I hope everyone had a good and safe Labor Day holiday weekend. And I especially hope everyone stays safe from the new Gorge fire! Here’s the news in Oregon beer for this Tuesday, September 5. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day, so check back often for the latest news. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

Thunder Island Brewing in Cascade Locks is closed, but serving meals to firefighters. All of Cascade Locks, as I understand it, is under level 2 evacuation alert, so good on them considering the risk! Their post also offers some suggestions about what you can do, now and after the fire is contained.

Cascade Brewing (Portland) is closing the patios today: “For the safety of our staff and customers due to the air quality, the patios at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House and the Raccoon Lodge & Brewpub will remain closed until the ash & smoke clear out. Both pubs are air conditioned and remain open regular hours to quench your thirst, so come on it. Cheers!”

The BeerMongers (Portland) wraps up their 8th anniversary celebration today—“The Day. Customer Appreciation and Rare Beers plus a High Stakes Cribbage Tournament at 6pm winners receive Westvleteren bottles.” Sounds like today is the day to make it if you haven’t yet!

GoodLife Brewing (Bend) has the call out for community fresh hops for their 150 Hippies Fresh Hop Ale, needed on Thursday the 7th: “With it being fresh hop season, it means that we need your HOPS so we can brew 150 Hippies! This will be the 4th year we have brewed it and it’s largely due to all the awesome hop growers in Central Oregon who have donated their hops to us in the past. If you have hops that you’d like to contribute to 150 Hippies here’s what you should do: Bring the hops by the brewery this Thursday, 9/7, and we’ll gladly trade you a beverage for your hops! If you have any questions, please send us a message and we’ll gladly help you out.”

And The Lucky Lab (Portland) has their annual Hop Harvest community event taking place tomorrow (Wednesday the 6th): “Twelve years ago we picked hops out on the back patio of the Hawthorne Brew Pub for a fresh hop beer called The Mutt. This year the hop crop has been a little late, but we will commence picking on Wednesday, Sept. 6th at around 4 p.m. Join us for hops and beer while we nibble on some crazy-good hop infused chicken wings.”

Tonight’s Tap It Tuesday at the Cascade Brewing Barrel House is featuring Pinot Noyaux: “a blend of sour blond, strong red, and double red ales aged 23 months in oak wine barrels with Pinot Noir juice and apricot noyaux. Pinot Noyaux offers delicate notes of cherry and strawberry with the added complexity of almond and maraschino cherry flavors (7.6% ABV).”

Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene): Their Pints for a Cause fundraiser today benefits Springfield-Eugene Habitat for Humanity: “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 Springfield-Eugene Habitat for Humanity.”

Deschutes Brewery (Bend): Tuesday are Community Pints days at the Bend and Portland pubs, where $1 from every pint sold go to benefit a local non-profit organization. This month’s recipients haven’t been posted yet but you can still head down to either pub and help out with a pint or three!

McMenamins Fulton Pub (Portland) has their Take a Sip in Southwest beer tasting tonight from 6 to 8pm, featuring Bricktop ESB: “This Extra Special Bitter is a balanced offering in the deep orange to copper color range. The first flavors that wash over the palate are of mellow burnt sugar, followed by a citrusy hop bitterness. The bitterness evens out with a bready malt quality. Neither flavor threatens to overwhelm the other as they glide together towards a pleasant, lingering, flowery hop finish.”

Great Notion Brewing (Portland): They are hosting their Community Support Night starting at 5pm: “Community Support Night for local North PDX non-profit In Other Words. On our Support Nights, we donate 15% of proceeds to local non-profits that we feel passionate about. In Other Words is a community center, event space, and independent feminist bookstore in the Albina neighborhood of North Portland, Oregon. It is a space to gather, heal, learn, build, and organize. In Other Words is entirely volunteer run and community supported.”

Tonight from 5:30 to 7:30pm Bridgetown Beerhouse in Portland is hosting the release of a collaboration beer between Ancestry Brewing and Washington’s Matchless Brewing: “We’re stoked to announce our collaboration with Matchless Brewing out of Tumwater, WA at Bridgetown Beerhouse! With 5 medals at the Washington Beer Awards a week before they even opened their doors, Matchless is making some of the most exciting beers from any new brewery in the Northwest. We teamed up to make a juicy IRA, with heavy additions of flaked Rye and showcase hops including Mosaic, Citra and Sorachi Ace. Expect a huge bouquet of orange peel, lemon juice, mango and cantelope with some rye spiciness and light caramel sweetness to balance the firm bitterness.”