Deschutes Brewery expands distribution in South Dakota

Deschutes Brewery expanded its distribution in South Dakota to the western portion of the state, encompassing areas such as Rapid City and Chamberlain. The brewery will be working with local distributors, Eagle Sales in Chamberlain and Eagle Sales of the Black Hills Inc., to bring its beers to the region.

The first beers will be available in six-pack bottles and on draft. Deschutes Brewery, which recently added five new 1,300-bbl fermentation tanks to increase capacity at its Oregon brewing headquarters, is also expanded to the state of Illinois in January. Beers to be distributed include Mirror Pond Pale Ale, Black Butte Porter, Inversion IPA and Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale.

“We are looking forward to a successful partnership with Deschutes as we bring its beers to even more people in South Dakota,” said Tom Hellard, president of Eagle Sales of the Black Hills. “Our respective companies have a similar philosophy of bringing high quality, consistent products to customers, so working together is a natural fit.”

Eagle Sales of Black Hills, which is headquartered in Rapid City, has a portfolio made up of craft and imported beers. The company’s entire staff is first-level Cicerone-Certified to assist customers in the areas of beer storage, styles, tastings, brewing processes and pairing with food. Sister company, Eagle Sales in Chamberlain, was started in 1903 and incorporated in 1906 with long history of doing business in central South Dakota. The company now distributes more than 30 different brands to 13 counties in south central South Dakota.

Deschutes Brewery was founded in 1988 as a brewpub in downtown Bend, Ore., and is known for such brands as Black Butte Porter, its flagship brew, and the popular Mirror Pond Pale Ale. The company’s main brewing facility produces more than 250,000 barrels of beer annually for distribution in 20 states and two provinces.