It is the last day of April, and almost the end of the week—where did the month go? (Well, CBC ate up a portion of it…) Regardless the beer news marches on; 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 Highland Pub & Brewery (Gresham) has their monthly meet the brewer and special beer tasting, rolling out the Jodi’s Berrylicious Ale that was at the Ram’s Head yesterday: “We don’t think you’re ready for this berry. Blackberries and lemon zest bedeck this delicious springtime ale with tasty goodness. A little tart, a little sweet, and all kinds of awesome. 84 pounds of blackberry puree went straight into the fermenter for this batch to make sure you get that fruity goodness while you wait for summer to get here. This is a limited release so get it while you can!” It starts at 5pm and lasts until the beer is gone.

Belmont Station (Portland) today is hosting a cider tasting with California’s Ace Cider from 5 to 7pm: “Swing on by and see what Ace Cider has been up to! We will have their rep in the store providing tastes of all the ciders we have available from this award-winning cidery.” I don’t know what is available by season (for instance, I wouldn’t expect to see Ace’s Pumpkin Cider) but it looks like they have a new Pineapple Cider that would be interesting to try.

PFriem Family Brewers (Hood River) continues their mid-Valley bottle rollout and today they are in Eugene at The Bier Stein for their bottle release party from 5 to 9pm: “Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewing is [finally] putting their beer into bottles! The Classic line will be packaged in 500ml bottles, and the Select and Barrel-aged beers will be in 375ml bottle conditioned cork & cage bottles. If you haven’t had pFriem’s beer yet, you should– the range of American and Belgian styles are well constructed and delightful to drink.”

The Platypus Pub (Bend) is hosting a small-ish tap takeover tonight featuring two San Diego stalwarts that many people will be excited to see in Oregon: Alpine Beer Company and Green Flash Brewing. (Well, Green Flash has been in Oregon for awhile now…) They say: “Join us for a tap takeover with Alpine Brewing and Green Flash Brewing. This event will be your first shot at the much sought after Nelson IPA from Alpine Brewing.” From Alpine they will have both Nelson IPA and Duet IPA, and from Green Flash they will be pouring Soul Style IPA.

The Green Dragon (Portland) has their meet the brewer and tasting with Portland’s Alameda Brewing, kicking off at 5pm: “Eric Rolerkite of Alameda Brewing drops in on the Green Dragon this week with four beers, showcasing the wide range of styles from this small, craft brewery in NE Portland, Oregon.” Brews on hand include Azzaca Single Hop Pale, Brother Mar Mar Belgian Dark Ale, American Rye Imperial IPA, and Siberian Bear Russian Imperial Stout (barrel-aged).

Rock Bottom Brewery (Portland) has a spring seasonal tapping today starting at 5:30pm: “Make sure you make it down to Rock Bottom today for the tapping of our Springtime in Vienna Lager at 5:30. Brewed with Vienna malts, this crisp yet lightly toasted beer is the perfect way to cheers this great spring day!”

There’s a good article on All About Beer about how Southern Oregon is set to become (yet another) beer destination in the state. “Medford and sister city Ashland, which is located 10 miles from the California border, make up the state’s fourth-largest metropolitan area. Attractions such as the nationally recognized Oregon Shakespeare Festival, increasingly popular wineries and copious opportunities for outdoor adventure make it a well-known tourist destination. So why is the Rogue Valley’s beer scene still so unknown to outsiders? …anyone who visits will want to put a glass slipper on this Cinderella of a region. The beers are well-made. The people are genuinely friendly. And what the brewers lack in marketing they make up for in innovation.” Nice overview of the Southern Oregon beer scene, worth the read.

Upright Brewing (Portland) posted about their new beer, Orange Dream, that they brewed for the upcoming Cheers to Belgian Beers fest. It sounds awfully good: “It starts with a simple grist similar to the Engelberg Pilsener, but the beer is openly fermented with a flavorful Belgian Abbey yeast. A post-fermentation addition of Townshend’s No.72 herbal tea blend is what pushes the profile bright and citrus forward, with big orange/tangerine notes in the nose and earthy ginseng, licorice and rosehips showing later. The beer drinks much like a wit but with a crisper mouthfeel. 5.25%” I’m usually skeptical of tea in beers, but something about this sounds like it could work.