This weekend, McMenamins Old St. Francis School is commemorating a pair of anniversaries — the 88th birthday of the St. Francis School itself, and the 20th as a McMenamins property. On Friday and Saturday, the Old St. Francis will feature live music with the Garcia Birthday Band, two new special beers and free history tours on Saturday.

I was recently invited along with other members of the media to tour the property ahead of the anniversary, which provided the opportunity to revisit the whole property as well as glimpse a preview of Saturday’s history tours.

Historical recap

The St. Francis School opened its doors in 1936 and was the region’s first parochial school. The original building had four classrooms, with first through eighth grades paired two to a room and accommodated 145 students the first year.

In the 1950s and ‘60s, additional classrooms were added, along with a parish center on the school’s north side. Several residences on the east side of the property were acquired for various uses in the ‘60s as well. Four of these were the original bungalows McMenamins offered as part of the hotel lodging before they were moved.

The school closed in 2000 and moved to a new campus in northeast Bend. In looking for a use for the old property, the Catholic Archbishop reached out to the McMenamins brothers, Mike and Brian McMenamin. The brothers had developed a reputation as the “guys who do old buildings” with the company’s renovations of historic properties into breweries and hotels.

McMenamins was able to purchase the campus, and the new Old St. Francis School opened in November 2004. Renovations included the main pub and restaurant, additional bars, a movie theater, and a Turkish-themed soaking pool. The old classrooms were converted into hotel rooms, while the brewery went into the basement, formerly the school lunchroom and nursery.

Brewers, beers and awards

There have only been three main brewers at the OSF in its 20 years as a McMenamins: Dave Fleming, a prolific Oregon brewer who helped get things up and running; Mike “Curly” White, who came on in 2006 (and is now head brewer at Wild Ride Brewing Company); and currently Vance Wirtz, who started full time in 2017.

Wirtz is an accomplished brewer whose beers have earned a number of awards this year alone. In May, three beers won medals at the North American Brewers Association’s International Beer and Cider Awards: Pitter Patter, a light lager; Respect Your Elder, a double IPA; and 1983 Lager, a company-wide recipe.

Several beers also won medals at the Oregon Beer Awards and Best of Craft Beer Awards, and additionally, Best of Craft Beer awarded Wirtz and the OSF the 2024 Small-Size Brewery of the Year.

Anniversary brews

As for the 20th anniversary beers that will be on tap for the celebration, Wirtz shared details.

“As far as the beers are concerned, I have a New Zealand variant of Hop Pillow I brewed called Hop Blanket,” he said via email, “and a West Coast Pilsner called Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary that’s also showcasing New Zealand hops.”

Hideaway Empire opens in northeast Bend this week

Hop Blanket is an imperial hazy IPA described as having notes of stone fruit, citrus, and tropical flavors. The New Zealand element comes from Nectaron hops, a variety developed in New Zealand known for its intense tropical fruit aromas. The beer itself is 8.9% alcohol by volume with 45 IBUs.

Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary is also brewed with Nectaron, and features another New Zealand hop, Motueka. In a West Coast pilsner, which is brewed and/or dry hopped with American hops similar in vein to an IPA, these varieties will present tropical fruit and citrus character. It’s 4.77% ABV with 35 IBUs.

History tours and sightseeing

This weekend, grab a pint of one (or both) of the anniversary beers and take some time to reacquaint yourself with the property. You might also want to join one of the history tours (free, but reservations required) taking place on Saturday. Either way, take in some of the sights around the historic property.

Some highlights include the wood carving of a horse-drawn chariot atop the bar in the main pub, which was sculpted from a single piece of wood over the course of 25 years; the wood paneling in the hotel hallway of the main building, sourced from a Jim Beam distillery barn; and the secret rooms in the newer hotel buildings, including the Broom Closet bar, which was originally destined to be a mere crawlspace.

Even if you’re well acquainted with the OSF, it’s worth a visit to try the new beers and explore. You may even discover something you never noticed before.

What: McMenamins Old St. Francis School 88th and 20th birthdays

When: All day Friday and Saturday; history tours noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. Saturday

Where: 700 NW Bond Street, Bend

Cost: Free, but must RSVP for history tours

Contact: 541-382-5174 mcmenamins.com/old-st-francis-school