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Oregon Beer Showdown '21: Four questions with Boneyard's Tony Lawrence, this year's top dog

Boneyard Beer overcame Breakside in the finals to capture the Showdown's 2021 crown.

PORTLAND, Oregon — Another Oregon Beer Showdown — presented by KGW and the Portland Business Journal— is in the books, and this year's winner is already making big plans for 2022.

Boneyard Beer overcame Breakside in the finals to capture the Showdown's 2021 crown. The win caps a very eventful year for the Bend-based brewery, which was purchased by industry powerhouse, and Oregon legacy business, Deschutes Brewing. The combination should lead to a bigger presence for Boneyard, which has made its name through solid in-state distribution of its steady line of IPAs. 

We caught up with brewmaster Tony Lawrence by email to learn a bit more about what drives Boneyard, and where the brewery is headed.

RELATED: Oregon Beer Showdown '21: Boneyard Beer crowned the champion

What does winning the Showdown mean to Boneyard? First, we love a competition as voted by the public!.Most beer competitions are judged by industry professionals and held to strict style guidelines. While that format is the standard and should be, Boneyard prefers to get the vote from the consumers themselves. The people's choice is simply the best. Secondly, the other brewers included, and who made it to the final brackets, are the Gold Standard. So in short to be in that grouping, regardless of the win already was amazing. 

To what do you attribute the win? These events are fun and Boneyard always keeps it fun...and it was simply our day. With that said, we have been brewing our beers for 11 years now, they are always interesting, clean and balanced. Consumers keep track of these things. So when it was time to vote, I believe the past track record is a major factor. 

What are the brewery’s plans for the coming year? Our original 20-barrel Lake Place brewery is getting a makeover. We hired a new brewer (Tony Rau) and I will work closely to oversee operations. Meaning, lots of one-off beers and experiments with hops and more. We haven't been playing with experimental concepts as much as we would prefer in the last few years. We're also hitting the off-premise market with those beautiful new 12-, 16- and 19.2-ounce cans, with 12 packs later in 2022. Seeing a Boneyard endcap display at a major supermarket is quite nice. 

How are things going since the Deschutes deal? From just above having the support and fire power to brew, package and execute at the point of sale feels amazing. It doesn't come without adjustments on all levels and that's fine. The teams have combined forces and we are united in creating hoppy liquid enjoyment. So nothing has changed, just more talent around to do so. It's also home of sorts for me. I worked at Deschutes from 1989 to 2001. This is a true partnership and a full circle story that unfolded over 33 years...certainly an amazing journey and the next chapter is upon us.

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