Happy Friday and Merry Christmas! This is the last Oregon beer news post for the year, as I’ll be enjoying the holiday, and I hope you’ll be enjoying it too! Here is the news for this weekend beginning this Friday, December 22. 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. Happy holidays!

Friday, 12/22

Santiam Brewing (Salem) is celebrating the End of the World for 2017 all weekend, starting Friday at 4:30pm: “Our first winter ale festival dubbed “The End of the World” was held on the eve of the 2012 apocalypse prediction. Our annual winter festival held near the solstice has since been known as the ‘End of the World’ celebration. Celebration of Vintage Winter Ales.- The End is Nigh. No Cover Charge. Last year, we heard a lot of sobbing and whinging about not being able to sample all of the selections, due to a lack of fortitude. So this year, we’re spreading the celebration over three days. There will be 15 vintage ales available. Ales will be tapped over the course of the three days of the event. $20 punch card gives you a commemorative glass and allows you to select up to 5 vintage ales form those available – 4 oz pours” An interesting winter fest to swing into Christmas, and the place to be if you’re in Salem this weekend!

StormBreaker Brewing (Portland) is toasting barrel-aged beers and ugly sweaters this Friday: “Join us and Bull Run Distillery in your Ugliest Christmas Sweater as we celebrate Barrel Aged Beers aged in Bull Run Barrels!!! We’ll be debuting our Barrel Aged Imperial Olde Stout in special bottles! Plus pouring Barrel Aged Kilt By Death (Scotch Ale aged in Bull Run’s Oregon Single Malt Barrels) on draft. Looks like Barrel Aged Winter Coat will be gone by then, but damn was that good!” The fun starts at 6pm.

Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider (Portland) has a holiday warm-up for you to prep for the weekend: “A Highbrow Evening of Low-Proof Fine Cider Cocktails – 25% off bottles — Gift Cards $20 for $25 and $40 for $50. Join us for an experimental one-night-only taproom takeover of refreshingly lowproof coctkails, hot cider concoctions and ambitious pairings. Finish your last minute shopping, then unwind with… Cocktails and Boilermakers.”

The Bier Stein in Eugene is hosting the release of Corvallis’ 2 Towns Ciderhouse 2016 Riverwood draught Friday from 5 to 8pm: “In our experience, cider makes a great toasting beverage and 2 Towns Riverwood makes for a perfect *clink!* With its dry finish, healthy bubbles, and layers of complex fruitiness from the apples and aging in Chardonnay barrels, it makes a lovely, local substitute for Champagne. We’ll tap it up for you to try, along with Woodford Reserve Barrel-aged Nice & Naughty and Rhubarbarian, and will have bottles of the 7th Anniversary as well.”

Belmont Station (Portland) welcomes Culmination Brewing in for the release of their Momentary Lapse of Reason Hazy IPA in cans: “Join the Culmination crew for the release of their Momentary Lapse of Reason Hazy IPA in CANS! Take a 4-pack home, and enjoy it in the biercafe on draft, along with a couple of other Culmination offerings: Phaedrus IPA and Kriek Mythology sour ale. Pick up some great holiday gifts (for yourself or others) while you’re here!” It takes place from 5 to 8pm.

Saturday, 12/23

♫ 🎶 Happy birthday to me… happy birthday to me!… 🙂 ♫ 🎶

The BeerMongers (Portland) is celebrating Christmas Eve Eve, a Night of Barrel Aged Beers on Saturday starting at 3pm. They’ve got a terrific taplist lined up, including beers from AleSong, The Ale Apothecary, Pelican, Epic Brewing, pFriem, and more.

Imperial Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting a Fremont Brewing B-Bomb tasting at their Alberta location on Saturday: “Fremont Brewing’s “B-BOMB” Bourbon Barrel Imperial Winter Ale is one of our favorite barrel-aged beer releases every holiday season, and we were lucky to score some kegs of it and its two variants: Coffee Cinnamon and the new Coconut Edition. We’ll be pouring them by the glass, or you can try all 3 in a sampler tray. We’ll also be selling a case each of the regular, Coffee Cinnamon, and Coconut variants (one bottle each per customer, sales do not start until 3, first come, first serve).”

Block 15 Brewery (Corvallis): Their Hoppy New Year! can release takes place on Saturday: “Join us at Block 15 Brewery & Tap Room on Saturday, December 23, for a special early release of Hoppy New Year! Cans will be available to purchase when the Tap Room doors open at 11:30a” Hoppy New Year! is an Imperial IPA that’s 8.75% abv, and it’s $4.25 per can.

Sunday, 12/24

Saraveza (Portland) is celebrating Christmas Eve with Block 15’s Figgy Pudding: “The presents are wrapped, the stockings hung, and the Yule log is lit. It’s time for a beer. Come relax with us as we tap Block 15’s “Figgy Pudding”, an English-style Old Ale aged in Brandy barrels and conditioned on spices. At 10% this lovely beer is sure to warm the sprit of Christmas’ past, present, and future ghosts. We’ll have it on tap all day, but remember that we will be closing at 10 that day. We’ll have some classic Christmas films playing and our best jolly faces on. See you there.”