There is a great and really unique beer event coming up this Wednesday, October 15 at Broken Top Bottle Shop—Beers Made By Walking. What makes this program unique is that the beers are inspired by plants found on the nature trail. (Deschutes Brewery’s award-winning Sagefight IPA, I believe, started with this program.)

Beers Made By Walking invites brewers to go on nature hikes and make new beer inspired by plants that are identified on the trail. Each hike is unique and each beer that is produced is a drinkable landscape portrait of the trail we hiked. On October 15th, from 6-9pm at Broken Top Bottle Shop, beer lovers will have the opportunity to try new beers inspired by hikes around the Bend Region.

These hike-inspired beers were produced through a collaboration between BMBW and the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) through a series of public hikes with brewers throughout the summer. Participating local brewers that joined in on the hikes include Crux Fermentation Project, Deschutes Brewery, and Worthy Brewing. Check out a recap of those hikes here.

Each brewer will serve their new beer on October 15th. Additionally, Laurelwood Brewing (Portland), and Seven Brides Brewing (Silverton) will also tap special beers based off hikes in their region.

Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the brewers, learn about the various hikes that inspired the beers, and learn about some of ONDA and BMBW’s recent work. Beers will be sold by the pint and in sample sizes until they run out. 100% of the proceeds from this event will benefit the Oregon Natural Desert Association.

The beer list for the event looks pretty fantastic too:

• Crux Fermentation Project: River Trail Sour – A blend of our Saison and a barrel aged golden sour. Inspired by plants we saw on a hike at Alder Spring, we added chokecherry and mint and fermented with a culture from Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Colorado. 9% ABV, 15 IBU
• Worthy Brewing: Walk on the Wild Side (Badlands Indigenous Ale) – Beer brewed with Juniper tips, juniper berries, Indian Rice grass, Desert Sage, wheatgrass, and fescue. The beer is inspired by a hike in the Oregon Badlands. 6.5%, 14 IBU
• Deschutes Brewery: Botanic Ale – A light and crisp beer with rye, wild sage, and meadowsweet, rose and Stella hops, inspired by a hike in May, at the height of wildflower season, along the Middle Deschutes River where it connects with Whychus Creek.
• Laurelwood Pub and Brewery: Saison de Walkie – A slightly tart Saison with rose hips and elderberries, inspired by a late-summer hike on the Wildwood Trail in Forest Park, Portland, OR. 5.5% ABV, 12 IBU
• Seven Brides Brewing: Pseudo Tsuga IPA – Light bodied IPA with a piney aroma and resiny flavor from the addition of Douglas Fir needle tea. The beer is inspired by the giants of the Silver Falls Canyon, where Douglas Fir forests veil pristine waterfalls, adding depth to the majesty of an area the brewery is glad to call home. 5.4%, 60 IBU

Don’t miss out the chance to try some truly unique (and botanical) beers!