Here’s the Oregon beer news for Wednesday, June 27. As usual I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day so check back often for the latest updates. And if you have news you would like to share, please contact me and I can get that updated.

Deschutes Brewery (Bend): Today is the big day for their 24th anniversary celebration at both their Bend and Portland Pubs! From 5 to 11pm tonight both pubs will be featuring giveaways, barrel-aged beers, food specials, a special on Bachelor Bitter (“the beer that started it all”) and more. The Bend Pub will also be featuring live music and a back-alley BBQ. I don’t know if their Reserve Series Black Butte XXIV will be released yet, but it’s going to be a party anyway!

The Oregon Brewers Guild‘s annual report on the Oregon craft beer production numbers came out yesterday and once again the news is outstanding for Oregon, breaking records in production and sales even in a down economy. “The Oregon Brewers Guild announced today that Oregon’s breweries crafted 1,168,000 barrels of beer (or roughly 290 million pints) during 2011, a 7.5 percent increase from the previous year. Despite overall weak employment figures for the year in Oregon, the state’s brewing companies added more than 600 jobs in 2011 and directly employed more than 5,500 people.” And: “Roughly 15.8 percent of the 2.712 million barrels of all beer – both bottled and draft – consumed in the state were made in Oregon. For draft beer, that percentage is even higher, with Oregon breweries producing an estimated 42.8 percent of all draft beer consumed in the state.”  Fantastic news both for Oregon and the industry!

McMenamins Old St. Francis School (Bend): Tonight starting at 5pm they’re featuring Curly’s Firkin Limited-edition beer tasting, with Dry-Hopped Copper Moon as the beer in the firkin. “Copper Moon has a bit more malt quality and hop character than many other summer seasonals, giving rise to a refreshing, flavorful beer style that we like to identify as a Summer Pale Ale. On top of that, all of the malted barley used in every batch of Copper Moon is organically grown and malted. The outcome is a smooth, flavorful summer pale made with 100% organic malted barley. Brewer Mike “Curly” White has stuffed this special cask-conditioned firkin of Copper Moon with two different dry hops – both Chinook and Centennials. You won’t want to miss this one.” It’s an easy-drinking 5.03% abv and when it’s gone, it’s gone.

McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse (Hillsboro), meanwhile, also has a limited-edition tasting: “Roadhouse Pepperfest – Three Hot Ales.” Featuring three chili-pepper infused beers: Jalapa Lager (“Northwest Lager infused with Jalapeño, Serrano, and Thai chilis”), Aztec Stout (“Bittersweet chocolate combines with belly warming heat to yield a rich and satisfying finish to a big, roasty, American stout”), and Conflagration IPA (“Habanero peppers and orange zest ignite a citrusy Roadhouse IPA”) will be on-tap for your burning pleasure, starting at 6pm and lasting until the beer is gone.

The Green Dragon (Portland): Tonight they are featuring a meet the (cider) maker with Finn River Cider out of Chimacum, Washington. Tapping of their ciders begins at 5, and the meet the maker at 6; they’ll be pouring “Black currant cider, Pear sparkling cider, and Dry hopped Cider.”

Also today they have a Green Dragon Brew Crew release starting at 5 as well: Simarillo IPA. “This beauty of an IPA is a marriage between two wonderfully flavorful and aromatic hops: Simcoe and Amarillo. Bittered with a small addition of Magnum hops, the Simcoe/Amarillo combination harmoniously intertwines with a solid backbone of Golden Promise malt and German Vienna malt. A touch of dark crystal malt adds a bittersweet nuance that brings a tender fullness to this ale. The nose is rich with piney overtones as well as hints of clementine oranges, citrus and delicate, sweet malt.”

GoodLife Brewing (Bend): The newly-bottled Descender IPA is hitting the shelves today! “Descender is OFFICIALLY in bottles! If you’re in Bend, we are doing a tasting today from 3pm-6pm at Ray’s Food Place. If it’s too short of notice for today, no worries, we are going to be at Whole Foods Market – Bend Or tomorrow from 4pm-6pm. Come see how awesome these look for yourself!”

Coalition Brewing (Portland) is getting set to release a special barrel-aged bottled version of their winter seasonal Lost Glove Strong Ale for Oregon Craft Beer Month: “Starting July 1st at high noon we will be releasing a very limited batch of our St. Jo’s Lost Glove. This American style strong ale has been aged for over 6 months in Pinot Barrels from St. Josef’s winery in Canby, Oregon. At 9.5% ABV and 60 IBUs, this beer can be enjoyed now or set aside to age. A robust but balanced malt sweetness, tempered by oak and wine notes, make St. Jo’s Lost Glove ideal to warm you up any time of year. Limit 2 bottles per person, $12 per bottle, Available at the pub.” Sounds delicious!