Here’s the news in Oregon beer for Friday, April 6, and going into the weekend. As usual I’ll be updating this post periodically throughout the day, so check back often for the latest news. And if you have something you’d like to share, please contact me and I can get it posted.

Today is the first day of the Spring Wine & Beer Fest in Portland! Today and tomorrow from noon to 11pm at the Oregon Convention Center, you can check out the Fest now in its 18th year. “Festival-goers will enjoy samples of more than 80 craft beers, 30 regional wineries and many local artisan spirits, plus delectable tastes of specialty cheese and handcrafted chocolate, all while mingling with brewers, winemakers and other craftspeople. In addition, the festival will also offer a global shopping marketplace, cooking demonstrations and educational seminars on the Chef’s Stage, and live music featuring Northwest bands.” They have a variety of pricing and packages available, and there’s free admission to the first 1000 on each day.

The Broken Top Bottle Shop (Bend) has a “First Firkin Friday” event tonight, featuring unfiltered DBA from Firestone Walker: “The TAPPING OF THE FIRKIN KEG, filled with unfiltered DBA (Double Barrel Ale) from Firestone Walker, will take place at noon on First Friday April 6! Join us! The unfiltered DBA is 5.0% ABV and 32 IBUs. It is fermented in Firestone Walker’s oak union of barrels.” The tapping is from noon to 3pm, but I imagine if there’s any left after 3 they’d still be happy to serve it to you!

GoodLife Brewing (Bend) will soon be adding a new beer to their growing lineup! From Facebook: “6,000 pounds of spent grain = 60 barrels of Comatose Imperial IPA. Be on tap in T-21 days.” That was posted on Wednesday, which means the new Imperial IPA should be ready around the 25th. Can’t wait!

Hair of the Dog (Portland): I missed this on Sunday (a combination of driving back from Baker City and ignoring the internet for April Fools Day), but Alan Sprints posted on Facebook, “We are very proud to announce the release of a new Beer, our first lager, Lila. The Beer will be released at FredFest 2012 on May 13th and is named after my mother. Lila is 6% abv, is lagered 12 weeks and made with organic pilsner and veinna malts.” A lager is indeed a departure from the usual HotD fare, but knowing the quality they bring to their other beers I expect this one will be excellent.