Happy first Friday for the month of September! Even though this was a shorter week due to the holiday, school is back in session and it seemed like a longer week! Here’s the news in Oregon beer for this first Friday and weekend. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often. If you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that updated as well.

Today is the start of Widmer Brothers‘ 9th annual Oktoberfest celebration, taking place at their Russell Street brewery in Portland, and it’s going to be a great party! “This year marks our 9th annual Oktoberfest block party, an event that draws more than 5,000 beer enthusiasts and is the largest Oktoberfest celebration in Portland. The festival features a variety of craft beers, German-style food, and live music throughout the day. A souvenir stein is required for consuming beer. Attendees can also bring steins from previous years to the event. All beer and food is purchased with tokens, which cost $1 each. Patrons pay six tokens for a souvenir stein, six tokens for a full stein of beer and food items are $1-$7.” Hours are today from 7 to 11pm, and tomorrow (Saturday) from 3 to 11pm. It’s a 21 and over event only and will feature a variety of Widmer beers on tap—including, of course, their Okto Festival Ale. Don’t miss out!

This weekend is the 6th annual Oregon Brews & BBQs event taking place in McMinnville, starting today from 4 to 10pm and continuing Saturday and Sunday from noon each day: “This is a fundraising event for St. James Catholic School & GhanaHope Foundation.  Located in the heart of  McMinnville’s Granary District we have over 18,000 square feet of tent, 72 taps serving craft beer from 35+ breweries for your enjoyment throughout the weekend, delicious barbeque and other food delights, as well as live music.” They have a good-looking beer list and really you can’t go wrong with beer or barbecue—and it’s for a good cause, so win-win all around.

Oregon’s newest brewery has arrived, a week after the launch of John Day’s 1188 Brewing: Thunder Island Brewing, based in Cascade Locks (20 miles west of Hood River). Here’s their Facebook page. This weekend is their official opening: “We are officially ready to share our brews with the public this weekend!!! Our line-up includes a lightly hopped Kölsch, a delicious Scotch Brown Ale, a full flavored IPA, and the old standby Pale Ale. Come on down to Cascade Locks for a taste! Thunder Island Brewing Company will be pouring $3 pints at the Pacific Crest Trail Days 2013 event Fri 9/6- Sun 9/8. Our tasting room is still under construction, but we will have four beer styles for you to enjoy in the beer garden!” I hope one of their beers is (or will be) named “Bridge of the Gods” after the nearby toll bridge over the Columbia.

The Green Dragon (Portland) is holding an incredible rare beer auction Saturday starting at 5pm: “Local nonprofit New Avenues for Youth, the Rogue Nation Foundation and the Green Dragon have teamed up for our annual live, rare beer auction. The event will feature hard to find craft beers on draft as well as bottles for auction, in addition to chocolate stout beer floats, some of the most popular food carts in town and music. Proceeds from this outdoor event benefit New Avenues for Youth programs that help Portland’s homeless youth get off the street and into jobs.” The cost of admission is $10. Jeff has a write-up about it here, and if you’re in Portland tomorrow night you owe it yourself to check it out.

Silver Moon Brewing (Bend) debuted their new logo and website last night at their logo release party at the brewery: you can see both at the website here. What do you think?