Beercation Graduation Celebration

Helaina and I have just finished undergrad at UCSC, and after almost four long years of hard work, we have decided to take some time to unwind. We thought that a perfect way to do this was to go on a trip, and of course discover great food and drinks everywhere we go. A little less than a week ago, we began a road trip to Oregon with a couple other close friends of ours. It has been tons of fun so far, and we are only mid-way through our trip.  As we stop and experience different cities and towns, a goal of ours is to visit as many breweries and foodie hot spots as we can. Because of this, our new flavor of the month is: Beer.

So far, we have hit the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, CA, as we made our way towards the Oregon state line.There, we participated in a great tour of the facility, where we learned a whole lot about the brewing process. We also tried great beer selections, some of which are only offered in Chico, and had some great food too! 

  

Some beers that we tried at the Sierra Nevada Brewery included a Persimmon Ale, and the Torpedo IPA. We also all shared a pitcher of a brown ale, which quenched our thirst after dishes such as fish and chips, a hearty salad, mushroom chive pizza, and a lentil burger with beer cheese! We highly recommend visiting the Sierra Nevada Brewery if you have the chance. The beer, food, and service were all spectacular.

 

After leaving Chico, we have stopped in Bend, Oregon, where we visited the Deschutes Brewery for a beer tasting and informative tour. If you haven't tried their Black Butte Porter yet,you must do so ASAP. They also are moving towards organic initiatives, and if you would like to drink an all organic beer, try their Green Lakes Organic Ale. Some brands can label their beers as organic when they don't use organic hops. Rest assured that at Deschutes, all organic hops are used specifically from the Central Oregon region. While in Bend, we made time to stop by the Boneyard Brewery, where we tried a tasting "flight" that included their Diablo Rojo, RPM IPA, Experimental IPA, and the Shuge Knight Stout. Their beer was tasty, and unique in that many of their offerings had a sweet finish.

Leaving with beerlicious memories from Bend, we made our way to Eugene. If you ever find yourself in the area, you have to visit the Beer Stein, which carries an impressive selection of brews from all over the world. 

Currently, we are in Portland, about to embark on a day filled with delicious food, beer, and sights. Portland has the most microbreweries in the country, so this should be a great day. 

Please keep checking back to stay afloat on what were drinking and eating in our other Oregon destinations!

-Ianna and Helaina