Happy Thanksgiving week! With the holiday landing this week, instead of the daily news posts I’m compiling the week’s news and events into this post that I’ll periodically update. I hope everyone enjoys the shortened week and long weekend, and as always feel free to contact me with any of the latest news and events.

Monday, 11/20

Belmont Station (Portland) is hosting Ex Novo Brewing for the bottle release of their Nevermore from 5 to 8pm: “Join us for the 2017 release of Nevermore, a Black Barleywine aged in Bourbon Barrels with cocoa nibs and smoked figs. We will have 2016 and 2017 vintages on draft for this night’s festivities. Along with these great draft offerings, Ex Novo will conduct a tasting in the Bottle Shop.”

Baerlic Brewing (Portland) has a beer release for Dad Beer Pre-Pro Lager starting at 2pm: “Back by Popular Demand! This is an ode to our dad’s dad’s dad(‘s) favorite beer! Brewed with flaked corn reminiscent of your great grandpappy’s favorite chuggin’ beer from the 1880s but with notes of ripe fruit, fresh spring flowers and a touch of citrus in a beer made for drinkin’!”

Rogue Ales Eastside Pub in Portland is hosting a harvest beer dinner Monday starting at 6pm: “Our Harvest Beer Dinner showcases six of our ground-to-glass harvest beers grown at Rogue Farms; paired with a coursed dinner which highlights the unique flavors found in each beer. Seating is limited. Cost: $40.” The five-course (plus apps) dinner has a tasty-looking menu. Buy tickets online here.

Tuesday, 11/21

Portland’s Gigantic Brewing teamed up with Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin on a collaboration brew, Phuket. They are hosting the release party starting at 3pm: “Join Gigantic and Jolly Pumpkin as we release Phuket – a barrel aged saison made with jasmine rice + asian pear+ palm sugar. Together two versions were brewed and on Tuesday you can taste each side by side. Ron Jeffries of Jolly Pumpkin Artisans Ales will be joining us from 3-4pm for questions! 750ml bottles will be available to go.”

McMenamins Crystal Ballroom in Portland is hosting the latest in their Blasphemous Collaboration releases featuring a band and specialty beer: the band is Second Player Score and the beer is Head of Sin India Red Ale. “Brewed for The Blasphemous Collaboration Series with Vancouver, Washington punk rock all-stars Second Player Score, this beer is based on a homebrew recipe from drummer and vocalist Kyle Gilbert. It pours a deep red and exudes flavors and aromas of tropical fruit, mint and black current. Rounded by a full, slightly roasty malt body and hop bitterness, this ale starts sweet and ends with a bite!” The doors open at 7pm.

Belmont Station is hosting a Holiday Basket Hustle with Finnriver Cider from 5 to 8pm on Tuesday: “Get into the spirit of the season, stock up on tasty libations and check cider lovers off your gift list! Sample farmcrafted ciders, shop specially curated gift baskets featuring: ingredients for cider cocktails, recipes, and Finnriver gift items, presented beautifully on fresh-cut fir for a complete, ready-to-gift package. Congratulate yourself on hustling and gifting well — enjoy a limited-release draft cider with the Finnriver team. (Gift baskets will debut on shelves the week of 11/13!)”

Cascade Brewing (Portland): On Tuesday they are releasing Glueh Kriek at the Barrel House: “One of our favorite winter warmers, Glueh Kriek is a blend of sour red and blond ales aged in oak wine barrels for 14 months with Bing and sour pie cherries, then sweetened with wildflower honey and infused with warm winter spices. Served hot with an orange wedge, this limited seasonal blend offers plenty of warmth during the cold, wet Portland winter.” Update: It will not be releasing at the Lodge (former Raccoon Lodge) on Tuesday.

Then, Cascade’s Tap It Tuesday at the Barrel House at 6pm is featuring Foggly Gobbler: “a blend of three-year-old bourbon barrel aged quad, two-year-old red wine barrel aged double red, and one-year-old white wine barrel aged wheat, with the addition of cranberries, orange peel, and cinnamon. This festive hazy sour is the ideal way to celebrate the holiday weekend!”

Deschutes Brewery (Bend): Community Pints days are Tuesday at the Bend and Portland pubs, where $1 of every pint sold goes to benefit a local non-profit. In Bend this month, they are benefiting J Bar J Youth Services, while in Portland they are benefiting Kinship House. Make sure to stop by and help out with a pint or three.

Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene) has their Pints for a Cause on Tuesday, benefiting Burrito Brigade: “Come down an get a pint before the Thanksgiving festivities start up. A $1 from every pint sold on this day will be donated to Burrito Brigade. If you are curious about this awesome group we will be down there from 5-8.” You know what to do!

Sedition Brewing (The Dalles) has their Liquid Edution – Beer School on Tuesday: “Want to learn more about the beverage we know and love, craft beer? Join us Tuesday, November 21st at 5:30pm in the pub at Sedition Brewing Company. Classes focus on various ingredients and aspects of craft beer making. The classes will last for approximately 30 – 45 minutes with time for tasting and mingling to follow. All participants must be 21 and up, as you will be sampling beer throughout class.”

Wild River Brewing in Grants Pass is holding the release party for a seasonal release: “Snug Harbor Old Ale: Our full bodied, mahogany colored, English strong ale. Join us Tuesday night, Nov. 21st, 6:00-7:30pm and help us celebrate the release of this popular #WildRiverBrewing seasonal. We’ll be serving up tasters along with some delicious surprises from the kitchen. $5 for single entrants. Free if you bring a friend who is a first timer to Wild River. See you there!”

Block 15 Brewery (Corvallis) has their Dine Out fundraiser starting at 3pm at their south Corvallis taproom: “Join us at the Block 15 south Corvallis Tap Room for locally sourced casual food & independent craft beer. 10% of the day’s food sales will be donated to benefit COI. The People’s Pint. Supporting our community with a focus on health and wellness, education and environmental sustainability.”

Oregon City Brewing is raising funds for the PDX Diaper Bank starting at 5pm: “Drop by Oregon City Brewing Company between 5-11pm! $1 from every OCB pint, taster tray, soda, crowler, and growler purchased will be donated to PDX Diaper Bank!”

Wednesday, 11/22

The BeerMongers is celebrating their 3000th consecutive day of being open! “On this glorious occasion, we are celebrating our 3000th straight day open for business. We’ve been lucky enough to have some good people over the years that thought this streak should be kept alive. Thank you to those people. You know who you are.” They are putting together a special taplist for the day.

Rogue’s Eastside Pub has their Green Dragon Brew Crew release on Wednesday starting at 5pm, featuring Monkey King IPA: “Monkey King is a Northwest IPA brewed in collaboration with guest brewer Jim Sullins. This smooth but potent IPA begins with prominent citrus and tropical fruit aromas followed by piney, fruity flavors that linger on your palate. Enjoy the Monkey King as he plays his tricks on your taste buds!”

Portland’s Montavilla Brew Works is releasing their Old Montavillain 2016 Vintage: “We’re putting our year old “Old Montavillain” barrel aged Strong ale back on tap! Just in time for the Holidays, this big beast of a beer will warm you up in a hurry. We aged this Strong Ale in Eastside Distilling Bourbon Barrels for a month and then aged it for a year in stainless. Smooth but formidable, full-flavored yet balanced. 9% ABV.”

Coin Toss Brewing (Oregon City) is celebrating “TANKSgiving” the day before the holiday: “Join us for our very special day-before-Thanksgiving celebration. It’s your chance to drink our beer right from the fermenter. This is as fresh as beer gets. Naturally carbonated with a ton of personality and aroma. A great way to prefunk Turkey Day! Big Fat Weiners will be here starting at 4 p.m. serving up their entire menu of delicious dogs and burgers… and we’ll be ready to take care of all of your Thanksgiving Crowler and Growler needs.”

Worthy Brewing (Bend) has the pub release of Dark Muse Imperial Stout on Wednesday, in two version: “Dark Muse and Barrel Aged Dark Muse available at the pub on draft and 22oz bottles for purchase. On 11/22 only, stop by the pub for a $1 off each glass. 22oz available for individual sale or with a holiday gift pack!”

Thursday, 11/23 – Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, 11/24

Ecliptic Brewing (Portland) is celebrating Black Friday on the Dark Side: “Want to escape the Black Friday madness? Come to the dark side at Ecliptic! We will celebrate dark beers with a special taster tray featuring some rare beers from our cellar, Black Friday beer cocktails, a dark side special from our kitchen, and deals on bottles to-go and merchandise. All of this offered only on Friday November 24th! Dark Side Taster Tray will feature Batch No.2 Barrel-Aged Oort Imperial Stout, Capella Porter, 2014 Barrel-Aged Coalsack Cascadian Dark Ale, and more!” In the spirit of Black Friday shopping they are offering 10% off all merchandise, and 10% off 6 or more bottles to go. You’ll want to be there!

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop in Portland is celebrating Pitch Black Friday all day with a special “black” beer lineup: “It’s Black Friday and we’re going dark. We’ll have 13 delicious dark beers on tap, including: 2016 Bourbon County Stout, Double Baptist, Perennial 17, Hellshire, Ninkasi Barrel-Aged Ground Control, Dark Swan, 2016 Longest Night of The Year, 2016 McMenamins Black Widow, Chocolate Cherry Stout, and King Jester imperial Stout. So come in for a taste, a glass, a pint, a Crowler to take home, and check out our Holiday Gift Packs.”

Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider (Portland) is hosting a Winter Cider Night on Friday starting at 4pm: “6 Seasonal Ciders from me and my friends including: Rev Nat’s Abbey Spice 2017, Rev Nat’s Providence Traditional New England 2014, Cascadia Ciderworkers United Winter Spice, Cider Riot! Rudy, Carlton Cyderworks Sugar and Spice, and Schilling Chaider. PLUS a warm cocktail, “The Snow Monkey,” with sake!”

There is a new brewery opening in McMinnville, Evasion Brewing, and they are hosting the soft opening of their tasting room on Friday and Saturday: “We’re finally opening our tasting room! Come join us November 24 & 25 at our brewery for games, friends, and most importantly beer. We’ll have 9 taps. Enjoy a pint with us and learn about our story, or take home a growler-full or case. Outside food is welcome. Minors allowed. 2pm-6pm both days.” Evasion is brewing all gluten-free beers, which will be a nice addition to the scene!

Portland’s Roscoe’s kicks off their Black Friday Holiday Summit Friday with Against the Grain Brewing: “Roscoe’s Black Friday Holiday Summit and Against the Grain meet the brewer will be celebrating all of the flavors and beer styles that are favorites during the holidays. The Summit will kick off at noon on Black Friday, November 24th. ” Against the Grain” will be in the house Friday night to answer questions about their beer and give away some schwag The beers will be flowing all weekend long!”

Monkless Belgian Ales (Bend) has their own Black Beer Friday tapping and specials on Friday: “Escape Black Friday madness with $1 off pours of Meet Your Maker, Pour Pour Pitiful Me AND Friar’s Festivus! That’s right, we’re tapping fresh batches of both our Belgian Quad with winter spices, AND our Belgian Quad fermented on cherries… To sweeten the deal we will be selling $25 Gift Certificates for the upcoming holidays for only $20!”

Block 15 Brewery is celebrating Block Friday at their south Corvallis tap room: “Skip the crowds on Black Friday and stop by Block 15 Brewery & Tap Room instead for our inaugural Block Friday. We’ll be pulling rare bottles of dark beer out of our cellar, as well as offering a 20% discount on all of our merchandise and packaged beer to-go!”

Culmination Brewing (Portland) has the release of their 2017 Bourbon Barrel Aged Multnomah County Imperial Stout on Friday: “Black Friday, 11/24, we will be releasing something very special. Come by the brewery and pick up a 500ml bottle of our bourbon barrel aged Multnomah County Imperial Stout. Multnomah County Stout features an aroma of oak and bourbon with a silky brown head. This full-bodied beer, with mild roast flavor, also features notes of rich dark chocolate, bourbon, and a sweet alcohol warmth.” Don’t miss out on this one!

Portland’s Tin Bucket is hosting Astoria’s Fort George Brewery for their Black Friday event: “Join the Bucket and Fort George for BLACK FRIDAY. We will be exclusively debuting their latest special bottle/draft release, 1,000 Years of Silence, which is an Imperial Stout with Pasilla and Ancho Chiles, Molasses, and Cocoa Nibs. We will have limited bottles for take home.”

Eugene’s Agrarian Ales is hosting a bottle release party over the weekend, kicking off on Friday: “Come taste some of our new Kettle Sour bottle line before they hit the stores! We have two new bottles coming out this weekend: “Eros” a Pie-Cherry Kettle Sour that combines notes of pie-cherry tartness with a clean and toasty graham cracker malt base. As well as “Persephone” a Red Plum Kettle Sour with a deep infusion of plum character, reminiscent of biting into a ripe red plum – tart plum skin and all.”

Saturday, 11/25

Seven Brides Brewing (Silverton) is releasing Whiskey Barrel Monki Love Imperial Stout on Saturday, indicating that this (whiskey) is the first in a series of barrel aged versions of their imperial stout. The release takes place from 1 to 6pm.

Salem Ale Works is releasing their Sleeping Marmot Winter Ale on Saturday starting at 6pm: “The Sleeping Marmot is a malty winter warmer with great depth of body featuring nutty, and caramel flavors accompanied by a slight warming mouthfeel from the higher abv. Sweet, smooth and creamy, with very little alcohol flavor
present despite the higher ABV. Donate to our Pajama Drive benefiting local foster children, in partnership with United Way of Mid-Willamette Valley.
– $1 off pint for every pair of new pajamas donated (max $6)
– Entry into contest to win $50 SAW gift card for every pair donated”

General News

The end of a (name) era! The Raccoon Lodge is being renamed to bring it more in line with the overall Cascade Brewing brand. From the press release: “Larrance has set out to change that by renaming the Raccoon Lodge The Lodge at Cascade Brewing. A new exterior neon sign made its debut last week, and a new website – LodgeatCascade.com – is now home to all the pub’s information. When asked why the name change, Larrance explained, “We want to emphasize who we are and what we have been for 20 years, which is Cascade Brewing. Our company has undergone a rebranding this year, changing our logo and our beer labels. Renaming the restaurant is the final step of the rebrand.” The restaurant will continue to offer the same great food and service it’s known for, served alongside its cozy fireplace. The Lodge has a reputation as a family friendly destination, and that hasn’t changed, including the popular “Kids Eat Free” program, providing kids ages 12 and under a free kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entree every Monday.” Compared to closings and ownership changes we’ve been hearing about of late, this is welcome news!

De Garde Brewing (Tillamook) is opening their new taproom and brewery on Black Friday! “We have a lot to be thankful for this year. First, our amazing customers and their support, without which we could not do what we do. Second, our amazing team, for the exact same reason. Third, the opening of our new taproom and brewery this Friday, at 114 Ivy Ave in Tillamook, after our closure for the Thanksgiving holiday. Along with that opening, we have two new beers that we are excited to share! Each is born from our coolship inoculated base beer, and spontaneously fermented in oak barrels. After nearly two years in oak, each was refermented in oak tanks with their respective fruit; one, with regionally grown Pluots, and the other with Peaches from California (a fun trial that we know you’ll enjoy). Each will be available at our new taproom (our only location) for $18 per 750ml bottle, with a two bottle per person limit. They are both small blends. We hope to see you each here in our new home, and look forward to providing more for you during any adventure that takes you our way.” Congrats, I was not aware of this move, but that looks like a great spot!