Here’s the Oregon beer news for Monday, January 16th—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. As usual I will be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so if you have some news to share, please contact me and I’ll get it posted.

The Washington Beer Blog points to the news that showed up in the Hood River News on the 12th that a new brewery is slated to open in Hood River by this summer: “Josh Pfriem, Ken Whiteman and Rudy Kellner expect their new brewery – called Pfriem Brewing Company (pronounced ‘freem’) – to be up and running by June. The three have signed into a five-year lease with the Port of Hood River to occupy the eastern portion of the new Halyard Building, and bids to ready the 5,600-square- foot space for the brewery and tasting room are due this week.” Josh Pfriem was formerly with Chuckanut Brewery in Bellingham, Washington, and most recently with Full Sail there in Hood River. In addition to the “classic hop-forward Northwest varieties” the brewery will also focus on Belgian-style ales, and in addition to the brewpub layout (with possible live music) they plan to bottle in 750ml bottles as well as distribute kegs across the Northwest.

Upright Brewing (Portland) is releasing their Fantasia specialty peach beer this Friday, January 20th, and Ezra at the New School has the lowdown: it’s 100% fermented in oak barrels that were also stuffed with peaches, and inoculated (of course) with wild cultures (lactobacillus and brettanomyces). “Bottles of ‘Fantasia’ will be wax dipped and sold in 750ml style champagne bottles for $20 a piece and $225 for a case with a 1 case limit at the brewery this Friday 1/20 starting at 4:30pm. There will also be just one 50 liter keg of ‘Fantasia’ pouring on draft on Friday.”

Fort George Brewery (Astoria): This Wednesday, the 18th, they have their “2012 Indian Food and IPA Brewer’s Dinner“, a five-course (not counting dessert!) meal paired with a variety of India Pale Ales—not just those from Fort George but from other breweries like Boneyard Beer and Russian River Brewing as well. The dinner takes place from 6 to 9pm and there are still tickets available, for $65 per person (or $120 for a pair). You can pick those up online here or call the Brewery directly.

Double Mountain Brewery (Hood River) has an experimental beer available that may not last long, but sure sounds interesting: “Just in time for the winter doldrums comes GRAVITAR, an aggressively hopped IPA that increases the earth’s gravitational pull by exact 34.2%, according to our estimable brewmaster. It’s got something to do with the experimental hop variety HBC 342 we used — a whopper of hop with citrus, passion fruit, lemon & pineapple notes. There are a mere 15 plants of “342” on the entire earth at the moment… let us know if you like it, maybe they’ll grow more. 7.2% ABV, 90+BU. Available in limited supply at fine beer bars around the Northwest, and at our Taproom for the next month or so.”

Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

• Cascade Lakes Brewing (Redmond): Belmont Station is hosting a tasting of the Cascade Lakes line-up tonight, from 5 to 8pm, including Monkey Face Porter, 20″ Brown, Cyclops IPA, Rosster Tail Ale, and Slippery Slope Winter Ale, and their King Kong Imperial Porter will be available on tap.
• The Green Dragon (Portland) has two events this week: the next release of their “Big Beer Month” series on Wednesday, Alternator Doppelbock from 5 to 8pm; and Thursday they have Beer Valley Brewing in from Ontario for a Meet the Brewer from 5 to 8pm, where they’ll be sampling “the 2012 vintage of Highway to Ale Barleywine, Leafer Madness, Judas Yeast Winter Ale, and Delta 9 IPA.”
• Lucky Labrador (Portland): Tomorrow, Tuesday the 17th, they are tasting a Braggot: “Brewer, Ben Flerchinger, is coming out with a new beer…kinda. HONEY BEAR BRAGGOT Tasting starts @ 4 p.m. Tuesday, Lucky Labrador Beer Hall, 1945 N.W. Quimby St.. Come try this truly unique “beer”!”
• Belmont Station (Portland) is featuring a tasting tomorrow (the 17th) from 6 to 8pm with Moa Brewing out of New Zealand: “Taste 5 beers (4 here for the first time) from this Blenheim, New Zealand craft brewery, hosted by MOA’s own Gareth Hughes. This is our first visiting Kiwi dignitary so come welcome him and taste some fine Southern Hemisphere craft beer!”