It’s Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) today which seems like appropriate reason to hoist a beer. Here’s the Oregon beer news for the day as well, which I’ll be periodically updating throughout the day. If you have news to share, please let me know and I’ll update it.

Ezra commented on my post yesterday concerning Fire on the Mountain has actually been established and brewing beer for several months now: indeed I got this wrong. They’re still new, but not “yet to open” new!

Cascade Brewing (Portland): Today is their Tart Fruit Extravaganza which I’ve been drooling over, celebrating tart fruits and tart beers all day long (starting at noon when they open). They have some 29! fruit beers to tap, and they’ll keep them on tap for a week or until they blow the keg. It’s a pretty amazing lineup they’ve posted, with beers like Winter Gose, Apricot, The Vine 2011, Live Chocolate Raspberry, and  Rhubarb Crisp. Be sure to stop in today to try some of these amazing beers!

Bailey’s Taproom (Portland) is hosting the Portland release of Elysian Brewing‘s second beer in their “12 Beers of the Apocalypse” series, Rapture, tonight from 6 to 9pm. In addition, Dave from Elysian will be on-hand doling out swag and gifts, and there will be other Elysian beers on tap as well. Rapture is a Heather Ale at 7.65% abv, brewed with a pound of heater tips per barrel of beer added to the mash and boil. (via the New School)

Burnside Brewing (Portland): Tonight is their Brewmaster Dinner with Trebol Mexican Restaurant from 6 to 9pm. $35 gets you a nice 3-course meal: “They’re pairing Sweet Heat with a Tuna Tostada, Oat Pale with Posole, & a Pound Cake with Stock Ale.” You can get a reservation by calling Trebol directly at 503-517-9347.

Pelican Pub & Brewery (Pacific City) is expanding—they posted on Facebook, “We’re expecting delivery of two new tanks from Metalcraft today! A 30 bbl Fermenter and a 24 bbl Bright Beer Tank.”—and there is a more detailed blog post here. “The two tanks together will increase the annual production capacity by more than 700 bbl per year. The 30 bbl fermenter will help us keep ahead of demand, especially in the summertime, while the 24 bbl bright tank will improve our ability to efficiently bottle and keg finished beer.” (That’s a quote from Brewmaster Darren Welch.) These are the first of five new tanks, and: “Subsequent brewery improvements will include a new steam boiler system, new heat exchanger, new labeler, new hot and cold liquor tanks, and one more 30 bbl fermenter.”

Alameda Brewing (Portland): Tonight is their tasting at Thatcher’s Restaurant and Lounge in southeast Portland, featuring the newly-released Bad Bunny Imperial Cream Ale, from 5 to 7pm. You should swing by just for the name of that beer alone!