TGIF! We’re now halfway through the month of March, and St. Patrick’s Day—arguably one of the biggest “beer holidays” here in the U.S.—is Sunday. I won’t even try to cover all the St. Paddy’s festivities, but otherwise here’s the beer news for the weekend of the 15th-17th. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often for updates. If you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that updated as well.

It’s Belmont Station‘s 16th anniversary and to celebrate they have a special anniversary beer release from Gigantic Brewing! The beer is “Geezers Need Excitement Chocolate IPA” and it will be available in bottles (at 10am when then open) and on draft at Belmont Station starting at 5pm. Gigantic founders Van Havig and Ben Love will be on hand to tap the first keg; they say: “Geezers was the brainchild of Carl Singmaster. He had tried some hop dusted chocolates, really enjoyed them and wanted to see if it could be reproduced in a beer. For the beer, Van and I decided to make it golden, rather than adding chocolate malt or debittered roasted malts. We wanted it to look like any IPA, but surprise people with the chocolate aroma and flavor. It’s hopped with Amarillo, Cascade, Centennial, Crystal and Simcoe. To add the chocolate flavor we “dry nibbed” the beer.” It’s 7.5% abv and is supposed to be “highly drinkable”—of that I have no doubt! Cheers to 16 years of Belmont Station!

Roscoe’s (Portland) is hosting a tap takeover with Walking Man Brewing out of Stevenson, Washington (across the Columbia from Hood River) starting at 5pm: “We will be featuring an array of rare and tasty Walking Man beers and giving you the opportunity to chat with the new head brewer Corey McGuinness. Here are a few of the featured beers: 2010 Ironman, Bourbon Barrel Aged Knuckle Dragger, Chocolate-Orange Black Lager, Big Phat Homo, 2010 Old Stumblefoot Barleywine, Sour Blend, Kriek, A little Nippy, Homo Erectus, Coffee Stout, and More! We will have taster trays available.”

Double Mountain Brewery (Hood River): Tomorrow, Saturday the 16th, is Double Mountain’s sixth anniversary and they’re partying all day long! They close off the street in front of the brewery, throw up the big tent, and have beer specials and live music all day long. “The all-day party will culminate with the awesome musical stylings of Hell’s Belles, the all-girl AC/DC cover band that has torched stages across the nation. HB will be supported by a strong roster of local acts including the rockin’ country of Brewer’s Grade (formerly known as Unwound); surf rockers Audio Amigos; and local acoustic acts Shed Shakers and Sid & Al. On the beer front, three bars will be dispensing a total of two dozen different Double Mountain ales and lagers, many of them from the brewers’ reserve stash. We will be doing half- as well as full-pours into a souvenir glass mug this year, to enable our fans to sample a wider variety. Pizza by-the-slice (new this year) and sandwiches will also be available. $5 admission for adults includes the souvenir mug; kids are welcome with parent/guardian until 5pm.”  The New School also has the taplist that will be available. Get yourself to  Hood River if you can!

The Pouring at the Coast Fest kicks off today in Seaside today with their Irish Brewers Dinner at McKeown’s Restaurant, featuring five courses of Irish-themed food (appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day weekend!) paired with all-Coast beers. And then tomorrow, the main pouring event takes place from 4 to 9pm at the Seaside Convention Center, where they will feature (according to site) 27 breweries pouring over 60 beers. Check out their current beer list to see what’s pouring, and if you find yourself on the Coast tomorrow (not a bad place to be!) check this Fest out.

16 Tons (Eugene) today is breaking out the strictly-beer mode to offer up their Cider Fest, featuring “40 Ciders to sample and quaff. Scrumps, barrel aged, perry, Basque, and more.” They’ve got a nice tap list of available ciders so if you’ve been interested in trying a variety, 16 Tons is the place to do it right not.

Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters): Tomorrow (Saturday) they are holding their “March Maltness” event which pits six Oregon “malt bombs” against each other and let’s people vote on their favorites. See also my post from last night; starting at 4pm, $10 will get you a taster tray and a selection of appetizers (plus the voting card, of course) and they’ve got a nice lineup of beers to sample. They recommend reserving a spot, so call (541) 549-1963 to do so.