TGIF and happy Friday to everyone! I hope you have a busy or mellow weekend planned, depending on your proclivities. Here’s the weekend’s Oregon beer news to help you decide what to do if you don’t know yet. 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.

The first-ever Portland CDA Festival is taking place tomorrow, Saturday the 7th, at Culmination Brewing starting at 2pm. “Doors open at 2 PM! You are welcome to attend this event for free. Tickets for beer are available at the door and cost $6, which gets you 4 each 5 oz. pours. Additional pours are $2 each for a 5 oz. pour. Carter B Owen, the Culmination Executive Chef is making a special Beer Cheesesteak that pairs perfectly with CDAs!” They have nine beers listed that will be pouring, which is a modest start but sure to grow in subsequent years. Be sure to check this first year out tomorrow.

Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters): Their collaboration beer releases continues tonight at their Sisters brewpub—they teamed up with Idaho’s Payette Brewing to brew two collaboration beers that you are going to want to try: “Juniper Rising,” a rye saison brewed with Oregon juniper berries, and “Yam! It feels Good to be a Thankster,” a sweet potato brown ale brewed with muscovado sugar, marshmallows and of course yams (presumably from Idaho). Tonight’s release event is from 5 to 8pm. Stop in and try the beers straight from the source!

Laurelwood Brewing (Portland): Today at 5pm they have a beer release taking place at N.W.I.P.A., featuring Eazy Duz It IIPA: “Way back in June we asked Laurelwood if they would like to do a collaboration for our three year anniversary. They happily said yes and in July we brewed up Eazy Duz It IIPA, named by Dan. On September 26th, Eazy Duz It was awarded a silver medal at the Great American Beer Festival! Shane and the boys have brewed up a second batch, come try some and celebrate with us. It will be released here and at the other Laurelwood locations with brewers in attendance at each spot. There may be some brand new shirts available too.”

The Raccoon Lodge (Portland) has an exclusive release of their own that I’d love to get my hands on: “2014 Barrel Aged Double Dunk’n Punk’n. Just for fun we took our Imperial Pumpkin Ale – brewed with five pounds per barrel of local Cinderella pumpkins and spiced with allspice, clove, cinnamon, ginger and orange peel – and aged it for six months in Heaven Hill Bourbon barrels with vanilla beans. Enjoy bourbon soaked winter spices and a long, rich, warming finish.” Yum yum yum.

Base Camp Brewing (Portland): They have a release today that benefits a good cause: “Stoked to have the Mt. Hood Meadows Avalanche Dogs joining us this Friday at 5pm for the release of the Cooper Spur Imperial Red, our latest Location Series brew! Meet Dave, Stella, and the rest of the MHM Avy Dogs, grab a pint of this killer strong red, and learn more about how to support and be a part of a safer, better winter wonderland here in our Pacific Northwest. 20% of all profits from bottle sales of the Cooper Spur Imperial Red will be donated to the MHM Avy Dogs, dedicated to providing avalanche rescue-certified K9s to aid in the efforts of search & rescue operations on Mt. Hood and the greater Pacific Northwest.”

On Saturday, Portland’s Woodstock Wine & Deli is holding their annual vertical tasting of Sierra Nevada Brewing’s Celebration Ale: “We holding a vertical tasting of the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and the newly relased 2015 vintages of Celebration Ale. Our celebration tasting is our store’s kickoff to the holiday season! Our Sierra Nevada representitive will be here handing out raffle prizes including Sierra Nevada shirts, beer & fun knicknacks. On this day we will also be selling a limited supply of vintage Sierra Nevada Celebration Ales as well as special pricing for the new 2015 Ales!” It runs from 1 to 6pm.

Fort George Brewery (Astoria): Saturday at The Hop & Vine in Portland, Fort George is releasing their newest beer, Magnanimous IPA: “Brewed with freshly-harvested Grand Fir tips from Fort George’s El Jefe of Sales Tim Ensign’s family farm (Earth & Sky farm in Oregon City, you should definitely buy your next Christmas Tree there!), this beer explodes with piney aroma, providing an earthy compliment to the citrusy hop bill.” The release party runs from 5 to 9pm, and Hop & Vine will have other great Fort George beers on tap as well, and will be raffling off a growler at 9.