Tonya Cornett is an inspiration to women everywhere; she has achieved an incredible feat in her home state of Oregon. As the sole creative force behind the Bend Brewing Company’s ever-evolving portfolio of beers, Tonya is about to mark her eighth milestone anniversary as brewmaster. With a continuously impressive lineup of ales, porters and everything in between, celebrate Tonya with Bend Brewing Company on this momentous occasion.
Tonya Cornett, formally heralded as the queen of craft beer in Oregon, is no stranger to brewing award-winning, boundary-pushing beer. She’s a veteran brewer who has been diligently crafting world-renown beers for close to a decade.
Tonya Cornett has been brewing beer at the Bend Brewing Company since 2011. Since she began brewing at the craft brewery and brewpub, her talent and passion for creating unique and innovative beverages has been on full display. She has earned numerous awards and recognition in her 8-year journey with the Bend Brewing Company, and has been regarded as a leader in the craft brewing community.
Cornett has been leading the Bend Brewing Company in the craft beer revolution that has taken over Oregon. The brewpub is regarded for their top-notch craft beer menu and their unusual styles and ingredients. Many beer aficionados are drawn to this Downtown Bend bar for the beer alone. They come for the tried and true classics and the inventive new beers Tonya is developing.
At the Bend Brewing Company, four landmark beers have been created by Tonya Cornett. She has been the creative force behind four of Bend Brewing Company’s fan-favorite beers, including the Ching Ching, Razzleberry Ale, Black Raspberry Sour Ale and Pineapple Passion Fruit Sour Ale. These four beers are proudly featured on the brewery’s regular beer menu and have been a reason why beer lovers keep returning to the Bend Brewing Company.
Tonya’s masterful brewing skills have been rewarded with countless awards over the past eight years. These awards are a testament to Tonya’s commitment to sheer excellence in craft beers. The Bend Brewing Company’s current list of medals include accolades from the highly-regarded World Beer Cup, the Great American Beer Festival, and the Australian International Beer Awards. Tonya’s ever-evolving portfolio of beers has consistently been lauded with recognition from beer lovers and industry leaders alike.
Her signature beer, the Ching Ching, was awarded gold medals in at the Great American Beer Festival for both the American-Style Sour Ale in 2012 and the Fruit Beer in 2013. The Ching Ching continues to be the Bend Brewing Company’s flagship beer and has been featured in the pages of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among other notable publications. The Ching Ching is made with both traditional and adventurous ingredients, such as raspberries, ginger and white peppercorns, which come together to create an exotic and quenching summertime beer.
It may sound remarkable to an outsider, but Tonya creates each beer completely by instinct. She does not rely on the norm or convention of her trade. While she does consult craft beer books for inspiration, she forges ahead with new beer recipes using what she is familiar with, seeking seasonal elements and trying new concepts. She has no defined brewing process. Instead, she brews the beer that she likes, mixing styles and techniques, components and ingredients to create something new and different. This method of “winging it” has earned her the reputation of a brewing maverick.
Over the course of her career, Tonya has been profiled in many renowned publications. The likes of Food and Wine, All About Beer Magazine and The New York Times have all given their stamp of approval to Tonya’s brewing methods. She has been lauded as “a revolutionary in the craft beer world” by NPR and honored by Imbibe Magazine as one of their “35 Innovators Under 35” in 2013. In materials published by the Bend Brewing Company, it is common to find quotes such as “Tonya’s unique and creative beers can be credited with helping to expand on the northwest craft beer culture.”
As Tonya Cornett celebrates her eighth anniversary as the Bend Brewing Company’s head brewer, her hunger for craft beer excellence and innovation continues to drive her forward. She sees the opportunities for pushing the never-ending envelope of craft beer flavors as her craft brewing canvas and looks forward to whatever the future of beer brings. For beer lovers in Oregon, and beyond, Tonya Cornett is