Happy Halloween Week! (“Halloweek”?) Let’s take a look at the beery news in beer from around the state, and hopefully at least some of it is appropriately themed. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news as I find it, so check back often. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

Stickmen Brewery & Skewery (Lake Oswego) is hosting a Homebrew Bottle Share event today starting at 5:30, which sounds like fun and is kicking off a regular series: “You’re invited to share & sample some of Portland’s best home brews! Bring your favorite homebrew down to share with other local home brewers, tour the Stickmen brewery, sample some of our latest releases & enjoy our new Happy Hour food & drink menu. Spread the word & invite others to this now monthly event!”

Portland Brewing (Portland): Tomorrow, Tuesday the 29th, is their BlackWatch Halloween Release Party for their BlackWatch Cream Porter. The party runs from 6 to 9pm and features BlackWatch speacials, Halloween food specials, a costume contest, photo booth, live music and more. This sounds like a fun evening so if you go be sure to be in costume.

The McKenzie Cider & Craft Beer Festival is taking place this weekend, Friday and Saturday November 1st and 2nd—taking place at the Willamalane Center in Springfield and featuring “live music, great food and over forty craft brewers of cider and beer.” The festival is presented by McKenzie After 5 Rotary Club and the Springfield Rotary Club and will benefit “Belly-Full, a Rotary project that, in conjunction with Food For Lane County, will help to feed hungry children and their families in Springfield.” A good cause, lots of good beer and cider—a Fest not to miss in the Valley this weekend!

Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters) has a special beer tasting coming up at The Hop & Vine in Portland this Saturday the 2nd, featuring a “deconstruction” of their Bourbon Barrel Big Bad Sisters Coffee Stout: “We wanted to present a unique tasting experience where you can taste the base beer (Bulletproof Export Stout), cold pressed Sumatra from Sisters Coffee and Bull Run Temperance Trader Bourbon individually then taste the Bourbon Barrel Big Bad Sisters Coffee Stout that incorporates all 3 elements together.” Brewer Zach Beckwith will be on hand for the event to talk about the beer, and it should be a very informative (and awesome) tasting.

RiverBend Brewing (Bend) is now pouring beer! “Riverbend Brewing IPA and Blonde Session now pouring at Rivals Sports Bar!! Be one of the first to say you had Bend’s newest and greatest tasting beers out there ! Thank you Daniel Olsen for these delicious beers! Irish Stout coming soon!” Good grief that puts Central Oregon at 24 breweries!

McMenamins has a series of tastings this week that seem suitably Halloween-themed, including:

• Old St. Francis (Bend): A limited-edition beer tasting this Wednesday featuring a firkin of Whiskey Widow: “Each deep-black goblet of Black Widow is packed full of the robust notes afforded by generous amounts of black and roast malts and further spirited with ethereal wisps of caramel and licorice. On top of it all the Widow has infused a wicked amount of Oak Spirals that have been soaked in our Hogshead Whiskey for over 2 weeks. The sweet whiskey flavor and oaky finish meld well with the bold malts and licorice of the Black Widow!” Starts at 5pm.
• Cornelius Pass Roadhouse (Hillsboro): Limited-edition tasting also on Wednesday featuring two beers, The Widow Jäger and Trick Bag. ” Both substantial and sublime, this elixir [Widow Jäger] is sure to slake the most fiendish of thirsts, but wait don’t forget the Jager soaked Oak spirals that have sat in this keg for several weeks to add depth and ghoulish delight…. [Trick Bag] We spiked a keg of Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown with carmelized sugar and vanilla bean to put a smile on your face. Savour this candy-like elixir that is nutty and chestnut colored with medium body.” Starts at 6pm.
• Highland Pub (Gresham): A special tasting and meet the brewer for Spooky Spider Porter starting at 5pm on Halloween (Thursday): “Released on Halloween this is the McMenamins Black Widow Porter rested on medium toasted, French-oak spirals that have been soaking in McMenamins very own Cabernet Sauvignon. The added complexity of woody and tannic character in this higher gravity seasonal make it a fine, chewy pint to settle down with as fall gathers momentum into winter.”

Three Mugs Brewing (Hillsboro) has a “Halloween Sinful BBQ and Pumpkin Beer Fest” coming up on Halloween, from 4 to 9pm: “This is exactly what it sounds like we will have BBQ smoking, Pumpkin Beers/Ciders Flowing at $4 a pint, we will also be tapping a Special Pumpkin beer at 7:00pm, we are having a costume contest: that starts at 7:00pm. Prizes to the top 3. Come and enjoy a great time with good people and awesome drinks.”

And The BeerMongers (Portland) is holding their own Halloween party as well on Thursday: “All of our taps will be switched over to showcase our favorite pumpkin beers. Come in costume! There will be some great prizes awarded in our costume contest including Club level tickets to a Blazer game, Timbers tickets and BeerMonger Swag. More fun activities as well.” It runs from 4 to 11 and they’ve got a good taplist posted.