Happy Hump Day! I hope your week is going well this fine Wednesday. Here is the Oregon beer news for August 5; as usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often for updates. If you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that updated as well.

Crux Fermentation Project (Bend) has teamed up with Sierra Nevada Brewing and Columbia Distributing to brew Paddle Trail Ale Session IPA, which will help complete funding for Bend’s new Whitewater Park. From the press release: “Brewing industry veterans Larry Sidor of Crux Fermentation Project and Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company have been talking for years about getting together to collaborate on a great beer. The Bend Whitewater Park in Bend, Oregon, will remove an old mill pond dam on the Deschutes River to create three channels downstream: a safe channel for paddle boarders and other floaters, a natural river area to enhance habitat, and a whitewater play area, the first of its kind on the west coast. Paddle Trail Ale is a session IPA, brewed with experimental whole-flower hops for bright citrusy notes—inspired by summer days playing on the river. Paddle Trail Ale will be distributed in Oregon in four-packs of 16-ounce cans.” Great project and I can’t wait to try the beer.

Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland) continues their efforts toward sustainability and environmental awareness, announcing this week that their brewery has earned Salmon-Safe Certification, becoming the “world’s first Salmon-Safe Certified brewing campus.” From the press release: “Salmon-Safe certified HUB’s site based on an assessment that considers the overall development and maintenance practices of stormwater management, water use management, chemical and pesticide reduction, water quality protection, and enhancement of urban ecological function. The certification includes an annual review to ensure the site reaches the goal of treating one-hundred percent of stormwater on site over five years, up from the current twenty-five percent.” More great work by HUB!

Jeff Alworth is one of Oregon’s longstanding beer bloggers and writers, and his latest book, The Beer Bible, is (finally!) coming out—and fittingly, the release party will be taking place at Belmont Station next Tuesday, August 11. “We are excited to help long-time Portland beer writer Jeff Alworth release his new book, The Beer Bible. Described as, “the comprehensive, authoritative book that does for beer what The Wine Bible, with 550,000 copies in print, does for wine,” Alworth’s book is the result of years of research spanning over 17,000 miles, six countries, and 52 breweries. Jeff will be on hand to talk about his new book, and of course, there will be books for sale and Jeff will happily personally sign them for you. Come get the first look into what promises to be both an engaging read and a valuable resource!” I wish I could make it! I expect Jeff to be doing a signing in Bend soon (cough hint hint…).

The New School reports on Portland’s newest brewpub, Splash Bar Brewing—their very unusual brewing system and the fact that they are pouring beer for only $1 a pint! “Now there are four 10bbl fermenters and the brewers are making three housemade beers and one cider off of an automated SmartBrew system from DME… there is no mash tun, hot liquor tank or boil kettle, nor are there bright tanks, a hop back, keg cleaning, or yeast harvesting. The SmartBrew uses wort that is produced and bittered in New Zealand, then cooled and packaged and plugged into the computerized SmartBrew system to work with one of hundreds of pre-programmed recipes… Not having an actual brewhouse saves a lot of space, it turns out. Do you know what it also saves? A lot of money, so much so that owner Chris Lenahan says it’s so cheap he can sell pints of his beer for only $1 each. That’s not a happy hour special or promo, that’s $1 all the time.” Interesting and all, but how much does it cost to import that pre-bittered wort from New Zealand all the time?

The Green Dragon (Portland): The Green Dragon Brew Crew release tonight is featuring an Imperial IPA: “If you like hop bombs, then this latest release from the Green Dragon Brew Crew is an absolute bunker buster. Exploding with more than 200 IBUs and coming on strong at nearly 10% ABV. These uber-hoppy and strong beers were invented less than 20 years ago as brewers pushed the boundaries on bitterness and alcoholic intensity. They were such a break from the past, the experts had to create a whole new category for them – the Imperial IPA.” It’s 9.5% abv and a calculated 200+ IBUs. The release starts at 5pm.