Deschutes Brewery

Bend's craft beer pioneer. Gary Fish's historic Bond Street brewpub has been pouring iconic Pacific Northwest pints since 1988.

Deschutes Brewery began in 1988 as a modest, struggling brewpub on Northwest Bond Street in downtown Bend, established by founder Gary Fish. At the time, Central Oregon was not yet a craft beer capital, and Fish, a self-described restaurant guy, was simply trying to create a community hub where locals could gather over a pint. He hired Canadian brewing consultant Frank Appleton to design the original system and help formulate the first three beers: Cascade Golden Ale, Bachelor Bitter, and Black Butte Porter. Under the guidance of original brewmaster John Harris, these early recipes thrived. Black Butte Porter, named after the prominent volcanic cinder cone in the nearby Deschutes National Forest, defied the era's skepticism toward dark beers and went on to become the best-selling porter in the United States.

As the popularity of the Bond Street pub soared, the brewery outgrew its downtown footprint. In 1993, Deschutes expanded its operations to a 16,000-square-foot production facility overlooking the Deschutes River on SW Simpson Avenue, eventually adding a massive Huppmann brewhouse from Germany and towering 1,300-barrel fermentation tanks to keep pace with national distribution. Back on Bond Street, the original pub underwent a significant expansion in 2012, more than doubling its size to 7,500 square feet. This renovation added much-needed seating and a larger kitchen, helping to ease the notorious two-hour wait times that had become a local rite of passage. Today, the pub remains the spiritual heart of the operation, pouring from 19 taps that feature year-round flagships like Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Fresh Squeezed IPA alongside exclusive, experimental small-batch releases.

The food menu at the Bond Street public house is intentionally beer-centric, showcasing ingredients sourced from regional farmers, ranchers, and foragers. Spent grain from the brewing process is integrated directly into the kitchen, yielding the house-made whole wheat salted pretzels, which are served alongside a rich cheese dip made with Mirror Pond Pale Ale and a stoneground mustard infused with Black Butte Porter. Other menu highlights include a hearty elk burger topped with sweet fig jam, Swiss cheese, and fresh arugula on a toasted bun, as well as pub pizzas and house-cut Kennebec fries. Now 100 percent family- and employee-owned through an ESOP established in 2013, the brewery maintains the independent, community-first ethos that Gary Fish championed from day one, making the historic Bond Street pub a living monument to the Pacific Northwest's craft beer revolution.

Coffee & Craft — Roadside fuel stops curated by Basecamp West. The best coffee shops, craft breweries, diners, and eateries worth the detour on your next Western road trip.