“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” -Dave Barry

Where do we begin? And end for that matter? For us Brewfest is never really over, and it never really started…it just escalates in August. I know this sounds like heaven to all you beer enthusiasts out there, and well, it is. To top it all off we could not ask for a more supportive and passionate place to live when it comes to beer inspired events.

We are constantly churning out ideas for the next Brewfest as well as reaching out to new distributors and breweries to come play with us. Things evolve so rapidly as August approaches we find ourselves fermenting and bubbling with excitement not unlike a bottle-conditioned beer! Some brewers and distributors have a relationship with us that has evolved over time and we can count on them joining us for the festivities. Others need a prod and a push, not because they don’t want to but because they drink beer for a living and well it takes a couple gentle reminders to get through the sudsy brain.

At the same time the beer/wine/cider vendors are rolling in we also have a constant stream of volunteers signing up to be our designated liquid joy givers (beer pourers in layman’s terms). We will have anywhere from 500-700 volunteers at each Brewfest. While the volunteers and vendors are getting serious and organized we are simultaneously working on the Bend Brewfest Guide, which lists all the beverages that are going to be available, a layout of the festival, interesting articles, spotlights on local beer related happenings and people, and the usual FAQs and such. T-shirts for volunteers and patrons are being printed and designed, as well as the vast amount of tasting cups and tokens. Also being compiled are the individual sheets that are taped to each pouring station that give the beer aficionado all the information they need and then some: Name, ABV, Gravity, tasting notes, Brewery & location.

The tricky part here being that the volunteers are not beer experts; they are volunteers who graciously donate their time to give you a taste of the good stuff, so go easy on them if they don’t know where the hops originated from or where the brewery is located – that’s why we print out the sheets. Of course, we’d absolutely love the brewers and artists to pour their own beer but alas, we cannot as that is against OLCC regulations – plus, how else would we give you an opportunity to get a cool t-shirt and some free beer? Yeah, that’s what we thought. Not to mention the idea of having a brewer pour and explain and describe each beer being poured to every patron that wanted to know is unrealistic and time consuming. That is why we created the Brewer’s tent! Hang out with the head honchos and have one of their signature brews, that’s what it’s all about.

Throw in answering and making about 800+ phone calls, a strong and burly crew putting together tents, tables and jockey boxes for 2 days, emptying a ginormous storage crate that houses equipment that we use every year and VOILA! You got yourself a Bend Brewfest.

Bend Brewfest is now in its 10^th year and it just keeps growing. We’re truly very lucky to have this event which brings in over 25,000 people during the three day festival, and we couldn’t be more grateful that it takes place in our Bend paradise.  Do you want to keep up on the latest? Then visit www.bendbrewfest.com for a complete list of beers, vendors, volunteer information, and FAQs.

Prost!