TGIF for this Memorial Day weekend! I’ll be “off” on Monday for the holiday but here’s the news in Oregon beer for the weekend. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often. And if you have news to share, please let me know and I can get that updated as well.

The fourth annual Central Oregon Beer Week begins today! With 10 days of celebration for Bend and Central Oregon’s great beer scene running through May 31, there’s plenty to do and drink—keep abreast of what’s happening on the events page here. Today of course is the big kickoff: the SMaSH Fest taking place at McMenamins Old St. Francis School from 1 to 9pm, with at least 19 different SMaSH (Single Malt and Single Hop) beers from the region’s local breweries and beyond. Online ticket sales are over but you can still purchase at entry: cost is $25 which gets you admission, commemorative pint glass, and 12 taster tickets (good for a four-ounce taster) with option to purchase additional tasters. This has become the signature COBW event and a good way to kick off the weekend.

Deschutes Brewery (Bend) is releasing The Stoic today, their Reserve Series barrel-aged Belgian-style Quad, with all-day celebrations at both the Bend and Portland pubs: “First released in 2011, this beer is making a comeback! Not to be confused with “Not The Stoic” (a slightly different recipe), this beer will make its way smoothly into your hearts and bellies with flavors of vanilla, oak, toasted caramel from barrel-aging and hints of sweetness from Pomegranate Molasses. Be sure to grab 2 bottles: one to age and one for now. Bottles and snifters of this beer will be available at our pubs and tasting room on May 22nd. Celebrate this Belgian-style quad during Central Oregon Craft Beer Week paired with some delicious cheeses and let your taste buds ponder for a while.” It’s also a tie-in with the launch of COBW, so be sure to find some time to hit one of the pubs and try this new vintage of The Stoic.

The Tin Bucket (Portland) continues their second anniversary celebration today and tomorrow with more great events: today (Friday the 22nd) Tillamook’s De Garde Brewing will be there for the release of a special beer they collaborated on: “We went out to De Garde and did a barrel tasting and came up with a great blend from their Lambic inspired program. The beer is a blend of 3 different barrels blended together, called: The Broken Down Truck.” And tomorrow, Saturday the 23rd, they cap the celebration with a Corvallis “invasion”: “Our good friends Flat Tail, 2 Towns, and Nectar Creek from Corvallis will be taking over the taps with some rare goodies.” Congrats on 2 years, and many more to come!

Heater Allen Brewing (McMinnville) is quietly celebrating their 8th anniversary this Saturday: “We will be open this coming Saturday to quietly celebrate our 8th Anniversary. We will have something light to snack on and will open some older bottles, 12-5pm, hope to see you there!” And according to brewer Lisa Allen, “We will be opening some older bottles of Sandy Paws, Mediator, and maybe Bobtoberfest and will have some light snacky stuff.”

Other Central Oregon Beer Week events:

• Primal Cuts/Growler Phil’s Mini Brewfest: This takes place Saturday, the 23rd from 3 to 8pm. $10 gets you the souvenir mug and food and you can sample from 13 breweries and cideries.
• Bend Brewing (Bend) all week long will have a “Brewer’s Choice Tap Takeover” featuring some great, limited selections of beer going on tap as selected by brewers Ian Larkin and Josh Harned. Really some great beers going to be on!
• Juniper Brewing (Redmond) will have specials on at their tap room all COBW-long.
• Broken Top Bottle Shop (Bend) has their “Beer Geek Week” going on all 10 days, with tastings and live music every single night! Follow their Facebook events feed to stay up to date with everything.
• RiverBend Brewing (Bend) this Memorial Day weekend is observing the holiday with something special: “With Love and Appreciation to all our active Armed Forces and veterans. RiverBend Brewing is offering a Pub Burger and a pint of our RiverBend Beer for $10.00. Official release weekend of our German Horse Muffin Smash beer with $1.00 off every RiverBend beer.”
• Crow’s Feet Commons (Bend) is hosting the release of Fort George Brewery’s 3-Way IPA Saturday evening from 6 to 9pm, as the official release for Bend.
• Worthy Brewing (Bend): Sunday the 24th has live music and beer starting at 6pm: “We’re celebrating Central Oregon Beer Week with the folked-up, genre bending tunes from The Crockett Family Band from Los Angeles (also known as The Evangenitals). We’ll also have a Randall Infusion with whole cone hops and a special firkin. No cover!”
• Starting Monday, Cascade Lakes Brewing will be having happy hour prices all day long at both their Bend Lodge and Redmond’s 7th Street Brew House—lasting all week through Friday.
• Silver Moon Brewing is doing a Locals and Nano Night Monday from 6 to 9pm, featuring their regular locals night specials along with three guest “nano” taps.

Columbia River Brewing (Portland): New beer release this Saturday! “New seasonal beer release today! American Cream Ale 5.2 ABV, 25 IBU Refreshing spring beer that is a light golden color.”

Pelican Brewing (Pacific City) is releasing a new bottle-conditioned Belgian-style golden ale, dubbed Golden Pelican. It will be available starting Saturday the 23rd at their brewery in Pacific City as well as the brewery and taproom in Tillamook.

Logsdon Farmhouse Ales (Hood River) has a new beer release coming in the next few weeks: Szech ‘n Brett. It’s a 6.5% abv “organic farmhouse ale with spice,” further identified on the label as a “session-style Szechuan Brett” with pepper spice, which sounds pretty interesting (though 6.5% is not truly session-style…). They are also selling their current bottling line to replace with a new one.