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.

     Show


9.4
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 10 | Flavor - 9 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 9.5

750 ml corked and stringed (??) bottle. Green glass. WTF? Bottled Nov. 1, 2013, 9.78% ABV. Aroma is extremely interesting, with earth, spruce, cat piss, musty basement. Pours almost clear golden-orange with a medium white head with good retention. Taste is just as interesting as the aroma. It’s sweet, earthy, sour (7/10 on a sour scale), biscuity, spruce-packed, a tad spicy. Like drinking a forest. Mouthfeel is creamy, carbonation fine, body medium. I’ve had Sahtis before and I’m always disappointed in them. This is so far apart from every other one I’ve had, it’s in a class of its own. Completely unique. What a crazy interesting beer. Edit: I had to bump up the aroma to a perfect 10. There’s nothing out there that smells quite like this.

Tried from Bottle on 15 Mar 2014 at 19:57


7.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle: Poured a hazy golden color ale with a relatively large foamy head with good retention and some good lacing. Aroma consists of vinous notes with some tart notes clearly identifiable. Taste is a mix between some vinous notes with some tart notes and light funky yeast undertones. Body is quite full with good carbonation. Very solid mix between complex Brett notes with well-balanced acidity level.

Tried from Bottle on 17 Feb 2014 at 13:04


7.8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8

Bottle at RBWG 2014 Grand tasting, thanks! Pours a hazy light yellow with a white head that dissipates slowly to the edges. Aroma a light slightly bitter/tart citrus with light fruit, flora and a hint of sweet grains underlying. Flavor has more grass and citrus with a light tartness, a bit of rose, and a dry wine finish.

Tried from Bottle on 16 Feb 2014 at 09:19


8
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

Bottle thanks to Diego. Pours a cloudy orange with small frothy white head that lasts leaving spotty lacing. The aroma is strong oak, wine, and yeast. Thick mouthfeel with fruit and light oak with nice dry finish. Really enjoyed this one.

Tried from Bottle on 06 Feb 2014 at 18:15


6.9
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Bottle shared by Bricenice at Nook tasting. Pours cloudy yellow with white head. Nose and taste of lemon, oak, white wine, medicine, lemon candy, lemongrass and citrus peel. Taste is a bit too much alcohol/lemon candy. Spritzy carbonation. Medium body.

Tried from Bottle on 15 Jan 2014 at 13:48


8.3
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 9

Thnx to vincent ( Belgbeergeek ) pours fuzzy blonde / A bit like a white . Small white head You can smell the barrel, also some fleshy, organic thing to it , Berries ??? Good carbo . much funk , sour, rather dry , some berry-like taste that gets more intence towards the aftertaste . very nice !

Tried from Can on 11 Jan 2014 at 15:09


7.9
Appearance - 10 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 10 | Overall - 7.5

Bottle at home, paid $27 at the local beer store here in Vermont. Crisp apple juice looking almost chardonay beer. nose is grapey, vinous and sweet. Taste is crisp and earthy. mild bitterness, almost like tangerine. Then it’s followed by fresh cut apples. very interesting and I’d have it again if the price were a bit lower.

Tried from Bottle on 01 Jan 2014 at 08:20


7.6
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

Corked 750. Shared by Marcus. Pours light gold with a slight white head. Mild floral sour aroma. Med body. Floral and mildly sour flavors. Very mildly sour. It’s really enjoyable. Fresh impacts.

Tried on 30 Dec 2013 at 13:11


7.2
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 8

Bottle. Amber beer with a cream head. Floral and tart aroma with light oak and light fruitiness. Tart/sour flavor with light citrus and light malt. Medium bodied. Tart/sour notes and light citrus lingers with light caramel and light grape.

Tried from Bottle on 29 Dec 2013 at 11:46


7.9
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5

750 ml bottle. I busted one bottle, so I bought another! Worth it. Pours a very hazy orange/straw color with a large, slightly over-carbonated white head. A nose of straw, citrus, some yeast. This is a wonderful beer: hay, straw earthy grains, robust lemon and citrus bitterness, light lactic sourness, fluffy palate. The overall drinkability is very high. The palate and the soft sourness make this just wonderful. Like a Berliner Weiss.

Tried from Bottle on 28 Dec 2013 at 23:42