Here’s the news in Oregon beer for Wednesday, January 21. We’re halfway through the week and over halfway through the month now, with plenty of beer happenings coming up! 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.

Portland’s Gigantic Brewing is coming to Bend today for a tasting and tap takeover at Broken Top Bottle Shop from 5 to 9pm! They’ll be pouring samples of Bourbon-Barrel Aged Barley Wine and Pipewrench Gin-Barrel Aged IPA, and for the tap takeover portion of the event there will be five on tap: Gigantic IPA, Ginormous Imperial IPA, Saboteur Baltic Porter, Peace Loving Decoy Lager, and Pipewrench. Now, I don’t know this for sure, but since Gigantic brewers and owners Ben Love and Van Havig were just in Eugene yesterday at The Bier Stein, I would speculate that they will be in Bend at BTBS tonight (it’s an easy drive over the mountains). I’ll update if confirmed.

McMenamins Cedar Hills (Beaverton) has a limited-edition beer tasting today starting at 6pm, for L-Train Cascadian Dark Ale: “This batch of Cascadian dark ale is brewed in honor of Portland’s favorite L-Train, LaMarcus Aldridge. Strength, power, grace, and plenty of hops are the things that this seasonal ale and the L-Train have in common. This CDA is a beer that is dark in color, with a lighter body and a promiment hoppy profile. So grab a pint, put on the game and raise a glass to the L-Train! LaMarcus Aldridge!” Remember, when the beer’s gone, it’s gone.

Belmont Station (Portland) is hosting a release party tonight for Colorado’s Oskar Blues Brewery, featuring the Oregon launch of their new Pinner Throwback IPA: “Oskar Blues has added PINNER Throwback IPA to the brewery’s year-round lineup of beers and it’s finally coming to Portland. We are honored to be the first spot where you can enjoy this session IPA, which comes in at a very drinkable 4.9% ABV. Dry-hopping with several different heady hops, including a killer experimental variety, gives PINNER a tropical, stoned fruit aroma with hints of pine and smooth malt in the flavor. We will be pouring it on draft in the biercafé and also will be holding a tasting of Oskar Blues’ canned beers in the bottle shop including Old Chub Scottish-Style Ale, Ten FIDY Russian Imperial Stout, G’Knight Imperial Red Ale, Dale’s Pale Ale and Nitro Chub.” The event runs from 5 to 7pm, be there to check out this latest of session(able) IPAs.

The Green Dragon (Portland): Today’s Green Dragon Brew Crew release continues their “Big Beer” month theme, with a burly Imperial Stout: “Sometimes we need to go all out. This beer is one of those occasions. Tonight the Green Dragon Brew Crew releases Augustus II: a Russian Imperial Stout aged in a Rogue whiskey barrel and infused with cacao nibs and black cherries from Rogue Farms. – 9.6 ABV. A beer fit for an emperor. Let Augustus II conquer you at 5pm, the Green Dragon tells the history of this beer at 6pm”

Portland’s The Commons Brewery and the Deschutes Brewery Portland Pub are teaming up today to brew a collaboration beer that will be on tap in time for the Craft Brewers Conference in April (which is coming to Portland). No clue what sort of beer, probably something Belgian or farmhouse inspired… should be interesting.

Worthy Brewing (Bend): The latest in their “Heart and Soul” small-batch series is on tap now: “Aussie Pale is the newest on tap in the Heart and Soul Series! Brewed with an innovative Australian malt and Southern Cross hops from New Zealand, it’s a solid, balanced pale with just enough hoppy bitterness.”

And one of Bend’s smallest breweries (as well as the newest), Monkless Belgian Ales, has expanded their offerings to two beers currently available: “Monkless now has two styles on tap at Humm Kombucha! The Trinity Tipel, and Accommodation Belgian IPA! Swing by and check them out!”

Stickmen Brewery & Skewery (Lake Oswego): They have a new IPA available on tap worth checking out: “In beer news we have a new IPA on that we are calling Stickmen #9. Our 9th different IPA is a juicy grapefruit bomb with Centennial, Rakau, Glacier late and dry hop. 7.0% ABV | 7.6 IBU’s”