Beer: Trade War Export Stout
Brewery: Bend Brewing Company
Style: Export Stout
ABV: 7.5%
Price: $6.50 on tap / $13.99 for a 4-pack of 16 Fl. Oz. cans
Flavors: A slight hop bitterness masked by a blend of chocolate, coffee, caramel, and dark malt.
Aroma: Roasted sweetness
Overall Impression: A smooth beer from pour to finish that stands alone or pairs well with dessert.
In its essence, beer contains only four things; water, malt, hops, and yeast. But master brewers know how to take those four ingredients and transform them into pure drinking pleasure. Such is the case with Bend Brewing Company’s Trade War Export Stout, from the first pour to the last drop.
Pouring from a can or the tap, the first thing you notice is the expected opaque color combined with a strong coffee-colored foam head. What’s unexpected is how long the head lasts. As the glass rises to the mouth, the nose detects hints of chocolate and coffee. By the time the first sip goes down, the chocolate becomes more decadent, the coffee more prevalent, and roasted malt and toffee join the fun. The finish leaves the drinker with a full and rich, liquid chocolate cake aftertaste. “Stout is a style, not a flavor, which was really the jumping-off point for us wanting to make Trade War part of our year-round lineup,” says Bend Brewing Company Head Brewer Zach Beckwith about the award-winning beer.
Though the Trade War Export Stout begins with the traditional, roasted unmalted barley, Beckwith layers in specialty malts to build complexity, including the British chocolate malt which creates the notes of bittersweet chocolate. Classifying Trade War as an export stout, his intention was to create a beer somewhere between sessionable dry stouts—such as Guinness—and higher alcohol imperial stouts.
Bend Brewing Company has been a Bend, Oregon staple since opening its downtown brewery and restaurant 27 years ago on the banks of the iconic Mirror Pond. Packy and Leslie Deenihan purchased the brewery in 2016 and immediately put their minds to expansion. They bought the lot next door and created a year-round hangout spot; perfect for enjoying a Trade War Export Stout under a shade tree in summer’s warmth or by the fire pit in winter’s chill. In May of 2021, Bend Brewing Company opened its second taproom, The Waypoint, in Bend’s Northwest Crossing neighborhood.
Trade War Export Stout pours year round, on nitro at their downtown location and on CO2 at The Waypoint. In addition, you can enjoy the stout in the comfort of your own home or at the trailhead by picking up a 16-ounce can sold throughout Oregon and limited spots in Colorado. “We thought it (was) important to elevate Trade War to our year-round lineup to give stout lovers a go-to option they can enjoy whenever they want,” says Beckwith.
Local’s tip: If you’re looking for a stronger coffee taste to your stout, check out the newly-released Not Your Usual Barrel-Aged Stout. Bend Brewing Company blended Export Stout aged for 15 months in bourbon barrels from Oregon Spirit Distillers, 1-year-old Imperial Stout, and fresh Imperial Stout with Honduran Estrella Lenca coffee to create the specialty beer.