Happy Leap Day! Enjoy a good beer for this day that only comes around every four years. Here’s the news for the very end of February; as usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news as I find it, so check back often. If you have news to share, please let me know and I can get that updated as well.

Crux Fermentation Project (Bend): Tonight’s BEER’ducation series event from 4 to 9pm is Belgian themed: “We will be comparing 3 different belgian beers: Belgian Gale (Belgian Pale Ale) , Flanders Red Ale and Doublecross (Strong Dark Belgian). Join us in exploring the wonderful nuances and breadth of craft beer every Monday evening in our Tasting Room. Our BEER’DUCATION SERIES of beer menu specials are designed to stimulate greater appreciation and understanding of craft beer through the self-guided experience of comparing and contrasting variations in styles and brewing processes. Each Monday evening, a different Crux beer will be highlighted via a special beer menu offering that includes a tasting guide to help you make the most of your experience.”

Vertigo Brewing (Hillsboro): Today they are holding a bottle release event from 4 to 9pm: “On Monday February 29th we will be releasing our 9.5% ABV Friar Gone Wild Imperial IPA in 22 oz bottles for the first time. Friar Mike himself will be here signing bottles for you. Supplies are limited. Individual bottles will be $8.00 each. Buy a case of 12 for $85 and get a Vertigo Brewing pint glass with your case purchase while supplies of glasses last.”

Ordnance Brewing (Boardman): They are doing a Leap Year tap takeover today at The Lucky Pint in Gresham starting at 6pm: “It’s Leap Year! Put your extra day this year to good use at The Lucky Pint. What better way to enjoy your day then with 30 local Oregon/PNW taps and craft cocktails?
This Leap Day we’re featuring 5 beers from Ordnance Brewing. They brew in Boardman, Oregon, just a short drive down I-84 into Eastern Oregon. Ordnance is Teaming up with The Lucky Pint to offer a ‘keep the pint’ special if you order one of their fantastic brews. They will also be raffling other awesome prizes and free give-a-ways. Come out on your extra day and show support for an up-and-coming brewery that is about to explode onto the scene here in Portland!”

Bend’s Worthy Brewing is expanding its seasonal bottled offerings with a new porter out now, Peace Pipe Porter. From the press release: “This rich brew is loaded with cacao nibs, giving it a rich chocolate flavor, with an aroma of milk chocolate. It finishes with a dry, yet slightly sweet taste, reminiscent of chocolate cookies and dark chocolate. Peace Pipe Porter comes in at 5.4% ABV with 25 IBUs. The February to May release of six-pack bottles and kegs will be distributed by Columbia Distribution in Oregon and Washington, and by Hayden Beverage in Idaho. Five percent of the sales proceeds of this beer will be donated to to the Warm Springs Tribal Educational Fund.”

Terminal Gravity Brewing (Enterprise): To celebrate winning a bronze medal at last week’s Oregon Beer Awards for their Wallowa Lake Lager, the pub is offering $3 pints of the pre-Prohibition-style lager all week long. It’s a ways to go to get to Enterprise, but if you’re around make sure to stop in for a pint!

The Raccoon Lodge (Portland) has a beer on tap you should be interested in: “Grab a glass of The Ale of Two Cities Barley Wine, now pouring at the Lodge. This is a collaboration project brewed with Carl Vasta from Tuatara Brewing in New Zealand. This amber barley wine was brewed with Columbus and Cascade hops; 50 percent of the batch was then aged in bourbon barrels for six months and dry-hopped with more Cascade hops. Notes of vanilla, coconut and citrus rind are complemented by an assertive citrusy bitterness and warming alcohol.”

Bailey’s Taproom‘s The Upper Lip in Portland is hosting a Triple Blind Taste Fest today, featuring tastings of Triple IPAs: “In fashion of recent blind-tasting events around Portland, we decided to determine which one of our six favorites was your favorite. Because brands, biases and scarcity tend to color our opinions and influence our palates, we’re doing a triple blind taste test that will weigh 5 Oregon 3XIPAs with one from California. It’s up to you to decide your favorite Triple IPAs by ranking them from 1-6 (most favorable to least). Craft Beer Lover, Bartender, and the person tallying the results will be in the dark as to the tap assignment of the beers. The proprietor of the business will be the enlightened one. We’ll have three 90 minute sessions for you to assess your sample tray. Seatings will be promptly at 4, 6, and 8PM. Enjoy your beer, rank your beers, and turn in your ballot before leaving.” Tickets are $16 and have sold out by the afternoon.

The Lucky Lab (Portland): Their 19th Annual Lucky Lab Barleywine Festival is taking place this weekend, Friday and Saturday, March 4 and 5! “Come join us for the big, crazy beers at this year’s Barleywine Festival at the Quimby Beer Hall on Friday and Saturday, March 4th and 5th, noon to 10 p.m. both days. An event glass and four tokens are just $15 and extra tickets are $2 each for a four ounce pour. We have over 50 different beers. We will have about 25 on tap at any one time so you might want to make this a two day event.” This is one of the long-running good ones, folks, and they’ve been posting some of the amazing beers on the event page. This is one you do not want to miss!