This Saturday, January 19, McMenamins Old St. Francis School in Bend celebrates its sixth annual High Gravity Brewfest, featuring over 30 strong, high gravity beers and ciders to help fight the chill of winter. The beer list will feature beers from McMenamins breweries as well as guests, prominently featuring other Central Oregon breweries.

And this year there are a couple of firsts. Guest breweries (and ciders) from outside of the region will be in attendance, including Great Notion Brewing, pFriem Family Brewers, Fort George Brewery, and Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider. And, Old St. Francis brewer Vance Wirtz teamed up with a number of guest breweries to brew special collaboration beers that will debut at the festival.

Here’s the description from the website:

Hefty, powerful, bold. BIG. However you describe high-gravity beers, these extraordinary brews are intensely flavorful – and we’ll be sampling plenty of them, plus unique ciders from Pacific NW breweries and cideries. And you’ll definitely want to try a brand-new collaboration series of featured beers by McMenamins Old St. Francis brewers & friends. Linger by the outdoor fire, listen to live music and taste the night away!

The brewfest runs from 1 to 8pm, and will cost $25 for the tasting package which includes the glass and 12 tasting tokens. If you just want the glass, it costs $5, and additional tokens are $2 each.

And yes, I’ve got the list of what’s pouring! Here you go—plan accordingly:

Beers

Ale Apothecary
El Cuatro
Brewed in March of 2017, El Cuatro is made of local barley and crystal malts as well as aged hops. El Cuatro is then aged in both brandy barrels as well as Oregon Pinot Noir barrels for a total of 15 months. The combination of spirit and wine along with our house yeast culture is the focus of this beer.
11.20%

Boneyard Beer
Barrel-Aged Snow Worries
When the temperatures plummet and the days grow shorter, its Snow Worries. You now have a Winter Warmer to finish a long day of slaying the slopes. This Winter Ale was aged in Cognac barrels for one year.
8.20%

McMenamins Concordia Brewery
Shady’s Back Again Whiskey Stout
Guess what? Shady’s Back Again! This is the second batch of the beer that won the 2018 Hillsdale Brewfest, barrel-aged for one month in Hogshead Whiskey barrels from our Edgefield Distillery. S.B.A. is packed with flavor, boasting deep chocolate notes from four select Chocolate Malts, with hints of whiskey and oak.
9.03%

Crux Fermentation Project
Hurdy Gurdy
Everything a Barleywine should be: rich & sweet, with a little bit of spice.
11.70%

Culmination Brewing
Four & Twenty
High Gravity Black IPA featuring notes of chocolate, roast, spice and pine.
9.50%

McMenamins Edgefield Brewery
Blackest Heart
Blackest Heart is an Imperial Stout aged for over a year in Hogshead Whiskey barrels with sweet cherries, cocoa, and cold brew coffee. It’s dark, indulgent, and hard to resist.
8.77%

Fort George Brewery
Waves of Silence: Burgee
Brewed with brown sugar, orange peel, Dutch cocoa powder and Papau New Guinea coffee from Columbia River Coffee Roasters.
9.00%

Great Notion Brewing
Sticky Bun
In collaboration with The Full Pint, this Imperial Breakfast Stout was brewed with melted brown sugar, toasted pecans, and cinnamon.
11.25%

McMenamins High Street Brewery
Smoked Cherry Porter
This little number is rich and creamy. Cherries and a hint of vanilla provide a hint of sweetness to this otherwise smoky Porter.
5.20%

Immersion Brewing
Barrel Fire
This Imperial Red Ale is loaded with dank hops and a rich malt backbone to keep those shivers at bay. Wait, what? Yeah, it’s been barrel fermented in Oregon Spirit Whiskey barrels to drive home the point. Enjoy the weather, drink in the Barrel Fire.
9.00%

Kobold Brewing
Barrel Aged Dragon’s Blood
This intensely hoppy Imperial IRA has a big malt body that balances out the intense hop additions. The Amarillo Hops give it a spicy, floral, and citrus-like aroma and flavor with an orange bouquet. This is a slightly fruity beer that finishes will a good bitterness and a little alcohol warming. This beer was aged in a whiskey barrel for almost a year and a fruity, slightly woody, very complex flavor profile that you’re sure to enjoy.
9.80%

Little Beast Brewing
Belgian Dark Strong
A traditional style Belgian Abbey beer made of Pilsner and Caramunich malts and dry burn caramel, then fermented with two Belgian yeast strains. Notes of fig, chocolate, rich malt and rum. A warming beer made for cool nights.
11.00%

Monkless Belgian Ales
Pour Pour Pitiful Me
This girl has been through it! Aged and fermented over cherries to produce a ripe and full flavor profile, this brilliant Belgian-style Quad is rich with deep, dark fruits, and just sings in the glass.
10.00%

McMenamins Monroe Brewery
Rain King Chocolate Milk Stout
Rain King is a sweet, roasty Stout that’s sure to please your palate. Pure liquid cocoa and vanilla extract were added post fermentation to unleash huge chocolate and vanilla flavors that blend well with the roasty malt character of this dark beer. Minimal hops were used to let these flavors shine. Come drink with me ’cause I am the Rain King!
6.19%

Ochoco Brewing Company
Got the Blues Double Red
This specialty seasonal was brewed for the drinker that still needs high gravity beer to get through the winter slump but also needs something citrusy and malty, to remember the sweetness of spring.
9.80%

McMenamins Old St. Francis School Brewery
Razzfandel
The first of our Barrel-Aged Sours, this Raspberry Sour was aged for four months in a Zinfandel barrel from the Edgefield Winery. The base beer was blended with eighty-four pounds of raspberries and a puree of Japanese plums harvested from the Old St. Francis School property. This fruity Sour Ale has a sweet start, followed by a complex but subtle wine character that’s provided by the barrel.
5.29%

McMenamins Old St. Francis School Brewery
Stand Off Stout
With the winter season comes delicious desserts and delicious beers. We figured we might as well combine the two! Blended with cinnamon, liquid cacao and vanilla beans, this beer begins with a subtle sweetness and follows with a dazzling array of different flavors. With notes of chocolate, spice and vanilla, you can’t go wrong with a dessert like beer.
7.22%

pFriem Family Brewers
Sherry Barrel-Aged Blonde Barleywine
pFriem’s Barleywine started with Premium Golden Promise Malt and demerara sugar to provide a complex base for barrel aging. After fermentation, an extensive maturating in Sherry barrels is used to achieve even more depth while allowing the alcohols to mellow.
10.00%

RiverBend Brewing
Barley Legal
Powerful flavors of papaya, orange and grapefruit are present in this Double-and-a-Half IPA.
9.80%

McMenamins Roseburg Station Brewery
Ooh La La
This full-bodied winter warmer will excite your tastebuds and take the chill out of winter with a rich, malty sweetness, a toasty complexity and a zing of rye. Mosaic, Ekuanot and Idaho 7 Hops counter the malt sweetness with tropical citrus flavor and aroma. Lightly toasted Habanero peppers add a bold flavor and a subtle warmth.
7.22%

Wild Ride Brewing
Back to the Hotel Hazy IPA
This IPA has a hazy profile, much like one might feel after a long day on the road. A heavy hop aroma is present displaying many of the qualities that Pacific Northwest Hops have to offer, including Citra & Mosaic. Fresh, dank, and tropical fruit notes are prominent in the flavor of this beer. A refreshing finish will complete your experience, helping one enjoy being back at the hotel.
8.20%

Collaboration Beers

Fort George Brewery + McMenamins Old St. Francis School Brewery
Fort Francis
A collaborative effort between the Old St. Francis School Brewery and Fort George Brewing, Jack Harris helped us create this delicious New England-style IPA. With a lovely pillowy mouthfeel, this IPA boasts a boozy punch with a smooth drinking quality. Double dry-hopped with Mosaic, Azacca, and Ekuanot Hops, this IPA is sure to please fans of the hazy lifestyle.
7.64%

McMenamins Edgefield Brewery + McMenamins Old St. Francis School Brewery
Mister Ed’s Peanut Butter Cup Stout
This McMenamins collaboration, between the Edgefield Brewery and Old St. Francis Brewery in Bend, is bold and full of flavor. The base beer is a rich and roasty Chocolate Stout that speaks volumes on its own. A large addition of chocolate fudge brownie essence adds even more decadence, but to really make this beer talk, it was infused with a smooth and allergen free peanut butter flavor.
7.74%

McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery + McMenamins Thompson Brewery
Jennifer Juniper Double IPA
In celebration of partnership, and all that is jolly, Jennifer Juniper Double IPA was born! McMenamins Brewers Jenni from Hillsdale, and Jen from Thompson, collaborated to bring you this union of hoppy and holiday flavor. Juniper berries perfectly complement citrusy, fruity hops in a beer meant to bring you joy.
7.74%

Trap Door Brewing + McMenamins Old St. Francis School Brewery
Stuck Door
Our brewer friends Zane Singleton and Sebastian Lynch from Trap Door Brewing made the trek from Vancouver, Washington to brew this special hazy IPA with us. A collaboration made by two breweries who love the New England style, we created this big, boozy, juice powered concoction. Double dry-hopped with Huell Melon, Mosaic and Simcoe Hops, this brew is bursting at the seams with tropical flavors.
8.00%

Wild Ride Brewing + McMenamins Old St. Francis School Brewery
McWild Belgian Blonde
This is a special collaboration brew with our friends from Wild Ride Brewing. This brew marked the homecoming of Old Saint Francis School’s original brewer Mike “Curly” White. Memories and good times were rekindled once more to create this smooth Belgian Blonde. A bold but smooth-drinking ale, this Belgian brew exudes sweet honey-like flavors complemented by aromas of clove and spice.
8.13%

Ciders

^5 Cider
Wolcott Family Sour
This cider was fermented in a whiskey barrel with fresh maple syrup and Bret. Shannon worked her cousin Katie to get fresh maple syrup from New York.
8.50%

2 Towns Ciderhouse
Kentucky Barrel Nice & Naughty
This specialty cider is fermented with dark Meadowfoam honey and aged in bourbon barrels with whole nutmeg, clove and cinnamon sticks for 12 months. Crammed full of cheerful winter spices that mingle with the wood and sweet bourbon aromas, this cider is sure to warm up your cold winter nights.
10.50%

AVID Cider
Habanero Apricot Cider
Fermented Hood River Granny Smith apples and pressed Yakima Washington grown apricots pirouette on your palette in a nuanced, delicate balance. Infused habanero peppers elevate their dance to new planes of liveliness and innovation.
6.00%

E.Z. Orchards Cidre
Cidre Semi Dry (2015)
Norman style Cidre constructed of French apple varieties, fermented wild, and finished Petillant Naturel. Ripe fruit and rich mid pallet tannin structure, with a sustained finish.
6.90%

McMenamins Edgefield Cider
Three Rocks Spiced Rum Cider
This dry, warming cider was barrel aged for 2 months with rum-soaked spices from our Three Rocks Spiced Rum, including orange peels, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks. Try it blended with our apple cider for a hint of sweetness.
6.80%

Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider
Razor-Shins
New England Style Cider (NOT a milkshake hazy). It is without a strict definition, but I have found references to cider being made in Colonial America (1600’s), consistently in oak barrels, frequently with nutmeg and other spices, usually with added raisins and often with molasses or maple syrup. In the case of this cider, I have blended a historical ingredient list with modern cider making techniques to produce an extremely winter-seasonal cider.
8.00%