Of the five Bend breweries that opened in 2013, only three are still around: Worthy Brewing Co., Bridge 99 Brewery and Oblivion Brewing Co. Oblivion may be the least well known of the trio, with a low-key brewery and tasting room located on Plateau Drive in northeast Bend offering a lineup of seven standard beers and several seasonals.

The brewery recently celebrated its 10th anniversary at River’s Place taproom and food cart pod, with a special IPA brewed for the occasion. Oblivion also recently released Cultus Sunset India Session Ale in cans for the first time, a summer seasonal it has brewed for Cultus Lake Resort for the past eight years.

Oblivion was founded by Darin Butschy, who started in the industry with Devil Mountain Brewing Co. and then SLO Brewing Co., both of California. He moved to Bend in the mid-’90s, and in 2013 opened Oblivion, initially brewing on a half-barrel (15 gallon) system.

The brewery upgraded to a 10-barrel system the following year, and in 2017 it opened a small tasting room at the facility. According to the website, the tasting room is open Friday and Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m.

The beer lineup showcases a standard range of styles, including several IPAs, lighter brews including pilsner and blonde ale, as well as pale ale, red ale and stout. Several seasonals round out the offerings, including Cultus Sunset for summer, an Oktoberfest fall lager, and Snowblivion Winter Ale.

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Backside IPA is the company’s flagship, a West Coast-style India pale ale that highlights classic pine and citrus characteristics of American hops. It’s an approachable example of the style, with 6.6% alcohol by volume and 65 IBUs.

If there is a contender for flagship, that might well be Oblivious Blonde, an easy-drinking golden ale particularly popular in the summer. It’s nicely malty, with sweet graininess reminiscent of whole grain crackers, and a mellow hop profile balancing the malt with a bit of earthy bitterness and grassy meadow character. It’s 5% ABV with 28 IBUs.

I picked up some of the newly canned Cultus Sunset to review recently. It’s billed as an India session ale, or ISA, a designation applied to pale, typically sub-5% ales with IPA-level hopping.

As a label, it’s interchangeable with “session IPA” and stylistically similar to hoppy pale ales.

Oblivion’s version is 4.8% ABV with 40 IBUs, and pours a deep golden color, a hue that is almost bronze, evoking the setting sun. A hop bill of Cascade, Centennial and Citra hops give it a light fruitiness in the aroma, with subtle tropical notes reminding me of guava.

In the flavor, the hops read more herbal with a touch of spiciness to me, with some oak leaf, thistle, and green berries offering a lightly bitter and earthy counterpoint to a grainy malt body.

The body is medium-light and smooth, and there’s a mellow hop bitterness lingering into the finish.

Other notable beers in the lineup include: Obligator Pilsner, a German-style pils that focuses on malts; Hella Hazy IPA, a relatively recent addition with an emphasis on tropical fruit character; and Knock Out Stout, a dark brew with chocolate and coffee notes.

Oblivion’s beers are available on draft at various locations around Central Oregon, and a number of them are in cans as well. If you’re not very familiar with the brewery, now is a great time to try it out.

Blood Orange Hefeweizen — Bridge 99 Brewery 

Cold Chillin’ Vanilla Cream Ale — Wild Ride Brewing 

Pallet Jack IPA — Barley Brown’s Beer 

Overlander Imperial IPA — Cascade Lakes Brewing 

Dark Star Imperial Oatmeal Stout — Fremont Brewing