I'm going on a date and we have to be home by six. Unfortunately for me, that is six in the morning! Now, normally this would be perfect, but I'm on the graveyard shift and my date is hefty, seductive and Russian. And...requires lots of attention. I've clocked in for my shift at 8 PM and I've been tasked with brewing our Russian Imperial Stout, The Abyss, in the middle of the night. Certainly this is an honorable endeavor.

Our 50 barrel gravity fed brew house is only fired up every other week and usually just for Obsidian Stout. It's a favorite place to brew among our staff because we are not at the mercy of intricate software built of indecipherable logic. If you want to move beer, actually called "wort" at the brewing stage, from one vessel to another, you psychically grab a valve and open it. Of course, this also means it's easier to draw immediate and immense amounts of enduring ridicule from fellow brewers when you do this incorrectly...but that's a topic for another day.

In the third installment of Deschutes River Recordings we traveled to Smith Rock, a mecca for rock climbers and adventurists alike, with singer and songwriter Laura Gibson.

This week we released the second episode of Deschutes River Recordings, featuring Blitzen Trapper’s Eric Earley. Eric performed “Up on Cripple Creek” right along the Metolius River, a tributary of the Deschutes, located not far from our home base in Bend, Oregon.

Eric, a native Oregonian and Portland resident, has always had close ties to the river. Tucked away in Oregon’s southeast corner is the Donner und Blitzen River, the inspiration for his band’s name. German soldiers crossed the remote river during a thunderstorm and aptly named it Donner und Blitzen (thunder and lightning). Before his success, Eric bounced around different rehearsal spaces, staying with friends, and was, as he describes, “basically homeless.” Often, he found himself wandering along the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, which inspired the story for “Black River Killer” off the album Furr. The catchy ballad recounts a murderer’s journey from the Sunset Strip up to Oregon. In another song off the band’s latest album American Goldwing, Eric croons, “I’m weary from this river, it flows far, but never nearer to my home,” challenging the notion of the river as place of respite.

Do you ever seek out the river (or lake or ocean) to relax and unwind? Join us to celebrate our partnership with the Deschutes River Conservancy by snapping a photo of your favorite body of water. Upload the photo to Instagram with the hashtag #fortheriver.

Over the last six months we’ve been working hard to create the Deschutes River Recordings, a unique partnership between musician and cause. We’re dedicated to keeping the Deschutes River healthy and clean and to supporting independent music in the Northwest, so this summer we invited Eric D. Johnson of Fruit Bats, Laura Gibson, and Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper to Central Oregon to perform river-inspired songs along our beloved waterway.

We’re incredibly proud of this collaboration and we’re thrilled to present you with the first in the Deschutes River Recording series: Eric D. Johnson performing “Ballad of Easy Rider.” The original song, performed by The Byrds and written by Roger McGuillan and Bob Dylan, is upbeat and lighthearted, but Eric slows way down on his epic ballad. Contemplative and almost spiritual, this song echoes our deep connection and respect for the river.

Riding the North Umpqua Trail is one wild and scenic experience. Every section offers amazing river side single track with steep climbs, technical terrain and spectacular scenery.

Join Brewmaster Cam O'Connor on this epic Brews with Views rafting trip on the wild and scenic Rogue River with NW Rafting Co. Click on the poster for more details and to book your trip!

Seasons Greetings Fellow Explorers,