-room, an easy-to-use guide of Central Oregon breweries and a voucher for two free tasting flights at the Riverhouse pub. Beer Me! package starts at $159 per room, per night.

Plan your imbibing wisely as there are two distinct crowds for this event. The craft beer aficionados, and the peeps who just like to toss back some tasty beer and have a good time. Both crowds are great for sure, but if you are heading to the brewfest to really taste the beer, possibly take some notes, your best bets are 12p – 4p Thurs & Friday. And make sure to take note of the X Tap – where breweries show off really special brews just for this event.

Cheers!