The last Monday of January! Here’s the news in Oregon beer to kick off this new week. As usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news as I find it, so check back often. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted as well.

Roscoe’s (Portland) is featuring a tap takeover tonight from 5 to 10pm with Portland’s Great Notion Brewing and Berkeley’s Fieldwork Brewing: “Join the highly coveted Fieldwork and Great Notion Breweries for a tap takeover at Roscoe’s on Monday January 29th at 5PM. The owner and brewer from Fieldwork are making the trek up from Berkeley and bringing 7 beers with them. There will also be a couple of awesome beers on tap from Great Notion. You won’t want to miss the rare opportunity to try these beers.”

Immersion Brewing (Bend): Tonight is Immersion’s locals night but they are also teasing a special “surprise” bottle release party… “Live Music from 6-8, and a bottle release party that you don’t want to miss! $3 select beer and $5 wine all day!” No clue as of yet on their social pages what this beer will be, so I suppose you’d better head over there tonight and find out.

Portland’s Hophouse beer bars have a few days left on their January IPA Challenge: “We (and our customers) curated a flight of 12 top Oregon IPAs. We have a blind test in both Hawthorne Hophouse and 15th Avenue Hophouse, where you can come in and try to identify each beer and match to a list. Get six or more right and win prizes, like hoodies, shirts, growlers, gift cards, etc. You’ll take the Challenge in the pub, get your results instantly, and either hide in shame or have bragging rights for years to come. And you’ll pick your favorite of the twelve (blind) and that beer will be our only permanent tap at both Hophouse pubs for the entirety of 2018.” You have until Wednesday to take the challenge and vote on your favorite Oregon IPA.

The annual Salem Winter Brewfest returns this week, kicking off on Wednesday, January 31 and running through Saturday, February 3. “The Salem Winter Brewfest, Salem, Oregon’s premiere winter party, beautifully positioned across the street from the steps of Oregon’s State Capitol Building, is a 4-day festival for the 21 and over crowd, featuring live music, a huge variety of cold beers and ciders on tap, cocktails and yummy eats. Take shelter and enjoy the warmth inside our heated tent and bring your friends and family for a fun night in the city. Enjoy listening to unforgettable musical performances by some of the Northwest’s best talent.” View additional details on the about page; hours start at 4pm most days, except for 11am on Saturday, and tickets cost $15 in advance, or $20 at the door.

Worthy Brewing (Bend) is celebrating their 5th annivesary this weekend! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, they’ll have special beers on tap, and hopefully more: “To celebrate our 5th anniversary we will have three new beers available at the pub starting February 2nd at 4pm.
– The official pub launch of Litigator IIPA, our newest limited released beer being added to the 22oz bottle family.
– A special anniversary brew
– A barrel aged coffee version of our Lights Out Stout
Stop by and help us celebrate! Also to show our love and thanks for all your support these past five years, guests will receive a free commemorative pint glass* with purchase of one of the special release brews!”

Portland’s Montavilla Brew Works announced today announced its first bottling of a beer, a tribute barleywine for the late Portland brewer Ben Flerchinger. From the press release: “Nearly three years since being the first craft brewery to open its doors in the burgeoning Montavilla neighborhood, Montavilla Brew Works is bottling its first beer: Ben’s Barleywine Ale, a barrel-aged and blended barleywine style ale that honors the late Portland brewer, Ben Flerchinger. Montavilla Brew Works is holding a bottle release party on Feb. 6 at 5pm at the brewery, with 16.9 oz bottles and cases available for purchase. Flerchinger passed away in March 2017, on the same day that Montavilla’s brewers filled four Eastside Distilling bourbon barrels with barleywine ale. Flerchinger was a longtime brewer at Lucky Lab Brewing Co., and responsible for the current inception of the Lucky Lab Barleywine Festival. Ben’s Barleywine Ale is a blend of two barleywines that were specifically brewed for this bottling. The first barleywine was aged in Eastside Distilling Burnside Bourbon barrels for 10 months and blended with a fresh barleywine in a conditioning tank. Both beers were blended together, epitomizing Montavilla’s modus operandi of brewing very balanced and drinkable beers, even at an ABV of 10 percent. The woodiness and vanilla notes from the bourbon barrel brew pair beautifully with the rich, complex malt profile of the fresh brewed barleywine.” Make sure to seek this beer out!