Here’s the beer news from around Oregon for Wednesday the 7th of December. Mid-week seems to be a slower time for news but there are still plenty of things going on across the state. I’ll be updating throughout the day so contact me if you have something you’d like to see added.

McMenamins and Brewers Union Local 180 (the High Street Brewery in Eugene, and Oaksridge, respectively) collaborated on a beer they’re calling “The Big Smoke”; Ted over at Brewers Union has blogged that he believes this is the first time McMenamins has collaborated with an outside brewery and he might be right. Being that it was brewed with Brewers Union, this is of course a cask ale and is served as such; the beer itself is a 5.9% abv smoked porter and sounds delicious.

Occidental Brewing (Portland): As posted on Facebook, “Beginning today, Wednesdays at the taproom will feature $8 growler fills. Coincidentally, our dopplebock, Lucubrator, will also make its debut today.”

Upcoming tastings, releases, and “Meet the Brewer” events:

• The Brew Shop (Bend) is hosting a Ninkasi tasting tonight from 4 to 6:30pm.
• Roscoe’s (Portland): Friday, December 9th, from 5 to 8pm they are holding a “Collaboration a Trois” tasting event featuring La Citrueille Celeste
  de Citracado, the collaboration pumpkin ale from Stone, Elysian, and The Bruery.
• The Green Dragon (Portland) has a “Double” Green Dragon Project release tonight: “The Lugnut” and “Pumpkin Schmumpkin”, a smoked porter and a pumpkin spice amber, respectively. The event runs from 5 to 9pm.
• The Green Dragon is also hosting a Meet the Brewer featuring Montana’s Bayern Brewing tomorrow (the 8th) from 5 to 8pm: “Bayern Brewing began in Missoula, Montana, in 1987. They are proud to be the only German brewery in the Rocky Mountains. Owner and Brewmaster, Jürgen Knöller, is a German Diploma Master Brewer. He began brewing in 1978 at age 16.” Sounds pretty interesting.

Deschutes Brewery (Bend) today is brewing their 10,000th batch of beer on their Huppmann Brewhouse equipment today. (It’s Black Butte Porter.) When you think about it, that’s a mind-bogglingly huge amount of beer that has flowed through their system!

Lompoc Brewing (Portland) is teaming up with Shmaltz Brewing of New York to present “8 Malty Nights: The Ultimate Chanukah Beer Release” on December 14th (next Wednesday) at the Lompoc Sidebar. Lompoc will be serving their 8 Malty Nights Chanukah beer and Schmaltz will be pouring their Jewbelation 15, their 15th anniversary holiday ale. Then on December 17th, the two brewers will converge on the Green Dragon for another holiday ale “showdown.” Don’t miss it! Lots of great beers will be pouring.