Here is the final Oregon Beer News post of 2016! The New Year is rolling right up on us (none too soon for many of us!) so here’s the roundup of news for the weekend (though not much on Sunday the 1st). As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often. And if you have news to share, please let me know and I can get that updated as well.

Friday:

Roscoe’s (Portland) is kicking off their 10 Year Anniversary Summit today which will run through January 1st: “Join Roscoe’s in celebrating our 10 year anniversary! Things will be kicking off on Friday December 30th at 2PM with great beers on tap all weekend long. There will be giveaways of the new 10th anniversary T-Shirt and lots of great beer from some our favorite breweries on tap! Some of the breweries will include: Breakside Brewery, Alesong Brewing and Blending, Deschutes Brewery, Upright Brewing, The Hop Concept, Flat Tail Brewing, and many more!!” Congrats on making it to ten years!

Claim 52 Brewing (Eugene): They have a crowler release today of their Mango Fluffy IPA running from 4 to 8pm: “Crowler Release of Mango Fluffy. The same Fluffy IPA recipe you know and love fermented with heaps of mango puree. The result is a deeply fruity, yet balanced hazy IPA. No Limit. $12 each.” I’ve had their “regular” Fluffy IPA and it’s a good beer, so why not add fruit?

Fort George Brewery (Astoria): Today (Friday) they have the release of their Matryoshka imperial stout in their Lovell taproom starting at 4:30pm: “This Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout is the first release from the Sweet Virginia Series bottling project. Expect two variations – Matryoshka with cocoa nibs and Matryoshka with cocoa nibs & raspberries – in bottles by February.” And a bit about the beer itself: “Matryoshka aged for over a year in Four Roses Bourbon barrels, stacking layers upon layers of elegant complexity. This Imperial Stout builds with a graceful and delicate intensity, strong enough for the Siberian Winter.” It’s 12% ABV.

Santiam Brewing (Salem) is offering half-price growler fills for the New Year: Here’s a special to see 2016 out, and 2017 in – we’re doing growler fills at half price for today and tomorrow – enjoy!” Fill ’em up for your NYE party!

GoodLife Brewing (Bend): Today they are sampling beer at the Portland Laurelhurst Whole Foods Market: “We’ll be sampling beer at the Whole Foods on East Burnside on Friday, December 30th from 12pm-3pm. We’ll be pouring Descender IPA, Sweet As Pacific Ale, and Mountain Rescue Session Ale. Come stock up on beer for New Year’s Eve!”

Saturday (New Year’s Eve):

Block 15 Brewery (Corvallis) has the release of their Hoppy New Year! 2017 in cans at their Taproom: “The release beer will be available to purchase when the Tap Room doors open at 11:30am. Hoppy New Year! is an Imperial IPA brewed to ring in 2017 with a celebratory display of citrusy and tropical hops. Generous late-additions of Azacca, Citra, Amarillo, and Mosaic contribute lively notes of orange zest, grapefruit, tangerine, and papaya—balanced by a careful orchestration of specialty malts and English ale yeast. Hoppy New Year from Block 15!”

Great Notion Brewing (Portland) has a crowler release for their new Peanut Brother Stout: “2 crowlers per person on Dec 31st (NYE, closing 10 pm) of our new Peanut Brother stout. PB is an Imperial Milk Stout aged on hand roasted chocolate and peanut butter. 8.5% abv. We are closed on NYD so after that crowlers will still be avail but just 1 per person.”

New Year’s Eve parties! There are a whole bunch going on of course, and very likely at a brewery near you, so there’s no way I can comprehensively cover every party going on for NYE but here are at least some highlights:

• Bailey’s Taproom (Portland): Their party runs from 9pm to 2am: “Brewpublic will be in-house, DJ Tony Stewart is back to soundtrack the evening with his signature blend of house & hip-hop gems and this year we’re adding Breakside Brewing into the mix. We’ll feature 10 of their beers on tap, a mixture of classics & rarities, to make sure you stay properly beered to ring in 2017. The party starts at 9PM and goes until 2AM! There will be a $5 cover at the door which gets you a complimentary glass of bubbles for a midnight toast. Trimet MAX and bus stops are always close by and rides are free citywide after 8PM.”
• Chetco Brewing (Brookings): New Beer’s Eve! “Let’s wrap up 2016 by dropping a new beer to ring in the New Year! Come enjoy Bussmann’s R & R, a jubilant holiday strong ale with kiwi, cranberry and a hint of spice! Plus Wandering Jacob will be here to provide New Beer’s Eve tunes!”
• McMenamins: All locations of course are celebrating NYE, with a special passport stamp after 5pm, and various parties at the various locations. You’ll need to check the one close to you to see what they specifically have planned.
• Bent Shovel Brewing (Oregon City): Roll Out the Barrels Eve! “Join us this Saturday, 12/31/16 as we “Roll Out the Barrels” to ring in the New Year! We’ll be pouring our barrel aged beers: Bourbon Namesake Strong Ale and Agent B.A.R.I.S along side our other delicious favorites!” Takes place early, from noon to 6pm.
• New Year’s Even at Fort George: “Remember the old and raise a pint to the New Year with Fort George. Live music starts at 8pm with the rustic NW roots of Cedar Teeth. Then lively pop from your Holiday Friends plays you into 2017. Join everyone at Fort George for a midnight toast of Matryoshka, a Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout that was released just in time for the celebration. As always, never a cover, and all ages are welcome until 10pm.”
• 7 Devils Brewing (Coos Bay): New Year’s Early Party: “Hey Folks! The Clam Diggers will be playing at the 7 Devils Brewing Co. at 8pm on New Year’s Eve! We’ll be playing footage of the ball dropping in New York at 9pm. There will be champagne!! Hey, its midnight somewhere! And kids are welcome!”
• Rock Bottom Brewery (Portland): Their party starts at 9pm and features a balloon drop, champagne toast, live music, party favors, and more, plus: “Chef Dane will be preparing a special 3 course NYE Dinner for two! $80 per couple, reservations required! Call RB Today at 503-796-2739”
• Three Mugs Brewing (Hillsboro): Their Happy New Year Party starts at 8pm: “Celebrate with friends: We’re having a Happy New Year party and potluck. We’ll provide pulled pork sliders. Please bring your favorite dish to share. We’ll have chafing dishes available to keep your dish warm, if needed. We’ll have plenty of craft beer and cider, plus Champagne for toasting at midnight.”
• Yachats Brewing (Yachats): Their New Years party starts when they open: “Come ring in 2017 with us. We will be open from 11:30am-~12:00am on New Year’s Eve. Our normal menu will be served until 8pm, when a special late night New Year’s Eve menu will be offered. New Year’s Day we will be serving brunch from 10:00am-4:00pm.”
• Kells Brew Pub (Portland) has their Prince tribute band New Year’s Eve party starting at 5pm: “Our biggest NYE yet! See you later 2016! we are going to party like its 1999, and dance the night away with Erotic City!”
• Ordnance Brewing (Boardman): They are hosting a party at Schmizza Public House in Lebanon from 7 to 10pm: “Come by and see our guy Steve this Saturday, learn more about Ordnance Brewing, and sample some Ordnance Brews. It is a new years eve party with our friends at Schmizza, with 5 tasty Ordnance Beers on the Board. Who is ready for SWAG PONG? Come early, fun starts at 7pm. Cheers!”