When McMenamins Old St. Francis School open-ed in Bend last month, microbrew drinkers rejoiced, but some also wondered how five microbrew pubs can survive in a town of about 60,000 people.

Microbrew industry experts last week said no one should fear. Bend’s growing craft-beer scene is healthy and is expected to continue thriving.

The friendly competition among the microbreweries produces wonderful, widely renowned beer, they say, and each of the breweries has a niche that allows them all to succeed.

”Not every town of 60,000 has five brew pubs, but Bend is not the only one in the world,” said Paul Gatza, director of the Association of Brewers, a trade association in Boulder, Colo. ”It’s not unusual in Oregon to get these clusters.”

Durango, Colo., with a population of 16,000, has four breweries, said Jim Parker, executive director of the Oregon Brewers Guild in Gresham.

Portland, with a population of about 500,000, has 24 brew pubs in the city limits. Bend has the second-highest number of brew pubs of any city in Oregon, Parker added.

”We call Portland beervana,’ ” he said. ”You’ve got your own Munich-on-the-Deschutes. You’ve become, with that many breweries, a beer destination. You were already, but (McMenamins) solidifies it. You can come and not only stay there but go to a couple of other brew pubs. Three are within stumbling distance.”

Bend’s other microbreweries said they welcome competition, particularly from McMenamins.

Wendi Day, co-owner Bend Brewing Company, said that since McMenamins opened a couple of blocks away, business is about 10 percent busier than at the same time last year.

”It’s great to have another hotel downtown to bring tourists downtown,” she said. ”They have done a beautiful job, and at this point there is room for four or five of us.”

The number of microbrew pubs in Bend could still increase, experts said. ”At heart, they are nothing more than a restaurant that makes great beer,” said Gatza. ”If there’s room for another bar, there is room for another brew pub. They are simply adding in the component of freshly made beer.”

Chris Justema, partner and director of operations at Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, said the different business models of each brew pub makes them viable.

Bend Brewing Company caters to locals, brewing enough to serve pub customers, he said.

McMenamins is renowned for transforming properties into its own artistic venues with theaters and lodging. McMenamins also makes its own beers, Justema said.

Silver Moon Brewery last month opened a small tasting room in Bend.

Cascades Lakes has four restaurants – two in Bend and two in Redmond – that serve the craft beer it brews in Redmond, Justema added.

Deschutes Brewery, the largest microbrew producer in Oregon and ninth in the nation, is the only microbrewery in Bend that distributes to several Western states.

Cascade Lakes is investing about $350,000 to expand its brewing facility in Redmond. By May, the brewery will increase its capacity from 3,000 barrels to 10,000 barrels, Justema said.

Jeff Kennelly, district brewery manager of McMenamins, oversees the Old St. Francis School, three breweries in Portland and one in Salem.

”The whole microbrew industry is fraternal,” he said. ”We have everyone else’s beer on tap here – Deschutes, Silver Moon, Cascade Lakes and Bend Brewing. We didn’t want to step on any toes and wanted to foster a good relationship, as we’re the new guys in town. We all have something different to offer.”

Any new local player in this industry would have to compete at an elite level, industry experts said.

The local competition ”raises the quality bar,” said John Bryant, vice president of sales and marketing at Odell Brewing Co., Fort Collins, Colo.

He was vice president of sales and marketing at Deschutes Brewery from 1995 until last September. He said he was happy working with Deschutes as it grew and decided to take on the challenge of working with Odell, which is about the same size Deschutes was when he started there.

Microbrewing is not all about hops and malt, said Bryant, who Justema calls ”the E.F. Hutton of beer.”

Any brew pub in Bend would have to meet the prevailing standards of treating its workers and customers well, he said.

”People enjoy beer as part of a healthy social life and enjoy being served by someone happy, upbeat and knowledgeable about the intrinsic qualities of beer,” Bryant said. ”Beer is about culture and people, and if you do both well, that’s what it’s about.”

Gary Fish, president of Deschutes Brewery, agreed. ”I welcome anyone to town as long as they’re good,” he said. ”Bend could handle a few more brew pubs. Beer is culture. We could use a lot more of it in our society.”

Cathy Carroll can be reached at 541-383-0304 or at ccarroll@bendbulletin .com.