Here is the news in beer from across Oregon for Thursday, February 19. 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.

The Bier Stein (Eugene): Today is the start of their third Starkbierzeit—their Festival of Strong Beer! “Rarely does the opportunity to taste rare, old, strong beer happen in concentrated doses and with such ease as this. This year, we decided to take Starkbierzeit on a four-day run, including a mostly foreign bottle tasting and an eight-beer horizontal of 2013 50/50 Eclipse Imperial Stout. Starkbierzeit is a festival in Germany, much smaller than Oktoberfest, which began as an observance of the Lenten fast with higher gravity beer. Traditionally, the holiday falls toward the end of March, but we decided to lift people’s spirits in the last stretch of the dreary winter season.” Starkbierzeit runs through the 22nd (Sunday) with a terrific taplist each day, culminating in an “Eight-beer horizontal tasting of 2013 50/50 Eclipse Imperial Stout” on Saturday at 5pm.

McMenamins White Eagle (Portland) has a special beer release today starting at 5pm, featuring Double Dragon Rum Barrel-Aged DIPA brewed up at the Edgefield: “Long has the beast waited – coiling in the deep, gaining strength in the darkness of the barrel. A major threat to all your tastebuds can sense, this big, hoppy DIPA is packed with excellent hop character both in flavor and aromatics and rounded out with a hearty dose of rum, vanilla, oak, and even a little coconut. Where once there was thirst, nothing remains… now the dragon has been released.” It’s a nice little 9.55% abv.

Imperial Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting Corvallis’ Flat Tail Brewing tonight for a can release party from 6 to 8pm: “Ian Duncan, one of the owners of Flat Tail Brewing, will be at Imperial pouring free samples from their brand spanking new line of cans, which include Tailgater Kolsch (GABF silver medal winner) and Little Green Saison (GABF bronze medal winner). He’ll also be giving away Flat Tail koozies and other swag!”

Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland) continues their rollout release of Potato Gun IPA (Idaho Potato Ale), the collaboration beer they brewed with Idaho’s Payette Brewing—tonight they are at The Civic Taproom for the Potato Gun release from 6 to 9pm: “The Potato Gun IPA is a dual creation between Hopworks Urban Brewery of Portland, Ore. and Boise, Idaho-based Payette Brewing. Organic purple potatoes are in this beer, along with organic whole cone hops. Thursday night will feature swag giveaways and a potato gun shooting range. Bring your best potato gun skills! Boise Fry Company will have free Purple Potato Fries samples.”

And Hopworks is already working on their next collaboration brew: “Today we have Stefan Hanke, Brewmaster from Craftwerk Brewing of Bitburger, in the house! We’re brewing up a collaborative India Pale Lager, which should be available in mid-April.” That timeframe makes me think it’s going to be released during the Craft Brewers Conference like the others we’ve been reading about lately.

Belmont Station (Portland): They are hosting Bend’s Crux Fermentation Project for the Oregon release of Crux’s Freakcake Oud Bruin-styled beer, taking place from 5 to 7pm: “After a year absence, it’s baaaaaack! And we are honored to be the first place the Crux crew selected to release the second version of their incredible Freakcake Oud Bruin! Join the Crux crew in the biercafé for Freakcake plus Peated Scotch Ale, Prowell Springs Pre-Prohibition Lager and the brand-new Lemon Drop IPA — all of which have never been poured outside the Bend pub. We’ve got Half-Hitch DIPA, too! Brewmaster Larry Sidor will be on hand for a Freakcake toast!”

The Green Dragon (Portland): Their meet the brewer event tonight is bringing in Shane (no last name?) from Laurelwood Brewing: “Besides Shane, there are other perks to stopping by… Our Extra Special Workhorse IPA, Red Elephant IRA, Portland Roasting Espresso Stout, and a Pinot Barrel Aged Moose & Squirrel Imperial Stout will all be on tap!” It runs from 5 to 8pm.

Ground Breaker Brewing (Portland) has the new release of what is going to be a predictable line of “fussy” beers in the wake of that AB Super Bowl ad: “The Ground Breaker Gastropub is pleased to announce their latest tapping, Fussy Ale. Fussy Ale is a mIcro beer. It’s brewed to be fussed over.  It’s brewed to have an interesting finish.  This is only one of many beers that have been French oak aged. It is one of several peach pumpkin ales brewed for drinking and dissecting. Some of the people who drink our beer like to drink beer brewed the fussy way. Let them sip our pumpkin peach ale.” So… I’m reading it as actually being a pumpkin peach ale?