Here is the news in beer from around Oregon for Thursday, May 12. 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.

Let’s start off the day with some press releases I’ve received recently. First, Seven Brides Brewing in Silverton announced the release of their new Munich-style lager named Raising Helles, for which they plan a kick off party on May 21. From the release: “In celebration of the Raising Helles release, Seven Brides is planning a Kick Off Party at their Tap Room in Silverton, Oregon. Held on May 21st from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., the party will offer live music, pint and food specials as well as hourly prizes, including dinner for two, free growler fills and cases of Raising Helles.”

Next, Bend’s GoodLife Brewing announced the next beer in their Sustainable Session Series, Wildland Session Ale: “To protect our amazing backyard, we need to be proactive in restoring the wildlands and for Beer No. 2 in the “Sustainable Session Series” we’ve teamed up with the Deschutes Collaborative Forest Project to do just that. Coming in at 4.5% and 30 IBU’s, Wildland Session Ale has a pale, golden straw color with hints of a subtle lemon, orange and hop bouquet. Citra and cascade hops shine through on this crisp blonde ale that doesn't have too much or too little body, but the perfect balance for a crisp summer day in the PNW! Wildland Session Ale will be available in 6-pack cans and draft (1/6 BBLS and ½ BBLS) between June and September with distribution in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Vermont.”

Finally, Portland’s Hopworks Urban Brewing announced the release of a new cider and the return of their Pig War White IPA: “HUB’s CranPerry is a new year-round pear cider featuring fruit sourced entirely from the Pacific Northwest. CranPerry is a stunning pink-orange hue from the addition of cranberry. The cranberry, sourced in part from fellow B Corporation Starvation Alley Farms, provides a thirst-quenching tart complexity that complements the semi-dry pear foundation. CranPerry clocks in at 5.5% abv. Pig War White IPA returns as HUB’s summer seasonal. This refreshing IPA showcases Hard Red Spring Wheat grown at organic certified Twin Oaks Farm on San Juan Island. The farm cultivates 25 acres of Friar variety wheat. This specialty grain imparts tart flavors, medium body and signature wheat haze that compliment layers of fruity, citrus hop flavors and a crisp bitterness. The beer is also made with organic malted barley from Oregon and local hops. Pig War is 6.0% abv and 60 IBU.” Look for both in cans.

Roseburg Beer Week continues today, with Old 99 Brewing hosting a Hop Party tonight starting at 5pm: “We will explore and celebrate the amazing, fragrant and dynamic ingredient that makes our beer shine–“Hops!” There will be a one of a kind prize for a drawing in the hop identification challenge! BUDDY PAPROCK will be strumming chords from 5-7 pm. The Bunstuffer will be serving up tastiness from 5 pm to close.”

The Tin Bucket in Portland is celebrating their third anniversary this week and today at 5pm they are kicking off their celebration with Corvallis’ Block 15 Brewery: “We are turning 3 years old and we can’t think of a better way to kick of the festivities than with Block 15. Here’s the tap list: Sticky Hands, Gloria!, Alpha IPA, Consortium #8 IPA, Nebula Stout, T. Richardon Porter, 2015 BBA Hypnosis, 2014 Golden Canary, Demon’s Farm, and Cardinal Coalescence.”

Bend’s Crux Fermentation Project is releasing their [Banished] Freakcake tomorrow, on Friday the 13th—but today at Belmont Station in Portland, they are holding a “Pre-Freaky Friday” release celebration from 5 to 7pm: “Join brewmaster, Larry Sidor, for a toast to welcome Crux’s 2016 FREAKCAKE a night before its release on “Freaky Friday” the 13th in Bend. This year’s vintage promises to test your palate’s threshold while packing complex dark fruit notes and a roundhouse brettanamyce’s kick. Avoid ladders, flip a u-turn when you spot a black cat, but don’t miss your chance to snag one of Crux’s most complex beers to date. Bottles available in the shop, plus, in addition to FREAKCAKE, we will be pouring three other Crux brews: Half-Hitch Imperial IPA, Farmhouse Ale and Prowell Springs Pre-Prohibition Lager.”

And, Crux is apparently also holding a pre-release party tonight from 6 to 9pm at the brewery, with live music, draft Freakcake, food pairings and more.

McMenamins Edgefield (Troutdale) has their Meet Your Maker beer tasting today from 5 to 8pm, featuring Pure Imagination Chocolate Milk Stout: “There is no beer you’ll know quite like Pure Imagination. This strong, rich chocolaty Stout was brewed with twenty pounds of cocoa nibs and a whole bunch of Lactose for a full body and mouthfeel. Further, a hundred pounds of flavorful, unrefined cane sugar was added to the boil to contribute a hint of molasses to this quaffable confection. Pure Imagination is a dark brown silky concoction that we created for grown-ups who always fantasized about drinking from a flowing chocolate river like Augustus Gloop. But without the whole nasty business of getting sucked up into that pipe and being mocked by small, orange men. Ouch.”

Deception Brewing (Dundee): Tonight from 5 to 8pm at Neighbor Dudes in Wilsonville they are holding a tap takeover: “Help us welcome the guys from Deception Brewing Company to Wilsonville! Brewers/co-owners will be in the taphouse to chat about their beers and their Dundee location, and to hand out plenty of swag! We’ll have the following on tap: Keg Apricot Cream Ale, Podvod Pilsner, Long Gone Day Pale Ale, and Station 3 Imperial Red Ale”

Broken Top Bottle Shop (Bend) is hosting Eugene’s Ninkasi Brewing tonight for a beer tasting from 5 to 8pm: “Ninkasi Tasting featuring Ground Control Imperial Stout, Maiden the Shade, Helles Belles, and their brand new brew, Beer Run IPA!”

The Bier Stein (Eugene): Tonight from 6 to 9pm they are hosting a special “Apples & Honey Tap Takeover” featuring cider- and mead-makers: “Join us for a special collaborative tap ‘takeover’ with Portland Cider Co.,Nectar Creek, and 2 Towns Ciderhouse! We’ll have a total of 6 great non-grain beverages on tap, plus a Wheel-of-Fortune for prizes, free samples, and… a visit from Malachi (he’s now representing Nectar Creek’s tasty meads)!”