Here is the Oregon beer news for Thursday, the third of March. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so check back often. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that updated as well.

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) has a Meet the Maker tasting today featuring Justin Azevedo of the Old Church brewery in Wilsonville. “He joined the McMenamins team as a server at the Highland Pub and Brewery in Gresham. A former Assistant Winemaker at Illahe Vineyards, he has been in the production industry since 2011. He started making beer as a homebrewer, a hobby he picked up on a whim. As he got more into it he realized he had a knack for the art and a passion for the craft, and the hobby became a career.” Justin brings Princess Peach Wild Ale and Zesty’s Best Citrus IPA with him to taste. It takes place from 5 to 8pm.

Belmont Station (Portand) is on a roll this week, and today from 5 to 7pm they are hosting a taste-off of collaboration beers from Culmination Brewing and Base Camp Brewing: “Brew teams from both Culmination and Base Camp will be on site as they both share their beers from a recent collaboration. We will also have two other beers from both breweries to create a tasty flight to help determine whose brews reigns supreme! Or just to enjoy while chatting with the brewers.” Sounds like fun!

Widmer Brothers (Portland): Tonight at their pub they are tapping two new small-batch Portland Timbers-themed collaboration beers to help kick off the Timbers season, First Star Rye Altbier and Thrill of Victory CDA. The tapping takes place from 6 to 8pm. From the press release: “To celebrate the Timbers MLS Cup championship, Widmer Brothers brewed a small-batch collaboration with Head Coach Caleb Porter and the Portland Timbers coaching staff called First Star. Named for the gold star worn by MLS Cup champion teams to signify their title wins, this being the Timbers’ first, First Star is a rye altbier that is dry hopped with Ella hops, an Australian varietal with tropical fruit notes that balance the robust maltiness of the rye altbier. The brewery is also tapping Thrill of Victory Cascadian Dark Ale, which is the promised collaboration with Columbus Brewing that came about after a bet between the two breweries before last year’s MLS Championship game between the Timbers and the Columbus Crew. Thrill of Victory is brewed with white and chocolate wheat malts and Azacca hops and experimental X-438 hops, which give the beer a slight roastiness with notes of passion fruit and juicy fruit.”

The Green Dragon (Portland): Their meet the brewer event tonight is featuring Head Brewer Paul Rey of Royale Brewing: “Less than two years old, Royale Brewing quickly staked a claim on Portland’s beer map with a crisp pilsner and some delicious red ales. This Thursday, Head Brewer Paul Rey comes to the Green Dragon with some of Royale’s newest brews, including its Valentine Day special, Heartbreak Opera Cherry Chocolate Porter.” It starts at 5pm.

The Platypus Pub (Bend) is welcoming New Belgium Brewing for a beer tasting and trivia night from 6 to 8pm this evening: “Ryan Stahl from New Belgium Brewing will be here Thursday night for a tasting plus some trivia thrown in. We will have La Folie and Side Trip Belgian Pale on tap as well as for samples. Ryan will be sampling these from 6:00-7:00 and will hold a little trivia competition from 7:00-8:00 for a little New Belgium schwag.”

Crux Fermentation Project (Bend) is introducing six-pack offerings to their lineup, featuring Cast Out IPA in bottles and Crux Pilz in cans. From the press release: “Crux is brand new to the 6-pack format. Since its opening in June of 2012, Crux has distributed beers exclusively in 375ml and 500ml single-serve bottles. The introduction of Crux beers in 6-pack formats creates broader availability in specialty bottle shops, supermarkets and grocery stores throughout Oregon and Washington beginning next week.” Their Pilsner is a pretty terrific beer, I’m happy to see that in cans particularly.

The Tap & Growler (Eugene) is hosting a tasting of the KLCC Iron Brewer Collaboration beers today, starting at 6pm: “Get your second chance at tasting KLCC Brewfest’s Iron Brewer collaboration beers! We’ll be tapping six of the ten collaboration brews! Come taste these unique local one-offs, and grab a pint or three of your favorite–you might even bump into the brewers.” They definitely have a nice line up!