Ashland’s Caldera Was the First Craft Brewery in the West to Put Their Beer in A Can

BY KEVIN GIFFORD

590 Clover Lane, Ashland, 541-482-4677, calderabrewing.com. 11 am-9 pm Monday-Sunday.

Nestled among the mountains of Southern Oregon, Caldera boasts a number of firsts. The Ashland brewery was the first craft brewery in the West to can their products, and also the first commercial outfit to brew with "hop hash," an extremely potent concentrate created as a by-product of the hop palletization process. Their Hop Hash IPA remains a dank favorite in 22-ounce bottles, along with the more mainstream Hopportunity Knocks IPA and the cryptically named Vas Deferens Ale, a Belgian-style dark beer. The brewery retains its old pub location off Main Street in the heart of Ashland, but there's more variety at the newish Caldera Brewery & Restaurant, a huge space on the outskirts of town that offers incredible mountain views from the outdoor porch,  and a dizzying 45 different Caldera beers on tap. Caldera excels with variety, as we saw with a German-style lager made with two different smoked grains, which had an almost cigar-like effect. The walls are lined with founder Jim Mills' personal collection of over 5,000 beer bottles and cans, purportedly the largest in the state.

Nearby: Ashland has a lot to offer, from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival to beautiful walking trails along Ashland Creek in Lithia Park. If you really want to immerse yourself in the city's art-hippie vibes, take a dip at Jackson WellSprings (2253 Highway 99 N, Ashland, 541-482-3776, jacksonwellsprings.com) an Olympic-sized outdoor mineral water pool, overseen by an alter to Ganesh, and soothing private tubs.