The Ale Apothecary

Microbrewery in Bend, Oregon, United States 🇺🇸
Associated Venue: The Ale Apothecary Tasting Room

Established in 2011

Contact
61517 River Road, Bend, OR, 97703, United States
Description
Origin beer, connected to nearby farms, artisans and the land surrounding the brewery. 100% made by us on our own equipment with our creative brains and hearts. Children welcome in our tasting room.

The Ale Apothecary is a very small artisanal brewery, located 10 miles west of Bend, Oregon in the middle of the Deschutes National Forest. Paul & Staci Arney built the brewery on their property in 2011 after Paul had decided that his career in industrial beer-brewing was officially over. Taking cues from historical breweries, Paul decided that he would take the very basic concepts of making beer and build a totally unique brewery out of them, relying on locally grown or foraged ingredients and using the most natural approach possible.

Before there were beer styles, there were just breweries making the best beer they could out of the raw materials nearby, the water from the ground, and the yeast in the air. Paul believes that the Process in making beer can be used as a primary ingredient, so The Ale Apothecary has its very own methodology that gives us our house character that cannot be reproduced anywhere.

We get our grain from Mecca Grade Estate Malt in Madras, Oregon. Our hops primarily come from Goschie Farms in Silverton. We naturally carbonate our beer in the bottle with Oregon wildflower honey and try to avoid any and all industrial processing aids or commodity ingredients. Instead of using exotic ingredients, we experiment with the process of making beer to find unique and inimitable flavors and experiences.

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5.6/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 6 Flavor 6 Texture 4 Overall 5.5
Bottle pour at Farmhouse Fest 2023, pours an opaque dark orange with a small white head. Aroma is raw and earthy, with lots of twigs galore. Flavour is full of very sour notes, tons or twigs, and earthiness. Too sour and twiggy. Not great.
Tried from Bottle on 13 Aug 2023 at 06:17

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
A taster shared with Josh, Matt, Phill, and Ryan during FHF with priceless Rachel's (yup, again!) help in organizing all the mess with glasses. Appearance: almost clear golden with a white head. Aroma: nice bugs with some fruity character. Taste: same. Overall: good.
Tried on 12 Aug 2023 at 21:11

8.2/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 9
Poured from the tap. Hazy gold with small white head. Mild funk, feint vinous notes, hint of hops in the background. Great balance. Enjoyable.
Tried from Draft on 12 Aug 2023 at 05:20

8/10
Thick tannic oaky sweet and sour vibes. Lots of the wine barrel makes it through.
Tried from Bottle on 23 Jul 2023 at 17:54

6.8/10 Appearance 6 Aroma 7 Flavor 7 Texture 6 Overall 7
On tap at Elizabeth Station, pours a hazy blonde with a small white head. Aroma brings out subtle Belgian yeast and a touch of farmhouse character. Flavour is soft, with bready malt, doughy notes and a touch of farmhouse character. Clean and easy-drinking; pleasant.
Tried from Draft on 17 Jul 2023 at 20:19

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
750ml bottle. Chenin blanc variant. Funky and sour with some honey, vinous grapes and farmyardy notes --- Beer merged from original tick of Twist Collaboration (chenin Blanc Grapes) on 26 Feb 2022 at 22:16 - Score: 8. Original review text: Intense and sour with some honey notes
Tried from Bottle on 23 Jun 2023 at 20:12

8/10
Tried from Bottle on 17 Jun 2023 at 23:29

7.9/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 7.5
bottle - shared with a good friend. very unique - darker carmel color, strong - funky.
Tried from Bottle on 21 May 2023 at 11:10

8/10 Appearance 8 Aroma 8 Flavor 8 Texture 8 Overall 8
375 ml corked and crowned bottle from Tavour. Bottled on July 23, 2021. Pours a cloudy, amber orange color. Small, creamy beige head. Aromas of oak, funk, yeast, citrus and white grapes. First sip is tart and funky. Notes of white wine, earthy malt, lemon rind, oak, apricots, vinegar and sour apple.
Tried from Bottle on 15 May 2023 at 03:42

8/10
Ale apothecary still slinging brandy
Tried from Bottle on 12 Mar 2023 at 15:50