Food

Immersion Brewing is just one of the craft breweries that will be pouring barrel-aged beer at the Little Woody festival Friday and Saturday. There’ll be samples of the First Snow, a whiskey barrel imperial stout and the Old Bend, an American light lager.

My fiancé ordered a glass of the First Snow ($6), aged for six months in Stranahan whiskey barrels. The beer was almost black in color, had a 12.5% alcohol volume and was rich with notes of toffee and dark chocolate.

We’d arrived during “hoppy” hour, which knocks $1 off the price of beer and wine and is offered between 3 and 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

It was my first time at Immersion Brewing, and from the moment I walked in, I was impressed. There was no line when we arrived, so we were seated immediately. Due to the summer heat, the garage door was closed, sealing the air conditioning inside.

My partner and I decided on the pub house nachos ($17) and the southwest Cobb salad ($18) to share.

I watched as several other plates of nachos floated by before ours came to the table. The nachos are fried in-house, with queso, pico de gallo, habanero cream and a choice of pork carnitas, grilled chicken or black beans — of which we chose the pork.

It was the best plate of nachos that either of us had tasted in quite some time. The habanero cream was a delight, adding a creamy spiciness that was balanced by the fresh tomatoes of the pico de gallo. It was light on the pork, which I didn’t mind given the flavors were well-orchestrated and there was an abundance of the other ingredients, making the appetizer still quite filling.

The Cobb salad was arranged so precisely on the plate, it was begging for its picture to be taken. Slices of avocado fanned out in the middle, surrounded by corn, black beans, finely shredded cheddar, cherry tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, chunks of small slices of bacon and grilled chicken. It was served with a thick avocado ranch dressing on the side.

I savored each of the crisp, chilled ingredients. Instead of just bacon crumbles, it had chopped pieces of sliced bacon that added a crunch. The creamy avocado ranch dressed up the fresh ingredients in the best way.

Service

Our server had a gentle demeanor and was quick to take our drink and food orders.

As he was clearing our plates, he asked if we liked the food, to which we responded with positive enthusiasm.

“You guys got good taste,” he said, which I took as a genuine compliment.

Atmosphere

Glossy, copper fermentation vessels sat directly behind the bar, which cut through the dining area on an angle, making the space feel more dynamic and open. Outdoor string lights hung from the ceiling of the industrial space, which was decorated with natural wood panels, seemingly bringing the outdoors inside.

More info

Location: The Box Factory, 550 SW Industrial Way #185, Bend

Contact: 541-633-7821, imbrewing.com

Hours: 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Price Range: $9-$19

Happy Hours: Local’s night on Mondays, Hoppy hour 3-6 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday

Happy Prices: $2 off draft beer all day on Mondays, $1 off beer and wine during hoppy hour

Cuisine: Gastropub