I have been wanting to try out the The Ale Apothecary for I don't know how long. It's safe to say it's been a long time. So on our last trip to Bend we finally made it here to the their taproom and it didn't disappoint at all. It was a great stop! We got a taster set of a variety of different beers that they had on tap and they were all quite good. Many of them have a wild ale aspect to them which I can appreciate at you don't come across this beer too much on a routine basis. The taproom is cool and I love all of their art specifically where fermentation liquids spilled onto a sheet or a cloth making various designs and hues during the brewing making process of their beers. Other excellent beers that we have had from this brewery are the Samalie which is a Wild Ale. This one I rated very highly on Untappd because it was so amazing! Things to look for in the flavor profile are sourness, tartness, fruitiness, a natural sweetness and a dry finish. Really an excellent beer! Moving on from that we had the great Ping Pong Table Beer. This was another beer I rated quite highly and enjoyed immensely. This beer is light bodies, smooth and effervescent with the flavor of elderflower at work. Another excellent beer! Definitely great beer experiences with this brewery and definitely recommend it to the more adventurous beer drinking folks. There are plenty of breweries to try out in Bend and if you are looking for something on the more unusual side The Ale Apothecary is a great place for such a thing! read more

See all

If you're a beer fan, specifically into funky experimentation, this is your place in Bend! We've gotten a few of their bottles at our local beer store over the years, and while these aren't my go-to styles, it was a fun experience trying the brewery in person. Ale Apothecary is a wild fermentation brewery and blendery located in a commercial plaza in Bend. They don't have food, but there's plenty of other great options nearby including Bo's Falafel and Good Life Brewing around the corner. If you're on the Bend Ale Trail, this is a must-visit stop as well. We visited on a weekday afternoon after opening, so it wasn't busy at all. The friendly beer server was welcoming and shared about the brewery, explaining about the bottle selections, how they make everything, and what was available on tap or in bottles to try that day. The décor is super eclectic with fun things to look at and enjoy while sipping. They also have picnic tables and outdoor seating if you'd prefer. Bottles are also available to go. For its uniqueness, prices are super reasonable for complex beers. This isn't a brewery for everyone however, even their customer demanded line of "regular beers" each has a signature of funk from their house yeast strains. As a beer lover that enjoys everything, it was fun to taste each thing; friends enjoyed this place very much as well. If you're an adventurous beer fan, this is worth your time! read more

See all

Great sours and the bartender was super nice and gave us good recommendations. The space and atmosphere is cool and chill. read more

The Ale Apothecary - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

See all

Let's be clear - I am not a fan of sour beer. And I'm still giving Ale Apothecary four stars. - Really cool, eclectic space with lots of varied seating. - No obnoxious loud music. A more sedate vibe going on here. - Ping Pong Table Beer: sure, it's a sour but it grew on me quite a bit. I'd order this beer again. - At present, the Cotto food cart is parked outside on the patio. That's a huge plus. Recommended. read more

Wow got to meet Shawn and Terran and they were AMAZING. some of the best beer not just in oregon but in the world here. Make. Sure. You stop by read more

Service 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 No food Service was great here! We showed up as a group of girls in shorts and the weather had suddenly turned cold. The girl at the register noticed we may be cold and was thoughtful and closed the wide garage door to help keep the wind out. She was also very thoughtful about loud noise and rowdy crowd even though it didn't bother us. Overall thoughtful service. I enjoyed the flight and getting to taste them all! Decent price for a flight too as it was only $23 for 5 5oz pours. read more

The Ale Apothecary - Flight! - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Wow. This is one of the favorite places we have been to lately. This brewery, known for its sours, is a must stop for any beer fan. These are spontaneously fermented beers that are too good to describe. The process for this shows how much love goes into each batch. It's very, very impressive. The level of skill and patience and just damn good taste at this brewery is really something. These are some of the best sours we have ever had and I am positive we will make a point to go back as soon as we can. Don't skip going here! read more

The Ale Apothecary - Very cool and eclectic indoor decoration - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

See all

We were doing our own small brewery trail and came here because the name was intriguing. They have all sour beers, which was amazing for my taste buds. We ordered 5oz pours of a few different ales. My favorite was the raspberry one. There were a couple grape ones, which I didn't like but suspect would be good for people who like wine. It's definitely pricier than most breweries, but worth it for if you like sours since an all sour tap is hard to find. read more

I just loved this place! The beers here were top notch. They offered three beers, a 4oz pour was $6 which seems expensive until you learn that each beer takes about two years to make and they are small batch. I had a blackberry beer, the flavors were so delicious and it was slightly sour. I tried a little of the blueberry one as well, this one was also tasty. The bottles to go were about $30, but people spend more than that on wine. The tasting room was so cute, it looked vintage and whimsical, you could definitely tell a lot of thought went into that space. The people in the tap room were really friendly as well. If you really like artesian beers or have ever been to Belgium (think Cantillon) then this is definitely the stop for you. read more

The Ale Apothecary - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Pretty grateful to have this place recommended to us by the cute dude from Spider City. We heard the people at the table next to us were referred by Spider City, also! #SOURBEERCREW We were frustrated by the maps we looked at when planning our brewery stops, because this place came up as a "Wine Bar" and uh...we don't go to those. Super cool, chill, hip vibe inside. Also very quiet. Not the kind of place people get drunk and yell, which I appreciate. Excellent beers, but pricy, which is okay because they put a LOT of love into them. They have a de Garde sorta mind for detail and blending. If you're into sour beers, you won't be disappointed. read more

You're coming here for the beer and the beer only. No food, no shuffleboard, none of that. They're open only three days a week, just for a few hours. It's a small operation, very simple as taprooms go. The beer, on the other hand, is some of the most complex and beautiful you'll ever get to try. You can range the wide world over and might only try a few things anything like what TAA offers. This was easily one of the best beer-drinking days of my entire life, and these five stars go for the beer (which you could drink elsewhere), as well as what happens here. Like I said, it's small. Seating for about 20. Couple barstools, few tables. One nice clean bathroom. They work here--they're aging beer in barrels, they're conditioning finished beer in bottles. They fill bottles and pack beer for shipment. The brewing happens up in the hills, where the beer almost never touches metal; they transfer, condition, store, and ferment beers in wooden containers of various kinds. They have to boil in metal, but otherwise it's all wood all the time until it lands in glass. That stuff is offsite from the taproom, but you can see the barrels around the corner from the bar. These beers are so complex and interesting and so far beyond 99% of the stuff you see anywhere. Deep sour and funk, deep fruit, deep barrel character. Crazy ingredients (pine needles!) in some stuff. The flavors all work together to make something big and engaging, it's never just a who-knows experiment with these guys, ever. The beers cost more, and even a couple of fairly experienced-looking beer fans in the room didn't seem to click with what they tried. But they were heavily outnumbered by geeks who drove hundreds of miles to get here and fall even more deeply in love with these beers. Can't wait to crack my take-home bottles and go get more. read more

This place is super cool. They are doing such fun experimental things with beer. This place is not for your standard hop head. They do a lot with wild fermentation and sours. Barrel aging most of there beers. If you are into more interesting experimental sour beers this is the spot to check out. Would recommend very much. Also staff was super helpful with explaining different tasting profiles for the beers. Letting us taste some beers they had on tap that where close to the bottled ones that where not on tap. Love this place will return anytime I'm back in bend for sure. Also will look for there stuff in stores when I can find it. read more

If you are into barrel aged sour beers then this is the place for you. I got a tasting flight and all of the beers were interesting and slightly different. The ladies running the tasting room were very friendly. I grabbed at bottle of Ryesin made with rye malt and aged in wine barrels for $30. read more

The Ale Apothecary - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

This is quite possibly the most underrated brewery on the West Coast. The Ale Apothecary is now in my top ten of Best Breweries in North America. It might be a bit hard to find but so worth it. The staff is amazing, the beer extraordinary, and the story of Paul and family at the brewery is unparalleled. Pack up your car now and head to Bend. This is the destination. Sit and take in the atmosphere and enjoy the beer and conversation. A friend of mine might refer to this as intellectual beer, meaning beer to contemplate and discuss at great length and put on airs and snobbery. If it falls into the intellectual beer category then it is the Everyman beer in the category. This is the most approachable complex beer I've had in a long time. We sampled several and purchased several to take with us. Any time I'm in Bend I will make a trip here. I've sought them out and found I can get them locally in several states. This is great news for traveling. read more

This is a quaint tap room with a legit line up of barrel aged sours that are aged 12-24 months! Staff were very easy-going and knowledgeable. Can't wait to return to Bend strictly to go to Ale Apothecary! Their sours were easily better than Cascade Brewing Barrel House in Portland, OR! The only downside was the price of bottles to take home ($25-$35) read more

Beer needs rejoice- this is the second highest rated brewery in Oregon state and with good reason. Solid sours and wild ales

5 stars for the craft and ingenuity they put into their brews. Barrel aged sours are the Final Frontier of Beer and are not for everyone. But if you're looking for a unique craft beer stop - even for Bend - to chat with friendly, knowledgeable staff and sip brews like you've never sipped before, this is the place. read more

The Ale Apothecary - Sour and sourer! - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Absolutely amazing, fantastic barrel-aged beers! If you like wild, sour, and/or barrel-aged beers, this is a must-visit taproom. Yes, the beers are expensive; however, the ingredients and time involved in making this type of beer and the quality in the final product is well worth the price tag. Kiersten served us, and we had a wonderful interaction with her. Will definitely come back when we return to Bend! read more

The Ale Apothecary - Super delicious tasters! - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Ale Apothecary deserves so much praise for the beers they are creating. This is not your typical brewery. You will not currently find them on the Bend Ale Trail, and they are not likely your rowdy stop on a Bend Cycle Pub. Visit Ale Apothecary to try something completely new to your palate, and flavors you have never tasted before - Wild, Sour, or Funky, but most importantly, Unique & Oregon. We never leave without smiles on our faces and bottles of their beer in hand. Their beer & tasting room deliver an entire drinking experience unlike anywhere else in Bend. This small-scale, small-batch brewery creates their unique barrel-aged beer from the water of an 11,000 year old snow melt aquifer, with their laboratory (brewery) planted in the Historic Skyliners Neighborhood out west of Bend near Tumalo Falls - The Westside Bend tasting room off Century Blvd sits right next to GoodLife Brewing and is not far from the Deschutes Brewery tasting room. Complimenting a wild & open air fermentation process, they also use all local ingredients...if you could bottle up "Bend" or "Oregon" in beer form, that would be the beers of Ale Apothecary. White fir needles, Oregon wildflower honey, and wild harvested manzanita flowers are just a few hyper-local ingredients showing up on their current beer list to give you an idea. Ale Apothecary is crafting some of the best beer there is. read more

See all

Just about as sour as sour gets, I appreciate the unique flavors of their beers. It was a weird vibe though, felt like a library more than a brew pub, some music would help! read more

Amazing beer, so complex and such an awesome staff on hand. So knowledgeable and friendly. We loved all that we tasted but our favorite was the Sahati and the Ralph. read more

The Ale Apothecary - Amazing sours are being made here, a definite stop. - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Beautiful decor. Fresh flowers scattered throughout. Excellent service. Very knowledgeable. Selection is extensive. Some to go, some for on premises only. Delicious. Red Echo is a gem. No children read more

The Ale Apothecary - Beer Bar Near Me - Bend, Oregon

Bought three bottles of their beer last time I was up there and it is truly delicious and unlike anything else I've had. A must visit if you can catch them when they are open!! Plan to stay and sit with the beverages for a bit as they are very complex and have a lot for your palate to explore. Can't wait to go back! read more

Visited during a road trip to Bend on Veterans day weekend Facility is very nice, looks upscale But prices are upscale too $30+ for a bottle of Sahati I cannot justify the price, probably because i am not a fan of sour beers read more

Very different experience I would do again. Super friendly service. Amazing food and amazing small potent flavorful beers. Try it and it may break your mold of the regular mundane . read more

Beer? Out of this world. Eclectic and amazing. Such a surprise to taste such natural and local ingredients made into a surprisingly tasty brew. Would have given 5 stars if the employee who was working would have spent more time explaining the process and sourcing of the beers different components. Nonetheless still delightful and a great experience. read more

Love this brewery! AMAZING Sours! Some of the best I've ever tasted! Limited hours, but worth scheduling them in to a visit to Bend! The Native Oregonism is probably one of the best sours I've had anywhere in the country! read more

My word. This place finishes the journey of tartness that most breweries only start to travel on. This is 100% a must visit for all Bend trips. I wish them the best of success and stabilized growth read more

This place isn't cheap, true. But they brew the most unique (and strong) brews you've ever tasted. They take every factor into consideration for the TWO YEAR brewing process. From the water to the casks to the perfect collection of new vs mature pine boughs (citrus vs earth notes). This place is for beer lovers or for people who want something other than just another 100 IBU IPA. read more

I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars, and here's why: I don't like sour beers. At all. Can't stand 'em. But since it's a personal taste and not a complaint about service or product I'm going to err on the side of caution and not ding their overall scores. Then why did you come here? you ask. Because their website does not describe their product in any way, shape or form, so I had no idea they were sour ales. Why didn't I read more reviews? you ask. Shut up. I'm not here to review other reviews, I'm here to leave feedback for a business wherein the staff was nice (though it did seem that one person there was getting free tastings just because he was one of those guys who knows a lot about beer and wants to make sure you're aware of that, and because he said multiple times he would be bringing someone with him on another trip. Not really fair, if you ask me, but whatever), but the beer was not to my liking. In addition, the tasting fee is rather expensive; it was literally double the cost of any other tastings I did that day, and the pours did not appear to be larger than anywhere else. Had the site described their products and mentioned the tasting fee I would probably have spent my time in a fashion more valuable to me personally and visited another tasting room. But again, I won't rate them too low because of a personal preference; from what I understand from people who do love sour beers this place is excellent, so if that's your jam I would recommend you give this place a shot. Otherwise, I will simply leave the feedback that the site should be improved and the fee evaluated, and to hopefully better inform anyone who is not a sour beer person that they may want to skip this one. read more

This is a very unique brewery. The decoration is very classy (and so are the prices :) and the ambience is more like that of a winery or an old bookstore. I loved the antique-style furniture. I found that the rock music did not fit the decoration very well, maybe classical or ethnic/film music would have fitted better. Their beers are very different from everything we tried before, we had La Tache and Carpe Diem Manana and we loved them, they were very complex and sophisticated. They are a "vintage-batch" brewery, so every batch is unique depending on the wild yeast and weather conditions. All beers are in bottles, not on tap. Staci was very nice to us and explained how they take their time with the fermentation process instead of cutting corners like many other breweries do. We will definitely come back to this place when we are in Bend again. We would also be interested in ordering some of their bottles via Tavour in Seattle. read more

Very different from your normal brewery scene. Nice ladies with a fun story, but a little on the pricey side and non traditional beers leave something to be desired. Recommend the blueberry la tache read more