Today/tonight is Robert Burns Night, celebrating Scottish poet Robert Burns. There are a couple of related events I’ll be listing, along with today’s beer news. And 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.

It is definitely a McMenamins type of day today! This date, January 25, is the anniversary of their flagship Hammerhead Ale, which means today they are celebrating Hammerhead’s 31st birthday across all locations: “Our Hammerhead Ale was crafted 31 years ago, born out of creativity at our Hillsdale Brewery in Portland. All McMenamins are celebrating this signature ale with Hammerhead pint, can & growler fill specials, and tasty food specials. Along the way, collect the Passport stamp and track down clues on the Passport Discovery Hunt.” Pints of Hammerhead are $4 today, and growler fills are only $8. Swing by your local and raise a pint of one of Oregon’s oldest beers!

In Gresham, McMenamins Highland Pub & Brewery today has their The Proper Taste beer tasting from 5 to 8pm, featuring Whiskied Away Whirlwind Wheatwine: “Whirlwind Wheatwine’s been whisk(i)ed away! One special keg of this smooth operator was hidden away to age on a whiskey infused oak spiral for several months. The result adds an extra layer of flavors to an already complex beer. Investigate thoroughly.”

And McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro has their Roadhouse Refreshments beer tasting tonight from 6 to 9pm, featuring two McMenamins CPR creations and two guest beers. From McMenamins comes Terminator Stout Cold Shot Edition and Oatmeal Double Stout. The guest beers are from Hillsboro also: Vertigo Brewing‘s Arctic Blast Vanilla Porter, and Three Mugs Brewing‘s Russian Imperial Stout. Definitely a stout night perfect for the cold weather!

Portland’s Imperial Bottle Shop is hosting Climate City Brewing out of Grants Pass for a meet the brewer event tonight from 5 to 8pm: “Climate City is one of the newest additions to the craft beer scene in southern Oregon, putting Grants Pass on the map for exceptional craft beer! Brewer Acacia Cooper will be attendance, so come down and try one her delicious brews, including: Prost Gose, Savage IPA, Bourbon Porter, and 2 more beers TBA!” Great opportunity to see how the beer is flowing down south.

Silver Moon Brewing (Bend) is celebrating Robert Burns Night with the release of their Skara Brae Scottish Ale tonight starting at 6pm: “An evening of revelry dedicated to the release of Skara Brae Scotch Ale, in celebration of Scotland’s National Bard! We begin the evening with a bagpipe procession led by our local Scotsmen wearing kilts. A sword will be used to open the first keg of 2017 Skara Brae Scotch Ale, & a traditional Scottish menu of haggis, bangers, & mash will be offered alongside our regular menu. Poems will be read, ale will be tasted, & a good time will be had by all! We’ll also raffle off a growler filled with Skara Brae!”

And Conversion Brewing (Lebanon) is celebrating Robert Burns as well from 4 to 9pm: “We’re kilting up and re-releasing our Scottish Wee Heavy! We’re also making our version of Scottish “Meats and Tatties” for dinner. Wear your kilt and you’ll get a discount! We celebrate a the National Poet of Scotland, “The Ploughman’s Poet,” Robert Burns’ lyrics and poetry have influenced cultures around the world. (Ever sing “Auld Lang Syne” at New Years?) We’ll be reading (and maybe singing!) from his works throughout the night!”

Hood River’s PFriem Family Brewers will be in Portland at Bridgetown Beerhouse for a tap takeover tonight from 5 to 7pm: “Come join our firends at pFriem Family Brewers and apreicate the varied styles that they offer. DJ Kevlar, who doubles as our Point Blank rep, will also be spinning old school Hip Hop.”

The Bell’s Brewery Hopslam and Two Hearted tour continues through Portland, landing at Saraveza today where they will be celebrating the lauded beers tonight starting at 5pm: “Bell’s Brewery is back in town and we’ll be pouring both Hopslam and Two Hearted on draft starting at 5pm. In addition, there will be package of both available for purchase. Come on down for this Kalamazoo special. There will be a one six pack limit on package and no growler fills on draft. First come, first serve!”

Belmont Station (Portland): Tonight they are welcoming Newport’s Rogue Ales and their new cans for a canned beer tasting from 5 to 7pm: “Join us and Rogue Ales for a sampling of their canned brews in the bottle shop: Dead Guy, 6 Hop IPA and Yellow Snow IPA!”

And Rogue‘s Eastside Pub (formerly The Green Dragon) has their Green Dragon Brew Crew release tonight featuring the final “Big Ass Beer Month” release, Augustus II (2015 vintage): “Sometimes we just need to go all out. This beer is one of those occasions. Using our base recipe for Descent into Darkness we then aged the beer in a Rogue whiskey barrel and infused it with cacao nibs and a puree of black cherries from Rogue Farms. The result is a beer with a wonderful sweet cherry note which lasts the entire taste – but that is only the beginning, as the flavors of oak, chocolate, and whiskey interplay with the taste of smooth dark malt and cherries making this quite a special beer. Complex, clean, and bold, this is an epic Russian Imperial Stout which you cannot get anywhere else.” Starts at 5pm!

Ground Breaker Brewing (Portland): Their new Imperial Darkness is now available! “It’s finally here, our darkest beer ever! Imperial Darkness is a 9% ABV and 62 IBU gluten-free ale. Made with roasted cacao nibs, vanilla, and Equal Exchange coffee. Available on draught and in bottles at our Gastropub, bottles available online exclusively through Bring On The Beer!”