Oregon Beer News, 10/01/2012
Welcome to the first of October! Here’s the news in beer from around Oregon for this Monday and this first week of the month. 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 updated as well.
This week is a Deschutes Brewery kind of week, as the Brewery has four big events going on:
- Today, Monday the 1st, the Bend Pub is celebrating the release of Jubelale starting at 5pm, with the artist Kaycee Anseth signing collector’s posters of this year’s label.
- Tomorrow, Tuesday the 2nd, it’s the Portland Pub’s turn to celebrate the Jubelale release and host Anseth for a poster signing in Beervana.
- Also on Tuesday is the October edition of Deschutes Brewery University at the Bend Pub Tap Room, featuring a class on Fresh Hop Beers from 6 to 8pm: “We will focus on a brief history of fresh hop beers and the techniques we’ve used with them, when they are added to the kettle and how they are harvested from the vines. Sample several varieties of fresh hop beers including Hop Trip and Chasin’ Freshies along with some tasty appetizers.” Tickets are $25.
- And this Friday, the 5th, it’s the Brewery’s annual Fresh Hop Harvest Beer Dinner: five courses of locally-harvested food paired with five fresh hop beers. It takes place from 6 to 10pm and costs $50 per person.
Hop Valley Brewing (Springfield) has a new production brewery under construction; I don’t have any real details (yet) other than the expansion is to keep up with demand and the original brewery isn’t going anywhere. You can follow the progress of the new brewery on this blog and on their Tumblr.
Widmer Brothers (Portland): They’ve posted the details of the latest beer in their Brothers’ Reserve series and it sounds like quite a treat! “Our latest Brothers’ Reserve Series release is SXNW, a dark ale brewed with pecans, cinnamon bark, cocoa nibs and chili peppers. This one’s extremely limited, so get it while you can!” I don’t know when this is being released yet, but I would guess sometime this month (or early the next).
Laurelwood Brewing (Portland) has a Brewers Dinner coming up on October 9th (Tuesday next week)—the “Whole Hog Brewers Dinner“—that is a combination butchering class and five-course beer dinner taking place at Laurelwood’s Sandy Boulevard location starting at 6pm. Cost is $50 and the courses and beer all look great; when they posted on Facebook there were 4 tickets left so if you want to get in on that call 503-282-0622.
Oakshire Brewing (Eugene): October means pumpkin beer (well, obviously there have been a bunch of pumpkin beers out already) and Oakshire has theirs in bottles available now! “Big Black Jack is back! Our award-winning Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter returns for a limited time to warm up your autumn with cocoa, roasted pumpkin & pie spice notes. Available on draft & in 22-oz bottles wherever Oakshire is sold (OR, WA, AK, North ID).”
Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville): Thursday, October 4th, is the release date for Tannenbomb, Golden Valley’s seasonal winter/holiday ale, and starting at 5pm they’ll be celebrating the release at (presumably) both the McMinnville and Beaverton locations—with $3 pints of Tannenbomb lasting until the first keg blows, along with food specials and free raffles! Tannenbomb is an 8.8% abv powerhouse of a Winter Warmer, brewed in the style of an English Old Ale and one of the classic Northwest holiday offerings.