Find beer-vana in Bend, Ore.

BEND, Ore. - Welcome to Beer Town, USA.

If you’re visiting central Oregon, you need to explore the Bend Ale Trail . The Pacific Northwest has more than its share of great beer cities, and Spokane certainly makes the list. But Bend, a city of just 87,000 people, has 22 breweries and might be the best medium-sized town in America for hoppy goodness.

It helps that this part of The Planet O is mighty hot in the summer and the beer is mighty cold. Explore the ale trail like I did with a bike rental from Wheel Fun and ride from brewery to brewery. You’ll see many great beer palaces, including old-school Deschutes Brewery , one of the first craft breweries in Oregon and still among the best. You can also to a ride-by to the popular 10 Barrel Brewing and check out some of the upstarts like Boneyard and Immersion .

My favorite? Crux Fermentation Project , which has great food to go along with the great beer.

Another writer, Gwen Ashley Walters of Pen & Fork , recently visited and shared her favorites with Going Mobile.

“Boneyard wins the award for best beer (and the location is a hoot!),” she said in an email. “Crux Fermentation Project wins for best brewery food (plus it’s just a gorgeous property and the beers are rock solid). Many of the breweries are within walking distance from downtown — definitely a plus when drinking high-octane beers.”

If you’re looking for a reason to visit this central Oregon beer-vana, consider hitting Bend Brewfest Aug. 16 - Aug. 18.