I am thrilled and proud to announce that my first book, Bend Beer: A History of Brewing in Central Oregon, is officially released today! (I say officially though I know it has already been available for pre-order online—and Amazon.com had already shipped a few out.) Published by the History Press, it covers the history of Bend and Central Oregon from a beer-spective from the frontier era of the 1880 and ’90s through today. Here’s the blurb from the back of the book:

With more breweries per capita than any other Oregon city, Bend is a beer mecca. Prior to Prohibition, the state had a burgeoning brewing industry and plenty of saloons to cater to the needs of the hardy frontiersmen who settled Central Oregon. The teetotaling ’20s brought all that to a screeching halt. Fifty years later, the arrival of pioneers like Deschutes Brewery and Bend Brewing Company breathed new life into Bend’s beer and brought about the booming industry for which the area is known today. Author and “The Brew Site” creator Jon Abernathy traces Bend and Central Oregon’s hoppy history from early settlement to the present day, sharing the stories behind its most famous breweries and the communities that have fostered the industry.

It was a terrific experience writing this book (and I’ve already got ideas for “second edition”) and I hope it’s as fun and informative to read. I tried to blend the region’s overall history with its beer culture and history to appeal to a broad audience.

Interested in buying the book? You should be able to find it person at the following locations:

• Barnes & Noble (Bend)
• Costco (Bend)
• Deschutes Brewery – tasting room and downtown pub
• McMenamins Old St. Francis School
• Visit Bend (Bend Visitor Center, downtown Bend)
• Des Chutes Historical Museum (Bend)
• The Brew Shop (Bend)
• Powell’s Books (Portland)
• Central Oregon Locavore (Bend)
• Paulina Springs Books (Sisters and Redmond)

And there will be more locations coming soon. If you’re interested in purchasing online, there are a number of options as well:

• History Press
• Amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble
• Powell’s

There are also signing and meet the author events lining up, all of which you can find on the book site as well as the Facebook page.

And if you’d like to find out a little bit more about me and my own beer background, including some background on the book itself, Michael over at #pdxbeergeeks has a “Meet the Geek” interview up with me today.

Cheers!