Deschutes Brewery
Bend, Oregon
Deschutes Brewery began in 1988 as a small public house in downtown Bend, Oregon. Today, the brewery includes the original downtown pub, which has a full restaurant and 19 beers on tap, and a separate brewery facility about two miles away.
On the second floor of the Public House, the Tap Room can do plated dinners for up to 50 people or receptions for groups of up to 80. Two miles away, the brewery facility overlooks the Deschutes River and has a tasting room and the third-floor Mountain Room, which can seat up to 80 for meals or accommodate 150 for receptions. West-facing windows and a large deck with a wooden arbor offer views of the Cascade Mountains, said Candi Calihan, private events coordinator.
Deschutes specializes in pub-style events and custom beer-paired dinners, such as a traditional German-style shindig, a Cajun-inspired meal or a farmers market dinner. Pairings and tastings are also popular. A brand ambassador will lead a guided beer tasting, or groups can arrange a Beer Bites class, which offers beers paired with small bites. The brewery provides free public tours, and private guided tours are also available.
Every June, Deschutes offers a barrel-aged-beer tasting that could also be arranged for private groups, Calihan said, and wintertime brings with it the opportunity for “some really fun Bus-to-Bachelor” events, such as spending the day skiing at Mount Bachelor followed by dinner at Deschutes.
Instead of going to Deschutes, planners can bring Deschutes to them with Woody, the brewery’s giant beer barrel trailer with five taps. Woody can go on the road to company picnics, parties and private events.
Sokol Blosser
Dayton, Oregon
When Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser planted Sokol Blosser winery’s first grapes in 1971 near Dayton, Oregon, the Dundee Hills AVA didn’t exist. Today, it’s one of seven AVAs in the Willamette Valley, spurred by a wine industry Sokol Blosser helped forge.
Three years ago, the winery built its new tasting room, a building that is almost as much of a draw as its famed pinot varietals. Sokol Blosser commissioned Allied Works Architecture, led by founder Brad Cloepfil, to design and build a tasting room to be the “showpiece” of the estate.
“They designed the space to look as though it sprouted right out of the ground,” said hospitality coordinator Brittney Eisele. The modern silhouette is clad in striated wood and dressed in light and features a living roof.
The main tasting room can seat up to 50 for meals and host receptions for up to 120, and the library room, which has audiovisual equipment, can accommodate 14 for a meeting or a seated dinner. The Cellar Lounge is another event space where up to 20 people can sit at a board table or as many as 32 can mingle during receptions. Decks deliver views, and terraced lawn areas provide outdoor space for picnics and games. The winery’s original tasting room, built in 1978, can also accommodate groups of 35.
Sokol Blosser brought in executive chef Henry Kibit this year, allowing the winery to cater events and customize menus and pairings. Nike, which has booked the winery several times for company meetings, has even arranged cooking classes, Eisele said. Sokol Blosser also offers guided vineyard hikes for up to 20 people and provides estate tours in its seven-passenger all-terrain utility vehicle.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
Chico, California
Home brewers Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi founded the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in 1980 in Chico, California, brewing its flagship Pale Ale that November. What began in a small warehouse with cobbled-together dairy equipment is now one of the nation’s leading craft beer companies, with two bicoastal breweries. Sierra Nevada is considered one of the frontrunners of the craft brewing movement and helped pave the way for other brewers; as such, its Chico operation is a pilgrimage for beer lovers.
The brewery offers daily tours and can arrange private group tours. Either way, guests have several tour options. The Brewhouse Tour allows visitors to handle hops and sip wort as they learn about the brewing process. The Sustainability Tour showcases Sierra Nevada’s “reduce, reuse, recycle, rot” philosophy that includes its solar power installation, fuel cell technology, HotRot composter and recycling program, and a stop in the eight-acre hop field and two-acre garden. The in-depth Beer Geek Tour is best for very small groups, while the IPA and Hop Head tours are seasonal offerings that delve into what the brewery is known for: whole-cone hops.
The Chico brewery also hosts meetings and private events. The Big Room, which is often used for concerts, can seat up to 300 and has a stage, a dance floor and a state-of-the-art audiovisual system, according to social media coordinator Robin Gregory. The brewery also has a taproom and full-service restaurant and provides event catering.
Sierra Nevada opened the Torpedo Room in 2013 in Berkeley, California, and opened a second brewery in Mills River, North Carolina, the following year. The brewery is slated to open the Sierra Nevada Draught House, a new lounge, in the new Golden 1 Center arena under construction in downtown Sacramento, California.
