Here’s the news in beer from around Oregon for Thursday, the penultimate day of November. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often for updates. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

The Holiday Ale Festival continues today in Portland’s Pioneer Square, kicking off at 11am and running until 10 at night. If you attended yesterday, you can get in again today for free if you still have your wristband and mug, otherwise it’s $30 entry. And aside from the great lineup of beer, today’s limited release specials are: 2009 Cascade Sang Noir, 2009 Deschutes Lost Barrels of Mirror Mirror, 2009 Dogfish Head Festina Peche, and 2009 Kona Black Sand Porter. Those go on at 2pm, don’t miss out!

GoodLife Brewing (Bend) is in Portland today at the Horse Brass Pub for the release party of their Scottish Heart Scotch Ale, which kicks off at 6pm tonight. This is the second year they’ve brewed Scottish Heart (last year’s inaugural brew was a collaboration with Tonya Cornett), which might prompt the question/idea of a possible vertical tasting… which GoodLife must have thought up too, because they posted this today: “We also have a keg of the 2011 Scottish Heart, AND our Pass Stout ‘N A Wine Barrel on NITRO!!! This is our FIRST vertical flight tasting and our FIRST nitro beer!” This will be a great tasting party, I think!

PFriem Family Brewers (Hood River) is in Portland today for the second day of their Belgian Christmas Beer release, at Bazi Bierbrasserie starting at 6pm tonight. Brewer Josh pFriem will be on hand as well. “8% ABV, 30 IBU’s. In Belgium, Old St. Nick delivers a bundle of sticks to those who have behaved badly throughout the year. Just to be safe, we suggest foregoing cookies and leaving Santa a pFriem Belgian Christmas Ale. Brewed with coriander in a rich, Dubbel base, its toffee aromas and hints of fresh ripe orange will leave a milk-chocolaty velvet coat on Santa’s tongue and guarantee that you won’t be getting sticks this year.”

Belmont Station (Portland) today has a cheese and beer pairing event with California’s North Coast Brewing, from 5 to 8pm: “‘Tis the season to bundle up, dodge the weather, and cozy up to the bar with your favorite ales from California’s North Coast Brewing. We will pour flights of Acme IPA, Brother Thelonius, and one very special beer paired with delicious cheeses from our favorite monger, Steve Jones.” (I wonder if the very special beer is Old Rasputin?)

10 Barrel Brewing (Bend) has a new “Small Tank Project” series beer hitting the shelves in limited bottles: Rye’m or Treason. “This Imperial Rye Ale was aged in Rye Whiskey Barrels and comes in around 10.3% and 55 IBU.” Rye Ale and Rye Whiskey, sounds like a winning combination to me!

Solera Brewery (Parkdale) has a release of a special collaboration brew on Saturday, featuring a beer named HMS Mutiny: “Saturday, December 1st we’ll be tapping a collaboration between Solera & Brian Perky of Muntons Malt. Her Majesty’s Ship Bounty. A Dark English Mild Ale brewed w/ Muntons Mild Malt. 4% ABV, 18 IBU. We’ll be tapping a small cask on the bar @ 5PM as well as the 1935 classic “Mutiny On The Bounty” on the film projector.” (Note that in the description they’re labeling the beer “HMS Bounty”… so I’m not entirely sure which name is correct.) This might be the first time I’ve seen a collaboration between a brewer and a maltster, and I really like that they chose something counter-intuitive and sessionable like a Mild to brew. I’ll bet this is super drinkable.

McMenamins Highland Pub & Brewery (Gresham) has a special tasting and meet the brewer event today starting at 5pm, featuring Oaked Hammerhead: “A classic Northwest pale ale and McMenamins top-selling beer aged with charred French oak. This rich chestnut-colored gem is a model of harmony between hops and malted barley. The charred French oak adds a pleasant  character with hints of vanilla and oak. Hammerhead’s signature Cascade hop nose and intense hopped flavor blend nicely with the caramel tones from the crystal malt.” This sure sounds like a winner; it’s limited though, so when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Pints Brewing (Portland) revamped the recipe for their Seismic IPA and it went on tap today, giving it a “bit more hoppiness and traditional Northwest flavor.” On the website, Seismic is listed with 6.1% abv and 77 IBUs, and: “Brewed with continental pale ale malt and a dash of Caramunich, this dry-hopped and unfiltered Northwest IPA pours a hazy golden color. Nugget hops provide bitterness while Chinook, Perle and Glacier hops in the kettle create notes of wood and citrus. A generous dry-hopping of Chinook and Glacier creates an earth shaking fruity, orange/citrus aroma that leaps out of the glass.” Not sure if this is the revamped version, but it sounds awfully NW-styled indeed.

Santiam Brewing (Salem): They tapped a Real Ale today at 4pm, Cask Conditioned Oak Barrel Aged Sgt. Cutter’s English Imperial IPA (that’s a mouthful!). “Tonight’s offering, conditioned in toasted oak, may be the closest one might get to recreating the flavors of authentic India Pale Ales as they would have tasted over two hundred years ago.” Basically a cask recreation of an oak-barrel-transported IPA—I like it!