Here’s the news in beer from around Oregon for Wednesday, January 11. I hope everyone is digging out from last night’s snowfall (looking at you, Portland!). As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often for updates. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that updated as well.

McMenamins Thompson Brewery (Salem): Today’s Savor in Salem beer tasting is featuring The Panichkul Herbal Pilsner: “On occasion, we sit in the depth of our winters, searching for the inspiration of Spring. Blended over the body of a Lagered Pilsner, The Panichkul features fresh notes of ginger root and lemongrass. The palate is greeted by the snap of ginger, then moves onto crisp herbal notes. You won’t find many complex notes playing on the tongue, as this is a Pilsner after all. Rather, you’ll find a crisp herbal beer. Delight in the sneak peek of springtime flavors.” This one sounds interesting, with the addition of ginger root and lemon grass soaked in lemon vodka. Taste it from 5 to 7pm tonight.

Culmination Brewing (Portland) has a bottle release today featuring Oregon Kara Sakura, a beer that had been brewed for the Japanese market. “This beer was brewed with wild yeast harvested from the Ise Grand Shinto Shrine Garden in Japan, and rose hips from our neighbors, Jasmine Pearl, were also used in this brew. This beer is a sour wit with cherries, it is fuchsia in color and has flavors of medium tartness, clove and cherry. The alcohol by volume sits at 5.5%. It will be on draft (starting Saturday as a preview) in our taproom as well as in a LIMITED number of 500ml bottles ( released on wednesday 1/11). There will be a limit of 2 bottles per person.” Definitely some bottles you will want to get your hands on!

Portland’s Belmont Station is hosting the latest Oregon Brew Crew Collaborator release featuring a beer brewed by Rodney Kibzey, Bacon Cigar, a Rauchbier: “We love promoting our homebrew community! Join homebrewer extraordinaire (and Belmont Station regular) Rodney Kibzey as he celebrates his Collaborator contest-winning rauchbier, aptly named Bacon Cigar. Collaborator is a joint project with Widmer and the Oregon Brew Crew homebrew club in which winning brewers get to brew their recipe at Widmer, a great way to give homebrewers a chance to “go pro” — and the best part is, we all get to drink the results!” Rodney is a friend and I tasted both the Holiday Ale Fest version and his own homebrewed version last month in Portland—this is a good beer worth coming out for. It takes place from 5 to 7pm.

Plank Town Brewing (Springfield): Today they are hosting their “Tanked with the Brewers” featuring the release of Unobtainium IV and a vertical tasting—this originally was slated for last week but was postponed due to the snowstorm. From 5 to 8pm, “$10 – Vertical flight, glass of Unobtainium IV,
and other special tastings.”

Rogue‘s Portland Eastside Pub—formerly the Green Dragon—has their Green Dragon Brew Crew release today starting at 5pm, and featuring Baltic Porter as part of their “Big Ass Beer” month of January: “Deep and intense flavors of bread, chocolate, and vanilla emerge as you drink this porter. It has the trademark smoothness of a lager and the multi layered complexity of a truly fine beer. The bittering hops add enough balance to take your mind off all of that dark malt. Smooth, clean, deep and complex are the words to describe this rare and difficult to find beer.”

Royale Brewing (Portland) was going to have a collaboration beer release today, but they are closed for the snow so instead I imagine this will go on tomorrow: “Last October the founders of Royale Brewing, Melvin Brewing, and The Commons got together to collaborate on a beer to celebrate twenty years of friendship. We’re calling that beer 1997- The First Twenty. Brewed at Royale. 1997 – The First Twenty is a 10.7%ABV Belgian Strong Ale, dry-hopped with citra. Bold and complex fruity aromas, ranging from tropical fruit, citrus, dried cherry, rose, and prunes. Candied fruit and baked bread flavors. Deceptively smooth and drinkable. Super dry finish, with slight lingering warmth. (B63 Monastic Yeast) 32 IBU ; 11 SRM”

The Bier Stein (Eugene) has their Tapping Into Community fundraiser event taking place today starting at 5pm, benefiting Stove Team International: “StoveTeam assists locals entrepreneurs in the developing world to establish factories to produce and sell affordable, portable, fuel-efficient cookstoves. Join us for a benefit event featuring Plank Town’s Riptooth IPA. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Stove Team!”