1859 March | April 2016

AROUND OREGON
trip planner
DON’T MISS:
THE OLDEST CRAFT
DISTILLERY IN
SOUTHERN OREGON
Brandy Peak Distillery
uses wood-fired pot
stills, the only legal ones
in the country, to render
award-winning natural
and aged pear brandies
and other fruit-based
brandies. Be sure to try
the blackberry liqueur,
made from local berries.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP
Strolling on Mill Beach
at low tide. A still at
Brandy Peak Distillery.
Food is reasonably
priced at Fat Irish.
Day
WILD BIRDS • BRANDY • BOTTOM-FILLED BEER
If coffee and food get you moving,
the Downtown Coffee
Lounge is a good place for tasty
pastries, fruit smoothies and
egg dishes. Conversely, search
for the hard-to-find, local hangout,
Superfly Distilling Co.
Martini Bar and Grill near Bi-
Mart. The neon lights, playful
décor and the vocals of Aretha
back up excellent granola,
Greek yogurt and fresh fruit or
the monster breakfast burrito.
With fuel in your belly, head
to Harris Beach State Park on
Brookings’ north end. Hike,
beachcomb and see Oregon’s
largest off-coast island, alternately
called Bird or Goat Island,
a national wildlife sanctuary
and breeding site for the
tufted puffin and rare birds.
This popular park has yearround
camping, including RV
hookups and six yurts.
For golf, book a tee time at
Salmon Run Golf Course, an
eighteen-hole course open to
the public. Golfers consider it
a challenging gem with tight
fairways, lush valleys and a
signature fourth hole which
has an island putting green. If
surfing is your gig, catch the
swell at either Mill Beach in
the center of Brookings or at
Sporthaven Beach, both good
for all skill levels.
Brandy Peak Distillery, four
miles up steep and windy Carpenterville
Road, is one of
Brookings residents Tim and
Cindy Young’s favorite places
to take visitors. “It’s a unique
business where the family cuts
wood (for the still) and bottles
by hand,” said Cindy. Founded
in 1993, it is the oldest craft
distillery in Southern Oregon.
Two wood-fired pot stills, the
only legal ones in the country,
render award-winning natural
and aged pear brandies and
other fruit-based brandies. The
distillery also makes a blackberry
liqueur from local berries—
a favorite of the Youngs. Call
ahead for a tour and finish up in
the tasting room.
Cap off the busy day with
dinner at either Fat Irish Pub in
the port or the Black Trumpet
Bistro downtown. Sit at the bar
and watch closely as the bartender
fills glasses from a bottom-up
beer dispenser—a technology
that reduces foam and
wastage. The Black Trumpet is
an intimate, French-style bistro
featuring local brews, wines
from around the world, and fish
caught by chef and co-owner
Rob Krebs. Popular menu items
include chicken marsala with
foraged mushrooms and lemon
meringue crème brûlée.
46 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE MARCH | APRIL 2016