Hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Bend’s Crux Fermentation Project opened its doors! In that time, the company transformed a former auto transmission shop into a destination brewery and tasting room, opened a production brewery, started a coolship program, brewed thousands of beers across a galaxy of styles, planted its own hops for an annual fresh hop beer, become one of the must-experience breweries in the region, and more.

Crux is celebrating this Saturday, June 25, with its annual Cruxapalooza anniversary party, with a lineup of live music, brewery tours, and other activities taking place all day long. Here are details and the press release detailing the decade:

Crux Fermentation Project is celebrating ten years of community and craft beer in the Pacific Northwest this month. The Bend-based operation is a brewer-owned and operated craft community committed to producing beer, wine, cider and – most recently – whiskey of the highest quality. After a decade of pursuing brewing perfection and fermentative experimentation each and every day, Crux has cemented its position as a favorite of locals, visitors and craft beer enthusiasts alike.

Crux Fermentation Project will celebrate its tenth anniversary with its annual Cruxapalooza event on Saturday, June 25th. The official kickoff to the summer season, the day will be filled with live music, activities including tie-dye t-shirt station and a 5K fun run, and the best beers in town. Master Brewer Larry Sidor has created a special 10th Anniversary IPA that will be released at the event. An IPA that he himself would most enjoy, the Anniversary IPA is a combination of some of Larry’s all-time favorite hops, added three different ways at three different times throughout the brewing process. Cruxapalooza will see a number of additional new beer releases as part of the tasting room’s 25-beer tap list.

“Crux started out as a passion project for me, but even after ten years, we still operate with the same driving force,” said Larry Sidor, Founder and Master Brewer at Crux Fermentation Project. “Everything we endeavor to do is driven by our authentic passion for the craft and our commitment to quality. From rare yeast strains to whole leaf hops to experimental brewing methods, we’re going to do whatever it takes to make the next great beer. It’s hard to believe it’s already been ten years – I think we’re just getting started!”

In its ten years of operation, Crux Fermentation Project has built a one-of-a-kind brewery based on the love of beer. The brewery has successfully enhanced consumer knowledge of fermentation through beer and beyond. Some of Crux’s proudest accomplishments in the past ten years include:

• To date, the brewery has 6,350 total brews in the books, resulting in the pilsners, IPAs, porters, saisons, stouts and sours you’ve seen on tap and in the market. Crux released its first wine in 2020 and its first whiskey in 2022.
• Consistently an early adopter of innovative brewing techniques and ingredients like the Southern Hemisphere Galaxy hop featured in Cast Out (originally named Outcast), crafting Crux Pilz before craft lagers and pilsners were widely popular, and experimenting with spontaneously fermented beers.
• Pioneered a non-alcoholic beer line, NØ MØ, to keep up with consumer demand and provide alternative options for taproom guests. The brewing team prides itself on using traditional craft brewing ingredients and techniques for its non-alcoholic line, resulting in a “near beer” that is still fermented with familiar flavors.
• In addition to its original location, Crux opened a production brewery on the north side of Bend in 2015. In 2018, the brewery completed an extensive taproom expansion project featuring additional service counters, modern interior design updates, and increased indoor and outdoor seating.
• Launched the highly sought-after [BANISHED] Series, a limited series of barrel-aged imperial stouts and sour ales including Tough Love, Lost Love, Bramble Candy and Freakcake.

Larry Sidor opened Crux Fermentation Project in 2012 with co-founders Paul Evers and Dave Wilson after renovating an old AAMCO Transmission shop. Sidor has spent more than 40 years in the Pacific Northwest beer industry, innovating and developing a huge variety of legendary recipes for names like Deschutes Brewery and Olympia Brewing Company. Beer is just the beginning for Crux – there will be much more to explore as the brewery continues its endless pursuit toward fermentation perfection.

All are invited to celebrate 10 years of Crux Fermentation Project at Cruxapalooza. To learn more, visit Cruxapalooza.com.

Here is the first blog post on this site about Crux (by name, anyway), which is kind of fun. Congrats on 10 years!