For those considering a suitable red or white for the next soiree, maybe opt for beer instead of wine. Several Central Oregon breweries produce a variety of red and white beers to enjoy, three of which have been deemed award winners within the past year.

Broadly defined, a white or “wit” beer is crafted in Belgium and Germany, and only becomes a white IPA (such as Deschutes’ Chainbreaker White IPA or Cascade Lakes’ Big Beluga White IPA) when it receives an ample dosing of hops.

Juniper Brewing Company’s Milkman Wit beer carried all of the excellent characteristics of a traditional Belgian wit, complete with coriander and orange peel, served refreshingly and especially chilled. Although the flavor was on point, the beer was crystal clear versus a Belgian wit’s traditional foggy white color. Scott Lesmeister, co-owner and brewer for Juniper Brewing Company, said the color change was due to the “cold conditioning that we do to it, the colder it gets does not affect the flavor.”

Lesmeister and co-owner and brewer Curtis Endicott run their brewery Wednesdays through Sundays and brew new batches on the weekends, all while working regular day jobs. Walking into Juniper’s humble space across from the Deschutes County Fairgrounds, you wouldn’t know that its Milkman Wit beer received a silver medal at the Best of Craft Beer Awards earlier this year, until you notice the small silver medal hanging on the bulletin board.

Monkless Belgian Ales, as the name suggests, brews Belgian ales and specifically a traditional Belgian wit beer, complete with an unusually excellent name: Shepplekofeggan. Kirk Meckem, co-owner of Monkless Belgian Ales, said his team has four friends who love to drink Coors, so they decided to create Shepplekofeggan (a combination of each friend’s last name) to replace that habit. “For a wit beer, (Shepplekofeggan) is very flavorful and proving to be a very popular beer. It’s a great summer beer, and we just bought a ten barrel system and will be scaling it up,” Meckem said. Look for Shepplekofeggan on tap at the beginning of May.

When exploring the rest of the Central Oregon white beer scene, don’t forget Worthy’s seasonal wit beer, and also keep an eye on Riverbend Brewing, which has been known to make its own white IPA.

If a white beer will not complement one’s lifestyle today, then Central Oregon’s red beer scene should not disappoint. Red beers take on a variety of styles and variations, including Irish reds, American reds, imperial reds, India red ales (IRAs) and more. Red beers are typically consistent sellers due to their combined sweet and bitter taste, appealing to most middle-of-the-road drinkers.

Wild Ride’s 3 Sisters American Red Ale, out of Redmond, “carries a sweet and bitter taste, with a hint of caramel,” said Wild Ride’s Brew Maestro Paul Bergeman. The 3 Sisters American Red Ale is sourced from local hops and is “hopped a little heavier; we like to call it the ‘crowd pleaser’ because it is a balanced beer, both hoppy and malty,” Bergeman said.

After sampling the 3 Sisters American Red Ale, one can taste the quality and smooth finish without being overwhelmed by hops, despite the intentional hops boost. Bergeman and his team “wanted to be a part of the awesome brew scene, and Redmond needed something new. We really focus on making good beer here,” he said.

Their work paid off when their red creation won a silver medal for red beers at the North American Beer Awards in 2015.

Rounding out the red beer scene, almost all of Central Oregon’s breweries had a variety of red ale styles, such as GoodLife’s Redside India Pale Ale, named after the local Redside trout (native only to Central Oregon), or Boneyard’s Diablo Rojo American Red and its Fuego Rojo, complete with habanero peppers. Household names like McMenamins and Bend Brewing Company carry reds, as well as newer operations such as Bridge 99, Craft Kitchen & Brewing, Ochoco Brewing Company and Rat Hole Brew Pub. Don’t forget Sunriver Brewing Company’s Cinder Beast Imperial Red Ale, which won a silver medal at the 2016 Oregon Beer Awards and is running out fast.

As Joe Barker, head brewer of Ochoco Brewing Company, said, “It seems like people that like reds tend to really like reds — they have a cult following.”

Lastly, Silver Moon serves the only Irish red available in town right now, for those feeling extra lucky.

If you can’t stick to your red or white wine routine, fear not, because Central Oregon’s breweries offer a variety of red and white beers to please any palate. Whether you venture to Redmond to taste the award-winning 3 Sisters American Red Ale or Milkman Wit, or you venture to other Central Oregon cities, you can find excellent reds and whites almost anywhere.

— Reporter: 541-633-2117,

dnyaradi@bendbulletin.com