Here’s the Oregon beer news for this final day of May (already!). I hope everyone had a good Memorial Day weekend and are back at it! As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news as I find it, so check back often. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

Eugene Beer Week is going on now! It runs this year from May 30 through June 5 and is featuring many events taking place each day (a list of which I’ll feature below the fold). One of the spotlight events today is the world debut of Alesong Brewing with a beer dinner at The Bier Stein (already sold out, sadly): “Tonight will be your first opportunity to taste beer from Eugene’s newest fermenting joint, Alesong Brewing & Blending! Founded by Matt Van Wyk and Brian & Doug Coombs, Alesong’s oeuvre is based on barrel-aged beers of all sorts.
There are two components to tonight’s event:
-A ticketed beer dinner at the Back Bar featuring brews from Alesong and other producers of barrel-aged beers (menu TBA, tickets purchased in advance; stay tuned!).
-Meet and greet with the Alesong team, and the first public tapping of Alesong’s beers”

McMenamins Fulton Pub (Portland) has their “Take a Sip in Southwest” beer tasting today from 6 to 8pm, featuring Cleo’s ESG: “This refreshing, light golden colored ale is a hybrid of sorts. It’s fermented with Scottish Yeast and has the light, crisp body of a Blonde Ale, but carries the unmistakable hoppiness of an ESB or Pale Ale. A generous amount of US Golding Hops are used late in the boil to give this Extra Special Golden Ale a nice floral hop flavor without an overbearing bitterness. Crisp, refreshing and a great pair with spicier fare.”

Here’s the Eugene Beer Week lineup:

• Beergarden is hosting a Ballast Point Brewing pop-up pub all week long.
• The Tap & Growler is hosting a week-long Best Imperial IPA Blind Taste Off with 12 different beers to taste and choose from.
• The Tap & Growler is also hosting a Pelican vs. Deschutes Blind Taste-Off Beer Dinner tonight starting at 6pm, for $38.
• Falling Sky Brewing has a Beer & Bites food and beer pairing taking place all day today.
• Hop Valley Brewing has a special six-beer-flight blind tasting going on at both of their locations all day long today.
• Plank Town Brewing is featuring the return of their “Newton’s Pin” cask ale special today.

Deschutes Brewery (Bend): Tuesdays are Community Pint fundraising days at both the Bend and Portland pubs, and today is the last day for supporting the particular charities Deschutes picked for May (they choose a new organization each month). In Bend, $1 of every pint sold benefits the Bend Spay & Neuter Project, and in Portland, they benefit Luke-Dorf. Go have a pint or three today!