Happy Solstice! Today is the longest day of the year and the first official day of summer—break out the lawnmower beers! Here is the news in Oregon beer for this Tuesday, June 20. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so check back often for the latest news. If you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that updated as well.

(Oregon Cider Week events are below the fold.)

Deschutes Brewery (Bend): Tuesdays are Community Pints days at the Deschutes pubs, where $1 from every pint sold goes to benefit a local non-profit organization. Each month they select a new non-profit to benefit. For the month of June, the Bend pub is benefiting the Deschutes Land Trust, and the Portland pub is benefiting Passport Oregon. Get down to one of the pubs tonight and help out with a pint or three!

Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene) also has their Pints for a Cause fundraiser today, benefiting the Oregon Brewshed Alliance. “Join us at the Tasting Room for Pints for a Cause! From noon to 10pm, $1 from each pint sold in the Tasting Room will go to Oregon Brewshed Alliance.” You know what to do!

Oregon Cider Week continues with a number of events taking place today:

• McMenamins has been holding cider specials at all locations for Oregon Cider Week: “McMenamins has been crafting hard cider to serve in our pubs since 1992, offering clean, crisp flavors that highlight the bounty of the Pacific Northwest, as ours is sourced from the orchards of Hood River. We craft cider in tanks alongside our wine at Edgefield! Our cidermaking lasts year-round–producing more than 70,000 gallons to feature our seasonal and standard ciders exclusively in our locations. Celebrate this ode to a popular handcrafted beverage during Oregon Cider Week: Edgefield ciders are $5.50, so choose from our standard Apple or the seasonal Black Cherry.”
• Swift Cider Tap Takeover @ Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider – 4pm: “Our dear friends at Swift Cider don’t have a taproom themselves, so I’m loaning them mine for the night. Six Swifts in a Flight!”
• Noraneko Pop Up Cider Garden @ Noraneko (with Rev Nat’s) – 4 to 8pm: “My friends at Noraneko are getting into the spirit of Cider Week by hosting a pop-up outdoor cider garden! Four ciders on tap, including summer favorite ¡Viva La Pineapple!, and a Deliverance Ginger Tonic cocktail.”
• OMSI Science Pub “Apples to Hellfire: A whirlwind tour of hard cider from the basics to Secret Recipes” – 7 to 9pm
• Taco Tuesday with La Familia Cider @ Portland Cider House – 7 to 10pm: “Come to the Cider House on Hawthorne for Tacos & Turntables w/ DJ Baby Lemonade! It’s our weekly Taco Tuesday with a twist. La Familia Hard Cider will be joining us at the cider house as well, crafting up their popular Mexican Cider Mocktails in celebration of Oregon Cider Week. We’ll have all 3 of their ciders on-tap (Manzana, Jamaica and Tamarindo), with special cocktails available for each cider for $7.”
• History & Science of Cider Vol. 1 @ Cider Riot! – 7 to 10pm: “An educational class featuring cider tastings from across the world, including those true to the modern northwest cider craft. Led by the cider makers from both Cider Riot and Portland Cider Company, this class is for those with a passion for cider and the craft beverage industry, who want to get an in-depth look at the history, process, and modern interpretation of cider. Featuring nine or more tastings of cider from both European countries and here in Oregon. Limited to 42 guests, this is intended to be a personal, intimate gathering for cider lovers Oregon-wide.”
• Art + Science Cider Tasting @ Belmont Station – 5 to 8pm: “These unique artisan ciders are made on farm in of husband-wife team Dan Rinke (the ‘science’) and Kim Hamblin, (the ‘art’). Kim will be sampling their amazing ciders and talking about her great art work that graces each bottle.”
• 2 Towns Oregon Cider Week Cider Cocktail at Loyal Legion (ongoing)
• Release of Cider House Love Collaboration Cider (ongoing)
• Cider Club Kick Off @ 1859 Cider Co. (runs 6/20 through 6/23)

Sedition Brewing (The Dalles) has their monthly Liquid Education series continuing tonight, with Class #4: “Want to learn more about the beverage we know and love, craft beer? Join us Tuesday, June 20th, 2017 for the fourth class of the season beginning at 5:30 pm in the pub at Sedition Brewing Company. Classes will run for five months and focus on various ingredients and aspects of craft beer making. The classes will last for approximately 30 – 45 minutes with time for tasting and mingling to follow. Upon arrival at the pub, please make your way towards the tables in front of the stage to check in. All participants must be 21 and up, as you will be sampling beer throughout class.” The class is from 5:30 to 6:30pm.

The Beer Party PDX is hosting another fundraiser today, World Refugee Day 1/2 Pints, with 14 southeast Portland breweries: “Tuesday, June 20, 2017 is World Refugee Day. Join us on a 3.4 mile walk making half-hour stops at all 14 Hosford-Abernethy and Buckman breweries for a half-pint. (If you order the lowest ABV beer, that’s 7 sessionable pints over 10 hours!) This year, some 1,800 refugees will find their new home in Portland in search of hope and a safe place to live. Individuals are responsible for purchasing their own beer; to expedite service for our party, bring 10 $5 and 10 singles to cover price of beer AND tip. (Expect to spend $60 throughout event.) Watch for updates on individual breweries’ own RCC support as well as snacks and other support provided for our group.” They have an anticipated itinerary posted on the event page.

Cascade Brewing (Portland): Tonight’s Tap It Tuesday at the Barrel House at 6pm is featuring Summer Thyme Raspberry: “Sour blond and wheat ales aged up to 15 months in oak barrels with red and black raspberries, ginger and thyme. This unique blend presents aromas of fresh thyme, lemon and spruce that finish with ripe black raspberry flavors and hint of ginger zest.”

Tillamook’s De Garde Brewing is expanding with new equipment! From their post: “New equipment arrived today. We are very excited about our new kettle, our brewhouse platform and our second hot liquor tank dedicated to oak maintenance and cleaning. Made locally in Oregon by our our friends at Practical Fusion. We can’t wait to place and plumb them in the new brewery in about a month!”

Double Mountain Brewery is hosting a Brain Tumor Happy Hour fundraiser at their Portland location today, from 5 to 9pm: “Join Double Mountain of Portland on Tuesday, June 20th from 5-9pm and Double Mountain will donate two dollars from every pint sold to Team Brewpublic and the National Brain Tumor Society! You can also donate and join our team by going to: http://BrainTumorCommunity.org/Goto/BrainTumorCure”

I don’t know if this is Oregon Cider Week specific, but Portland’s The BeerMongers is holding a 2 Towns Cribbage Night & Watermelon Firkin, with Corvallis’ 2 Towns Ciderhouse: “I’m sure we say this a lot, but nothing goes better with cribbage than cider…poured out of a watermelon. At least that’s what we hope.” It takes place from 5 to 9pm, and that’s the first time I’ve heard of a watermelon used (or attempted to be used) as a firkin…