Happy Friday! It’s the last weekend before Thanksgiving next week (already!) and there’s a fair amount of beery things going on this weekend. Here’s the weekend roundup; 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 posted as well.

Friday is The Abyss day at Deschutes Brewery! The 2017 edition of Deschutes’ barrel-aged imperial stout officially drops, and to celebrate the brewery is kicking off the release by opening early and hosting brunch at the Bend and Portland pubs. There will also be taster trays of vertical Abyss flights, and bottles for sale of course. (On December 1st, look for this year’s 100% barrel aged variants, tequila and rum.)

Portland’s Cherry Festivus returns this weekend, and this year it’s hosted by Bazi Bierbrasserie and running from Friday the 17th (the VIP session) through Sunday the 19th. “This years mini-fest features more than twenty-five rare beers made with cherries in a variety of beer styles and cherry varieties, from light and golden Rainier cherry farmhouse ales to tart pie cherries, rich black cherries and even barrel-aged stouts with local bing cherries. In addition to beer, Bazi will be serving new cherry cocktails and a special food menu including a Cherry Flemish Stew.” Admission is $20 which gets you the glass and six drink tickets.

Friday, 11/17

McMenamins Old St. Francis School (Bend) is hosting their final O’Kanes Garage Series release Friday evening from 5 to 8pm, featuring Big Bully Double IPA. “This is the final chapter in O’Kanes Garage Series. This beer was originally brewed by Greg Balch in 2004 at the Hillsdale Brewery. Originally brewed as a regular IPA, this recipe got a bigger kick when brewed on our system here at Old St. Francis School. It’s packed with bold hops that leave heavy notes of herbal spices and grapefruit; the perfect companion for the fall weather.”

McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse (Hillsboro) is hosting their Fall Brewers Dinner on Friday starting at 7pm, for cost of $80 per person: “It’s a beer party in the Octagonal Barn–the quintessential fall gathering! Brewers will introduce their beers, which are paired with each course in this seasonal menu.” The courses feature Red Ale-Poached Pear paired with Buckwheat Honey Pilsner, Ale-Spiked Smoked Salmon Chowder paired with Mosaic Fresh Hop IPA, Jaeger Schnitzel paired with Barrel-aged Philosopher’s Stone, and Billy Whiskey Bread Pudding paired with Oatmeal Double Stout.

The Bier Stein (Eugene) is hosting WildCraft Cider Works on Friday for the release of WildCraft’s Krampus cranberry juniper holiday cider. From 5 to 8pm, Krampus will be available in bottles and on draft, and wear costumes!

Lompoc Brewing (Portland) is releasing Barrel Aged Cranberry Saison Friday at the Sidebar starting at 4pm: “Join us on Friday, November 17 at Sidebar from 4pm to close for the release of our new Barrel Aged Cranberry Saison in 500 ml bottles and draft. This ale brewed with cranberries spent a gap year in port barrels, taking with it a wonderfully drinkable tart and spicy flavor. Immersion in its temporary home and character builder resulted in subtle notes of port and oak. The pale and wheat malts helped it travel light, packed with a peppery yeast and noble hops that direct you to its tangy destination. We’ll also have an amazing slider special available to pair with the beer, featuring ground turkey, cranberry cream cheese and sage Derby cheese!”

Silverton’s Belgian Underground Beers has a seasonal release party taking place at The Gallon House in downtown Silverton from 7 to 10pm Friday evening: “Come join us as we assist Belgian Underground Brewing with the release of their seasonal beer! Long Last Kiss Porter is a limited edition vanilla chocolate porter. Come meet the guys from Belgian Underground and try this new beer while it lasts!”

The BeerMongers in Portland is hosting a Block 15 Brewery Night from 5 to 8pm, featuring a nice taplist lineup from Block 15.

Heater Allen Brewing (McMinnville): Their tasting room has been closed for a couple of months, so starting Friday they are teaming up with Allegory Brewing to host a pop-up pub at Allegory which which run through the next week: “Heater Allen’s tasting room has been closed for the season since September so we know you’re missing a place to taste their exceptional lagers. We’re happy to announce we will be teaming up for the weekend before and after Thanksgiving! Come by the Allegory tasting room and enjoy a beer from either brewery or pick up some fresh cans to go!”

Worthy Brewing (Bend) is once again experimenting with hops and kicking off a series of tasting events to solicit feedback from the drinking public. On Friday starting at 3pm, they are hosting the first in these tasting events: “Each year the Worthy Brew team partners with Indie Hops to create new beers using experimental hops. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to taste beers brewed with experimental hops and give your feedback on the beer and the flavor of the hop! Come learn about the hops and beer that will be released directly from the Brewers and taste the first beer to be released. Additional beers will be released bi-weekly.”

Ex Novo Brewing (Portland) has the release of their Nevermore 2017 on Friday starting at 3pm: “This is our third annual release of Nevermore, our gold-medal winning barrel-aged black barleywine with smoked figs and cocao nibs. The 2017 blend is tasting great, and we’ll have bottles for sale as well as 2016 and 2017 on draft.”

Bend’s Broken Top Bottle Shop is hosting Boneyard Beer for a Sonoma Pride Fundraiser Friday evening from 6 to 9pm: “Thanks to Russian River Brewing Company and King Ridge Foundation, dozens of breweries have come together to release signature beers under the Sonoma Pride label, with 100% of the proceeds being devoted to the victims of the Sonoma fires. Bend’s own Boneyard Beer is one such brewery! We’ll have their Boneyard Sonoma Pride IPA on tap as well as a few other delicious Boneyard varieties. Enjoy these incredible brews for a great cause at Broken Top Bottle Shop!”

Migration Brewing (Portland) has the beer release (draft and bottles) of their Frankie Belgian Chocolate Stout on Friday: “Fall is here which means so is the release of Frankie our 11.8% Belgian Chocolate Stout. This amazing stout has a plethora of complexity and alcohol to keep you warm as the colder days set in. The draft will be great to enjoy now and embed in your mind the bottles will be great to share over the holidays and lay a couple down in the cellar to enjoy at a later date.”

Saturday, 11/18

Portland’s Cider Riot! is hosting Pressing Matters: Proper Cider and Real Ale Fest on Saturday starting at noon: “A celebration of traditional cider apples and cask-conditioned ales. Featuring ciders made from traditional bittersweet and bittersharp cider apples from ourselves and some of the best cidermakers in the country, accompanied by real ales from some of the best breweries in the region. Advance tickets including a logoed sampling glass and 12 tasting tickets $25 advance, $30 day of fest can be purcahsed here. Indivdual sampling tickets are also available for $3 each on the day of the event. No purchse required to attend.” This looks like a fantastic event that I would love to be able to attend (just need to be in Portland…)

Here’s a non-beer-related event that folks in Bend should check out: the Bend launch of the book High-Proof PDX is coming to Bend’s The Barrel Thief (Oregon Spirit Distillers‘ lounge) for a distiller launch event on Saturday from 4 to 6pm: “High-Proof PDX is coming to Bend and we’ve partnered with The Barrel Thief and multiple Central Oregon distilleries to bring you an evening of fun! Meet Karen Locke and get your copy of High-Proof PDX signed! Sample spirits from: Oregon Spirit Distillers, Cascade Alchemy, Bendistillery/Crater Lake Spirits, And more! $10 entry (allows you to sample from all distilleries). Plus, small plate apps from The Barrel Thief and signature cocktails made from participating local distillers!”

Ground Breaker Brewing (Portland) is hosting a gluten free pumpkin brews day on Saturday: “Join us for gluten-free pumpkin brews! Our gastropub is ALWAYS kid-friendly. Evasion Brewing will be on tap in our pub for the first time with a Belgian Dark Strong Ale brewed with heirloom pumpkins and spices. From Ghostfish Brewing Company we will have their Lunar Harvest Pumpkin Ale. Brewed in the Belgian Abbey Tripel style and spiced with a traditional mix of fall spices, coaxing out flavors of pumpkin pie and sweet malt. Hi Five Cider is providing us with an extremely limited release cider called Oh My Gourd! Brewed with butternut squash, cinnamon sticks, & coriander seeds. It will also be the first time we have a brew from Doc’s Draft Hard Cider. We’re excited to pour their Pumpkin Hard Cider. And of course, we’ll have three amazing pumpkin and squash beers from Ground Breaker Brewing!”

Belmont Station (Portland) will be hosting a free beer tasting at the Memorial Coliseum for the Winterhawks game, starting at 6pm: “In case you didn’t know, we are proud supporters of the Portland Winterhawks Hockey Team. Belmont Station’s Tasting Nights take place at the Memorial Coliseum during select Winterhawks games! Adults age 21+ who are attending the game are invited to join Belmont Station for a free tasting of several different beers, ciders, wine. Join us as we cheer on our Portland Winterhawks and enjoy some great samples at the same time! Go Hawks!”

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) is celebrating their second birthday on Saturday with their Bottle Shop Birthday Bash all day long: “It’s our second birthday and you’re invited to the daylong party! Come in for a slice of cake and… A special Taster Tray of our small batch, limited ales ($16): Bottle Shop Birthday Reserve #2, 2016 Edgefield’s Longest Night, McMenamins’ Dying Embers, Culmination Brewing Peche, Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb!, and Epic Double Barrel Big Bad Baptist”

Oregon City Brewing is celebrating their 3rd anniversary! “We’re turning three! It’s our 3rd Anniversary, and we can’t wait to celebrate with all of our family, friends, and patrons who have made these last 1000+ days so special. We’ll have some new beers to release, food specials from OP Wurst, live music, and games and raffles to give away some of our awesome merch. Come celebrate with us as we look forward to year #4!”

Sunday, 11/19

Old Town Brewing in Portland has been having some legal troubles of late, as the City of Portland is actively attempting to violate the trademark Old Town owns on the white stag in their logo. Jeff Alworth has a good writeup on the issues. Well on Sunday, Nat West (of Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider) is organizing a Stand with Old Town Brewing day, and I’d encourage as many people to participate as possible: Join me this Sunday for a pint (or two!) to show our support for a member of our Portland beer community. The City of Portland is attempting to sell the rights to the leaping stag logo to Anheuser-Busch InBev, to market beer-not-made-in-Portland to Portlanders. The only trouble is that Old Town Brewing has an “incontestable” trademark to that logo, in conjunction with beer, as granted by the US Patent & Trademark Office, and confirmed three times over the last five years by the USPTO. The City knows they have no legal avenue to sell these rights, but they keep dumping thousands of our taxpayer dollars into their effort to defeat Old Town. The City is siding with the world’s largest brewery against one of its own, choosing foreign beer over our local beer economy. Let’s show our love for Portland beer!”

Alesong Brewing (Eugene) has their Fall Bottle Release on Sunday: “Feels like the seasons are changing around here… cold rainy days and leaves turning can only mean one thing: it’s time for a new release! So on Sunday 11/19 we’ll be celebrating with four new beers for the upcoming holiday season! As the last one, this event will take place at our tasting room, but unlike past releases, it will NOT be open to the public, so you must be on our mailing list AND purchase bottles in the presale to attend.” Make sure you’re on the mailing list!

Yachats Brewing is the featured brewery at a Brewers Dinner at Homegrown Public House in Florence on the coast on Sunday: “Homegrown Public House in Florence will be doing a Brewers Dinner featuring Yachats Brewing this Sunday, Nov 19th at 4:30 pm. They will be pairing our Spring Water Sour Ale, 804 Pils, Idaho #7 Saison, and Devil’s Churn Imperial Oatmeal Stout with four delicious courses. Visit https://www.homegrownpub.com/ and https://shoutout.wix.com/so/6L-5cYCS#/main for tickets and more info!” It takes place from 4:30 to 8pm.