Happy New Year! Here’s the first Oregon beer news post of 2017, this Tuesday, January 3. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so check back often for the latest news. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

There is a new brewery officially opened up in Medford: Common Block Brewing. The Southern Oregon ABC affiliate KDRV reported last week: “Common Block Brewing Company opened its doors in Medford for the first time on Tuesday. The brewery is operating out of the historic Monarch Building in downtown Medford, and the owners and operators say they have hired 65 staff members. Administrators do say even though they are open, work will still be done in the building. The brewing equipment will take another six months to a year to arrive on site. In the meantime, Common Block will pour their own Pale Ale recipe that is contract-brewed at another facility.”

Crux Fermentation Project (Bend): Today’s Beer’ducation tasting series event features a lager showdown: Pilsner and Lager. “Our BEER’DUCATION SERIES of beer menu specials are designed to stimulate greater appreciation and understanding of craft beer through the self-guided experience of comparing and contrasting variations in styles and brewing processes. Each Tuesday evening, a different Crux beer will be highlighted via a special beer menu offering that includes a tasting guide to help you make the most of your experience.” They have a number of lagers on tap so I don’t know if there is a focus on just a couple or a taster flight. It runs from 11:30am to 2:30pm.

Cascade Brewing (Portland): Today’s Tap It Tuesday at the Barrel House at 6pm is featuring Sparkling Vine, in celebration of the New Year: “a champagne-style blend of sour blond and wheat ales aged 12 months in oak wine barrels with chardonnay juice and orange peel. This festive blend has a firm oak presence rounded out by the chardonnay grape leading to a tart and crisp finish, stirring memories of sharing champagne with friends and family as the first notes of Auld Lang Syne ring out in the new year.”

And tonight from 5 to 7pm Belmont Station is hosting Cascade for a special tasting event: “Cascade Brewing is celebrating joining forces with Day One Distributing with some very special rare offerings! We will be pouring:
2016 Blueberry – Sour wheat and blond ales aged in oak barrels for 12 months with fresh blueberries
Brambleberry Quad – Wheat and quad ales aged in wine and Bourbon barrels with red and black raspberries
Date Night – Imperial reds and quads aged in bourbon barrels with rum-soaked dates and spices
Sang Royal 2015 – Imperial spiced red ales aged in bourbon and wine barrels with Bing cherries
Gin Gimlet 2015 – Sour wheat ales aged in white wine barrels with lime peel and juniper berries
Vlad the Imp Aler 2013 – Sour quad and blond ales aged in bourbon and wine barrels with spices
Bourbonic Plague 2013 – Spiced double porters aged in bourbon barrels with dates, vanilla and cinnamon”

Deschutes Brewery (Bend): Tuesdays are Community Pints days at both the Bend and Portland Pubs, with $1 of every pint sold going to benefit a designated non-profit for the month. They haven’t yet posted each Pub’s beneficiary for January, but make sure to swing by your local today to help out with a pint or three!

Baerlic Brewing (Portland) has a new beer just bottled that will release this week: “We just bottled Dark Thoughts Black IPA and it’s available this Thursday in the taproom! 6.66% ABV and 66.6 IBU, this NW IPA is possessed with the evil spirits of cold-steeped roasted wheat and dryhopped with .666 lbs per barrel each of Columbus and Mosaic hops.”

Boneyard Beer (Bend) announced the return of their Skunkape India Red Ale as the first release of 2017. From the press release: “Boneyard Beer teamed up with snowboarding company Lib Tech out of Washington to brew up Skunkape, a hop-forward India Red Ale crafted back in 2011. This beer stands for everything Boneyard loves: hops, flavor and wicked good snowboards. Skunkape transpired in 2011 when Brewmaster Tony Lawrence and Trevor and Kyle Phillips from Lib Tech teamed up to bring the craft beer and snowboard worlds together to create a powder-centric beer to quench any shredders thirst. This dank, hop-forward India Red Ale will thrill any taste-buds from the beginner slopes to the cornice. Skunkape will be available starting January 1, 2017. 6% ABV, 40 IBU’s and is available in 5.2g, 7.25g and 50L kegs. Boneyard’s Skunkape will stick around until the snow melts.”