Well well well, it’s Friday the 13th once again! I hope you luck today is going well (if you believe in that). For the news going on this weekend in Oregon beer I’m inclined to think it’s good luck. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often. If you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

The tenth Cheers to Belgian Beers kicks off today in Portland! It’s taking place at the North Warehouse at 723 N. Tillamook Street from 1 to 9pm today (Friday) and from noon to 8pm on Saturday. “The Belgian-style Beer Festival will feature a single yeast strain, with which brewers will brew a unique Belgian Style beer. This year the yeast strain is 58 Lioness. In order to demonstrate the diversity the yeast strain, as well as show off the creativity of Oregon Craft Brewers, the color and strength of each brewer’s beer is determined by a dart throw.” This has evolved into one of Portland’s signature beer events and if you’re around should be one not to be missed!

Roseburg Beer Week concludes this weekend, with events this Friday and Saturday: tonight (Friday) there is a Coastal Tap Takeover at O’Toole’s Pub, featuring Pacific City’s Pelican Brewing, Astoria’s Buoy Brewing, and Coos Bay’s 7 Devils from 6 to 9pm; and over at Two Shy Brewing, they have a new beer release party starting at 4pm for Ella Pils: “Join us for a special Roseburg Beer Week celebration! We release our brand new beer, Ella Pils. It’s delicious and will be paired with pulled pork sandwiches, ribs and street tacos from The Rocking GP BBQ Company. Top it off with the grooves of the Neil Johnson Band and , hourly drawings and we have a party!”

For Saturday’s RBW events, Lookingglass Brewery is holding their grand opening celebration starting at noon, Backside Brewing is hosting a Lumberjack Contest starting at 1pm, and Draper’s Draft House is hosting an “Oak Appreciation Night” featuring flights of wood-aged beers from 6 to 9pm. Make sure to get out and enjoy that Roseburg beer!

Crux Fermentation Project (Bend): Today (“Freaky Friday”) is the official release day for this year’s version of their [Banished] Freakcake, a Flanders Oud Bruin style of beer. “This year’s vintage promises to test your palette’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 our most complex beers to date.”

The BeerMongers (Portland) is hosting a can tasting with Sixpoint Brewery this Friday evening, starting at 5pm: “Sixpoint will be here to make sure you know how delicious their beers are.” (Kind of a generic description but it’s Friday the 13th, so…..)

The Bier Stein (Eugene) is hosting the bottle release party for Eugene’s Viking Braggot Company‘s Gypsy Tears: “Previously available only on draught, you’ll be able to take Viking Braggot Company’s Session IPA with blueberries and hibiscus home! We’ll have a keg on tap so you can try before you buy, plus Halti, a barrel-aged sour brown braggot. Addison will be cruising the floor with free samples!” It’s from 6 to 8pm.

Wild Ride Brewing (Redmond): They are celebrating two years this weekend! “Come celebrate our 2-year anniversary with us this Saturday, May 14th! It’ll be all-day fun, including live music by Juju Eyeball from 3pm-6pm, and Boys Next Door from 7:30pm-10:30pm! Don’t miss this epic celebration!”

Buoy Beer (Astoria) is also celebrating their second anniversary this Saturday! They’ll be offering $3 pints all day long, plus: “Fantastic food specials, discounted beers, music in the evening, and raffles!” Be sure to swing by and help them celebrate, and congrats!

Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery (Newberg): Saturday the 14th is their official opening day, from 2 to 8pm: “We made it! After over two decades of dreaming and planning and two straight years of building out, we’re opening the doors at Wolves & People! We’re beyond excited to start pouring our wild and farmhouse beers for you all and know you’re ready, too. Thanks for all your support, enthusiasm, and patience. The little tasting room is coming together, and we have 16 picnic tables with umbrellas for shade and shelter. Beginning this Saturday, May 14th, will be tapping six to eight beers by the glass ($5 each) each Saturday from 2-8pm, with beers subject to change as supplies last.”

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland): On Saturday the 14th from 1:30 to 4:30pm, they are hosting importers Merchant Du Vin for a Spring Beer Tasting, going through some of the lighter beers in the portfolio that are a good complement for the season.

Portland’s Tin Bucket is still celebrating their third anniversary and today (Friday) they are tapping some anniversary kegs: “We are celebrating our 3rd Anniversary and will be going through the beer cellar to tap some rare amazing beers.” Check out the draft list so far—very nice!

And then on Sunday, Tin Bucket is teaming up with Bend’s The Ale Apothecary to release a collaboration beer they brewed together: Therapy Ferret. “We made a beer with Ale Apothecary over 18 months ago and now it’s ready to be let loose into the wild. Therapy Ferret is a Rhubarb sour that was aged for 16 months in 3 different Bourbon Barrels we borrowed from Raven and Rose. This will be one of a very few chances to acquire this beer.”

FredFest! I almost missed the return of this event completely, taking place at Hair of the Dog Brewing in Portland this Sunday, May 15. Tickets are still available on HotD’s site here, which will run you $65. “It started as an 80th birthday party for Fred Eckhardt, the Dean of American Beer Writers, and now it’s in its 11th year, we celebrate not only his birthday, but his life and the incredible role he played in today’s current beer landscape. Fred would have turned 90 this year, and in the spirit of giving as FredFest has always been intended, it will continue, as we celebrate again on Sunday, May 15th, 2016, 1:00pm – 5:00pm. This year we are splitting our donations between the Hair of the Dog house charity and something that was very close to Fred’s heart: The money will be used for summer swimming scholarships at the MJCC [Mittleman Jewish Community Center].” HotD’s charity is Guide Dogs for the Blind, and 100% of FredFest ticket sales will go to these charities. There will be over 25 beers special beers from a selection of brewers, which will be great. Cheers to Fred!

Bent Shovel Brewing (Oregon City) has a beer release this Friday the 13th taking place from 4 to 8pm: Namesake Belgian Strong Ale. “Join us this Friday evening at the brewery for a very limited release of an extra special beer: Namesake Belgian Strong Ale. Namesake is a deliciously rich and complex Belgian Ale with flavors including plum, dried red fruit, and a touch of spice. Namesake drinks extremely smooth with nice warming effect and finishes dry. Weighing in at 10% and just 25IBUs Namesake focuses your attention on the contributions of the delicious Belgian malts and yeast character. Why “Namesake”, you ask? Join us Friday to get the rest of the story.”