According to Jay Brooks, today is (a) Chocolate Day—so happy Chocolate Day! Here’s the Oregon beer news for this Thursday, February 9. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so check back often. If you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

Portland’s Culmination Brewing will be at N.W.I.P.A. today from 6 to 9pm for the bottle release of their Elation Double IPA: “Come celebrate the release of Culmination’s newest beer in bottles, Elation Double IPA. We will have it on tap as well with Phaedrus, 4 & 20 Imperial Black IPA, Peche and new NE Style Haze Craze beer. Fun for all!”

McMenamins Edgefield (Troutdale): Today’s Meet the Makers beer tasting from 5 to 8pm is featuring a mouthful: Mocha My Dreams Come True Chocolate Coffee Porter. “Mocha My Dreams Come True is Edgefield’s Percolator Coffee Porter, cask-conditioned with cocoa nibs and extra coffee to create a full, naturally carbonated ale experience. It’s a dark brown, rich and robust Porter that’s just the thing you need on a blustery evening…or morning!”

How about some mead? Portland’s Imperial Bottle Shop is hosting a Barrel-Aged Mead night with Corvallis’ Nectar Creek Mead from 5 to 8pm: “To celebrate their barrel-aging efforts, we’ll be pouring two of their recent barrel-aged meads, Malifera and Top Bar. Mellifera is a sour session mead made by aging and fermenting wildflower honey with lacto and brett in French oak barrels with fresh pressed Oregon Muscat grapes. Top Bar was created by fermenting raw wildflower honey in french oak barrels and finished with the addition of fresh locally-roasted coffee beans and bourbon-cured oak chips. It is definitely different and absolutely delicious! We’ll also have their seasonal Festoon Hibiscus mead on tap, and Erica from Nectar Creek will be here pouring samples of their bottled meads.”

The Bier Stein (Eugene): Their STOUTbierzeit month continues today with a special Fremont Brewing flight of their Dark Star Imperial Stout: “On Feb. 9 we will feature four versions of Fremont’s Dark Star, another imperial oatmeal stout. We will have 2016 and 2017 Bourbon Barrel vintages, plus 2016 Spice Wars and 2016 Coffee Edition (all aged in Bourbon barrels) on tap– quite a flight!”

Lompoc Brewing (Portland): Today is the release of their Batch 69 Baltic Porter! “Join us at Sidebar on Thursday, Feb. 9 from 4pm to Midnight for the annual release of Batch 69 Baltic Porter, a strong dark porter brewed with a lager yeast for a clean, smooth finish with hints of chocolate and black licorice. We’ll also have a vertical tasting, featuring versions from 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 & 2017, available on a taster tray for $15.”

Baker City’s Barley Brown’s and Bend’s Boneyard Beer collaborated once again on Allocation IIPA (Imperial IPA) and today at the Loyal Legion in Portland is the release party: “The much anticipated return of Allocation IIPA (Hop shots part Deux). Tony Lawrence and Tyler Brown will be making a Celebrity appearance. Boneyard brewing and Barley Browns Brewing will have a combined 21 taps on draft for your enjoyment. We hope to see you there.” Starts at 6pm.

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting one of the latest Founders Brewing launch parties tonight from 6 to 8pm: “We don’t brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us. Michigan’s Founders Brewing Company is coming to Oregon and to celebrate we’re tapping five of their fantastic beers.”

Eugene’s Claim 52 Brewing is in Portland today with a tap takeover at the Bridgetown Beerhouse from 5 to 8pm: “Claim 52 will be in the house for hoppy Thursday this week! Come try some hazy and non hazy beers with us. Brewery rep Jon will be here giving away some awesome swag.”

The BeerMongers (Portland) has scored some beers from Arizona Wilderness Brewing and will be pouring them tonight from 5 to 8pm: “With a lot of hype, and deservedly so, we’re lucky to be able to pour some of these rare beers.” They will have the beers on draft and some in bottles.

Full Sail Brewing (Hood River): Tonight is their February Brewmaster Dinner from 5 to 8pm. “Join us for our 2nd Brewmaster Dinner of 2017! Four courses paired perfectly with our ridiculously tasty beer.
Over the River and Through the Woods.” Call 541-386-2247 for reservations.

Bend Brewing Company is taking over the taps tonight at Broken Top Bottle Shop! “Join us with our very best friends, Broken Top Bottle Shop, on Thursday Feb. 9th from 5-8pm for a BBC tap takeover. 8 BBC beers will be on tap as well as our new bottles.” Based on the tap pictures BTBS posted today, with 8 of 12 taps BBC beers, it’s going to be a good night!

Salem Ale Works has a new beer out today: “Fresh locally roasted coffee meets rich, deep beer in the annual return of Steel Bridge Coffee Stout! We source beans from Salem micro-roaster Steel Bridge Coffee, and infuse cold for maximum aroma and flavor without added bitterness. The result is a beer for coffee lovers with hints of dark chocolate and caramel from the roasted malts and coffee aromas and flavor.”