Beer and running: A love story

Deschutes Brewing

Once a small brewpub, Deschutes is now a national craft brewery. The brewery originates from the town of Bend, Oregon and is named after the iconic waterway that flows through town. With beautiful trails along the river, leading up their scenic mountain backdrop, Bend serves as a hub for runners.

Deschutes employees share a thirst for the popular sport. It's became a strong part of the team's social fabric, and they've inspired one another to bag some pretty huge feats. 

The Pilot Butte 100

Cean Elliott, Deschutes supply chain manager, had the lofty goal of running a 161-kilometre race by age 45, but his plan was thwarted by wildfires. Instead, he turned lemons into lemonade — or hops into beer — after a coworker joked he should use their regular 8-kilometre loop and make it his 161-kilometre course. To do so, he would have to run the loop 20 times. Cean laughed off her suggestion, but he realized it had legs.

Cean decided to go for it even though he deemed this his best worst idea ever. He charged the loop, his sights set on 20 laps and 161 kilometres. Friends and family brought him food, cheered him on, and paced him throughout the entire run.

After 24 hours and 41 minutes, 4,483 metres of elevation gain, and 163.8 miles, over a dozen friends and coworkers were there as he broke through the makeshift toilet paper finish line. The crowd presented him a finisher’s shirt that his daughter customized with his splits and finish time.

His prize package also included a tiara and a belt buckle made from aluminum foil and ramen. It’s safe to say Cean earned himself a beer or three.

Mile lagers

Other employees share an impressive list of running accomplishments, from speedy half marathons to crazy 80-kilometre runs and summits up Mount Bachelor. Every day, team members meet up to log some afternoon miles. Perhaps it’s the 10-degree keg cooler they all congregate in after their runs that motivates them to keep pushing.

Jennifer Ballard, Deschutes distribution coordinator, says she loves the run community and appreciates sitting down with friends after a good run for a rewarding beer. She notes that the beautiful thing about a beer is you really can’t rush it. You just enjoy it. The same goes for a good run, which could be the reason the two make such a strong pairing.

Deschutes employees post-run tap list

Now that we’ve got you craving a run and a beer, it’s only fair that we leave you with the top recommendations for a post-run beer from the Deschutes beer wizards themselves:

• “West Coast IPA Squeezy Rider is a favourite and great for the hotter days!” – Jennifer Ballard, distribution coordinator
• “I have, for many years, reached for Black Butte Porter as my post-run beer; the dark, chocolatey-malty notes completely hit the spot for me.” – Scott Hubbs, production planner and scheduler
• “I opt for something light and ice-cold. A Lil’ Squeezy, Wowza! and the King Crispy are all my go-tos for post-run beers. As long as it’s cold I’m in.” – Cean Elliott, supply chain manager

A special thanks to Deschutes Brewery and their amazing employees: Jennifer Ballard, Scott Hubbs, and Cean Elliott for their contribution to this article. Keep running and drinking. In that order.