A review of the Standing Stone Brewing Company in Ashland, Oregon appeared today online here on ApplegateOregonNews.com.

Let's talk about the beer for a minute. The small batches, ten barrels at a time, are handcrafted at the brewery. There are stainless steel tanks and some equipment at the front of the establishment. But, unlike some brew-pubs, Standing Stone doesn't smell like brewing things. They brew six beers: Hefeweizen- a light-colored unfiltered wheat ale; Nut Brown Ale - a light brown ale that's nutty and malty; Amber Ale - a hoppy light copper colored ale; India Pale Ale - unfiltered, fruit, hoppy and a little bitter; Stout - very dark, with hints of coffee and malt; and the Dunkelweizen - six different malts make this Bavarian-styled hefeweizen have a rich flavor with almost no bitterness. For each glass ordered, 25 cents go to Ashland's ScienceWorks School Program.

I visited the Standing Stone once, a number of years ago while in Ashland to see a play (Henry IV, Part I if I remember correctly). It was pretty decent, and I really like the fact that it's within walking distance of everything else downtown (including the theaters).

From SignOnSanDiego.com: Stone Brewing Company, brewer of the great Arrogant Bastard Ale, plans to build a $10 million brewery in Escondido's new business park.

The 50,000-square-foot facility, scheduled to open late next year in the Escondido Research and Technology Center, will make it possible for the brewery to produce six times as much beer as it does now, said Stone co-founder and CEO Greg Koch.

Known for its Arrogant Bastard Ale, Stone is the largest brewery in San Diego with an output of 34,000 barrels a year. With its new facility, the company will have the capacity for more than 200,000 barrels a year.

McMenamins is on track to open the Old St. Francis School here, on November 15, 2004. Seems like we've been hearing about this for years, but this time it's the real deal. (I hope.)

Bend.com has an article on the opening. This paragraph is noteworthy:

Gathering of stories, photos and memorabilia is currently under way to supply the artists with subject matter, as well as for documenting the school's seven decades of experiences. Anyone interested in contributing is encouraged to contact McMenamins historian Tim Hills at (503) 223-0109 or via e-mail to timh@hq.mcmenamin.com.

If you've ever been to a McMenamins, you know that the art, history and memorabilia play a huge role in creating their unique atmosphere. Seems like a cool opportunity to get a little piece of the action.

The Bend Brew Fest is kicking off this year at the Les Schwab Amphitheater, on Saturday, August 21. Excellent! Not quite a contender with the awesome Oregon Brewers Festival, but very cool nonetheless.

From the Les Schwab Amphitheater Events page:

On Saturday, August 21st over 20 Pacific Northwest brewers will present over 40 craft beers for public tasting at the Les Schwab Amphitheater for the first annual Bend Brew Fest.

Event hours are Noon to 10pm. Cost of admission is $10 for an advance ticket or $15 at the gate. Included in the cost of admission are a commemorative tasting mug and two tasting tokens. One token is required for each beer sample. Token costs are $1 apiece.