It was on this day in 2011, seven years ago, that Don Younger passed away. Younger was the owner of the Horse Brass in Portland and was instrumental in the development of Portland’s craft beer scene. Raise a beer to Don sometime today! Here also is the news in Oregon beer for this final day of January; as usual, I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout the day with the latest news, so check back often for updates. And if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that updated too.

McMenamins Highland Pub (Gresham) has a limited-edition beer tasting with Bryan Delfino today from 5 to 8pm, featuring Sun on the Water: “Just like the sun cresting over a rocky hillock overlooking the ocean, this Blood Orange Wheat will lead to reflection.” Delfino is the (relatively) new brewers at the Highland Pub so it’s a good time to check out something special.

Bend’s Tetherow Resort has their 3rd annual Brewery Smackdown kicking off tonight, featuring a five-course beer and food pairing, blind tasting pitting two Bend breweries (Silver Moon and Crux Fermentation Project) against two Portland breweries (Ecliptic and Ancestry) in a people’s choice competition. “The battle will consist of five rounds of unique menu creations prepared by Tetherow’s chefs. Each team will put their best beer pairing in the ring, hoping for a knockout punch. Spectators will start off the night with a warm-up beer provided by Silver Moon Brewing. As each course is served, beers from each region will be presented to accompany the meal. The crowd will choose the victor of each round based on how well the breweries paired it with the dish.”

The Salem Winter Brewfest starts today! “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.” Today’s hours are 4 to 10pm, and it’s free entry—they are throwing a Lagunitas Brewing & 2 Towns Ciderhouse Tap Takeover Party. Thursday entry costs $5 (also 4 to 1opm), and then Friday and Saturday the cost is $20 (or $15 in advance).

Rogue Ales Eastside Pub (Portland) has their Green Dragon Brew Crew release tonight, featuring the the final big beer for their Bodacious Beer Month, Descend Into Darkness: “Rounding out Bodacious Beer Month – the Green Dragon Brew Crew is dogging deep into the archives for one of our favorites… Descent into Darkness (2014). As fans of our beers know, this huge RIS is big, bold, smooth and delicious. Brewed in 2014, aged in Rogue’s Dead Guy Whiskey Barrels, and cellared for years, time has mellowed and melded the intense flavors resulting in a smooth rich bourbon barrel experience. 10.3%, 46 IBU”

Burnside Brewing (Portland): Burnside collaborated with Groundwork Coffee to brew up “Wau, Nessie!” Coffee Wee Heavy Ale which goes on tap today. From the press release: “The name “Wau, Nessie!” is a reference to both the Papua New Guinea Wau Co-Op from which this coffee is sourced, and the Scottish origins of Wee Heavy style ales, as well as a nod to another Burnside beer the Groundwork team loves, the ‘Woah Nelly’. Wau Co-Op in Papua New Guinea is part of the Monpi Sustainable Services organization. Formed in December 2008, Monpi Sustainable Services contributes to sustainable livelihoods by providing training on the best agricultural, environmental, social, and healthcare practices in its coffee-growing communities. In this way, Monpi contributes to improving the quality of life for its coffee producers. As part of Groundwork’s mission to help build and support its community locally and globally, during the first week of each new collab beer’s launch, $1 for every coffee beer sold at that brewery will be donated to Café Femenino Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization that funds community betterment grant requests proposed and managed by women in coffee-producing regions around the world. For every “Wau, Nessie” beer sold at Burnside Brewing from January 31st to February 7th, $1 will be donated to the Café Femenino Foundation!” Be sure to stop in at Burnside in the next week and try out this coffee ale and help out!

Bend’s GoodLife Brewing has a new brewer—Zach Beckwith, formerly of Three Creeks Brewing. They posted a mini-Q&A on the Instagram post that’s worth a quick read. Congrats Zach!