Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! I hope the day is finding you well and recovered from the weekend. Here is the news for January 18; as usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news as I find it, so check back often. If you have news to share, please let me know and I can get that updated as well.

Crux Fermentation Project (Bend): The first in their new “BEER’ducation” series of events takes place tonight from 4 to 10pm, featuring Cast Out IPA vs. Ella IPA: “Same base recipe, two different hops. Our popular Cast Out IPA (formerly Outcast) is brewed with Galaxy hops imported from Australia which deliver quenching tropical fruit notes to the palate and the nose. Australian hop growers recently developed a variation of the Galaxy, called “Ella,” which we’ve used to replace the Galaxy hops in our Cast Out recipe to create our aptly named Experimental “Ella” IPA. While this new strain of Ella hops is only a slight variation from the Galaxy, the flavor and aromatic characteristics shift significantly from fruit to floral and spice.”

Back Pedal Brewing (Portland) has a new beer releasing today at 6pm, BMX Session IPA: “We are excited to release our latest beer, a small but punchy IPA that has intense hop aroma. We packed this low ABV beer (4.5%) with lots of Simcoe, Centennial, and Cascade hops, and added some oats to give it a bit more body. Come try our new beer and stay for trivia at 7.”

This weekend has some events coming up that you may want to plan for:

• Bailey’s Taproom (Portland) is holding their annual CellarFest this Saturday, the 23rd (Facebook event here): “Join us on Saturday, January 23rd as we once again coax from our cellar a grip of tasty beers of ages spanning a decade. Admission is free, we’ll kick things off at Noon, and celebrate until close.”
• Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters) has their 4th annual Beer and Dessert Pairing on Saturday the 23rd; four desserts paired with four beers for $25. You’ll need reservations so call 541-549-1963 if you’re interested.
• Portland’s new Labrewatory is celebrating their grand opening Friday the 22nd: “Come celebrate the Labrewatory in our taproom and enjoy our unique brews, like our Golly G. Cranberry Porter, @PDXBottleShareIPA, Hulk S.M.A.S.H. IPA, Billy the Squid Gose and more.”
• Portland U-Brew & Pub is hosting their 5th annual Westmoreland/Sellwood Winter Beer Fest this Friday and Saturday, featuring “Nine House staff made winter warmer plus 4 local winter beers on tap.”

The Green Dragon (Portland): Tonight they have a special extra meet the brewer event taking place at 5pm, featuring Jason Yester of Trinity Brewing: “Trinity Brewing calls itself the “Most Artisanal Beer In Town.” That town being Colorado Springs, Colorado, home to a number of outstanding craft breweries. Just to show they’re not boasting, brewer Jason Yester comes to the Green Dragon tonight with four (or as we like to say, 1.34 trinities) of their award winning and imaginative brews. Red Swingline, IPA Primitif won DRAFT Magazine’s Top 25 Beers in the World in 2013. Now that’s something to brag about.”