Oregon Beer News, 02/22/2019

Oregon Beer, pFriem Family Brewers

Here’s the news and events roundup for Oregon beer for this final weekend of February. As usual I’ll be updating this post throughout the day on Friday, so check back often. And if you have news to share, please contact me so I can get it added.

Friday, Feb. 22

pFriem Family Brewers (Hood River) is in the process of rolling out its new canned beers, and that kicks off on Friday with the can release at Belmont Station and John’s Marketplace in Portland. “Friends, our pFriem IPA & Pilsner cans are just about ready! We can hardly wait to have these in your hands. We will be releasing cans exclusively in Portland at the same time at Belmont Station and John’s Marketplace, before they hit the market next week. Celebrate this monumental occasion with us and be some of the first to take these beauties home!”

Sky High Brewing (Corvallis) has a beer releasing Friday that will also raise money for OSU sports for its first week: “Starting Friday! Come out to celebrate the release of our latest brew: 4 Oars of the aBOCKalypse, a bock beer celebrating our neighbors, the web-footed river dwellers. $1 buck for every pint sold between Fri 2/22 and Sat 3/2 will be donated to the OSU men/women’s rowing programs. Sky High will match every $1/per pint sold during that week, so come on out, enjoy a pint and help the crew double the value of our donation!”

Roscoe’s (Portland) is hosting its 9th annual Stout Summit this weekend, kicking off on Friday: “Join Roscoe’s for the 9th Annual Stout Summit! Embrace the darkness beginning at 2pm on Friday February 22rd, great stouts will be on tap all weekend. There will be taster trays available. Some of the breweries and stouts will include: DESCHUTES (vintage 2011 and 2018 Abyss), Great Divide (2011 Oak Aged Yeti), Ruse Brewing (Waffel Iron), Block 15 Brewing Co. (Love Potion #9), Everybody’s Brewing (Chelsea Gem Oyster Stout), Grains of Wrath, Vintage 2014 Bourbon County Stout, and many more!”

The BeerMongers (Portland) welcomes Breakside Brewery for the release of the Oligarch imperial stout series: “Join us as we celebrate the release of this delicious imperial stout and a few of the delicious variants. Bottles available to go. The Oligarch – Imperial Stout blended from four different batches of stouts aged in bourbon barrels, this beer is rich, sticky, sweet and aggressive.” It takes place from 5 to 8pm.

Pelican Brewing‘s Tillamook location is hosting the release of The Brewed Abides from 4 to 6pm: “Join us THIS Friday for the release of The Brewed Abides, White Russian Imperial Milk Stout. Chat with our brewer and enjoy food specials that pair with the beer. All guests who order a pint of The Brewed Abides from 4PM – 6PM will be entered to win a 16oz DrinkTanks.”

Saturday, Feb. 23

The 23rd is the outside-of-Portland leg of Zwickelmania, covering the rest of the state! Breweries in Central and Eastern Oregon, the Gorge, the Coast, Southern Oregon, and the Willamette Valley open their doors to special events and tastings, meet the brewers, and more from 11 to 4pm. Print out a Zwickel Bingo card to take with you as well!

McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery (Portland) is hosting its 26th Annual Hillsdale Brewfest on Saturday! “Join us at McMenamins Hillsdale Brewery & Public House for one of our most coveted traditions. Grab a seat in the outdoor heated tent and catch the indie rock of The Coastline while tasting the creativity that 22 different McMenamins Breweries have to offer. Patrons order from two trays of beer samples, arranged from lightest to darkest. It is our guests’ official duty to decide who deserves the coveted title. The beers cover the spectrum of brew styles – from Fruited Sour to Coffee Porter, Jasmine Pale Ale to Double IPA and beyond. Each taster casts one ballot that lists their top three choices. (And beware the brewers’ shameless vote-mongering. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.) We unveil the winners at an event that follows, at the 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop, where the first place winner receives the trophy, and their name(s) will be stamped into the leather belt that outlines the winners of yore.”

Portland’s StormBreaker Brewing is hosting its 5th Annual Brewstillery Fest on Saturday, pairing up beer with spirits: “Breweries and Distilleries teaming up to create the perfect pairings. Each pairing will consist of a 4oz beer pour and a 1/4 oz spirit taste. Only like beer? Then just drink beer. You can pick and choose, although we strongly recommend going for the pairing. Advanced tickets on sale now! $25 for event branded beer tasting glass and 10 tasting tix. VIP (limited to 75) is $45 for event branded whiskey glass, event beer tasting glass, 15 tix, and one hour early entry (11a). Live music all day! Choose wisely.”

Imperial Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting its 5th annual Heart of Darkness Imperial Stout Fest on Saturday: “Come celebrate the darkest, most sultry and sinfully delicious beers at our 5th annual Heart of Darkness Imperial Stout Fest! From noon to midnight, we’ll be pouring a decadent lineup of 17 world-class imperial stouts, featuring bourbon-barrel aged stouts and some selections from our cellar.”

Osmo’s Alehouse (Medford) is celebrating its 2nd anniversary on Saturday: “Celebrate 2 years of awesomeness with us! We will have The Melt food truck in the parking lot, music and happy hour all day. The party starts at 6pm.”

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting a tasting with Pelican Brewing from 2 to 4pm.

Sparky’s Brewing (Salem) celebrates its 5th anniversary this Saturday: “Join us in the taproom Saturday, February 23rd for a day filled to the brim with awesome brews & fun! The anniversary celebration will start during brunch, served 10am-1pm, continue through the day and into the night! Minors are welcome until 5pm on Saturdays. Stop by and say hi to your favorite tap tenders & beer reps that’ll be in the house!”

Golden Valley Brewery (McMinnville) celebrates a HUGE milestone—25 years! The 25th anniversary bash takes place all day Saturday at the original McMinnville location and this is a party you definitely should attend! “Join us in celebrating 25 years of fine food and craft beverages. The party starts at 11am and goes on ’til close. Enjoy seven different styles of our Black Panther Imperial Stout ranging from Barrel aged to a special anniversary limited production brewed with Caravan Coffee Beans and Bob’s Red Mill shredded coconut. Order a Black Panther and get a FREE special Anniversary Pint Glass to take home. Sample a beer that day and be entered in to a drawing to win great prizes.” Congratulations and happy birthday!

pFriem Family Brewers continues its can rollout on Saturday during Zwickelmania at the Hood River pub: “It’s that time again! Join us for one of our favorite celebrations of Oregon beer, Zwickelmania! We’ll be hosting open house brewery tours every half hour. Start with a free sample in our Bear’s Den and end the tour with small bite pairings and more beer in our barrel room. Also, our pFriem IPA & Pilsner cans will be available in limited quantities at the brewery! We can hardly wait to have these in your hands. Celebrate this monumental occasion with us and be some of the first to take these beauties home!”

Prineville’s Ochoco Brewing celebrates defacto Zwickelmania (though not officially listed) with a brewery open house: “This Saturday Feb. 23rd from noon to 4pm and Monday Feb. 25th from 5 to 7:30 we’ll be hosting an open house at our brewery! Ochoco Brewing Co. has been producing all of it’s beers right here in Prineville since 2012. In 2016 we outgrew our original facility and moved the brewery into an industrial space on Madras Hwy. The open house is free of charge and guests who stop by the brewery will get some free swag and coupons to the pub! If you’ve been wondering where we craft all of our tasty beer products this is your chance to come and check it out!”

Baerlic Brewing (Portland) is hosting the Stout Bout homebrew competition on Saturday (originally postponed from the 9th), the public part of the comp with raffles and people’s choice judging. “The public stout tasting is comprised of the brewers who have performed the best in the Stout Bout homebrew competition. Our gracious hosts, Baerlic Brewing, help us celebrate these local legends in back of their brewery every February. Come try a dozen or more homebrewed stouts FOR FREE! Enter our raffle, enjoy some of Baerlic’s offerings, and warm up on a cold February Saturday afternoon with us.”

General News

Silver Moon Brewing (Bend) has a new hazy on tap: “Our latest juicy treat has landed in the pub! The newest variation on our Hazy Susan series uses Meridian hops and clocks in at 6.9% ABV. An explosive blast of peach flesh, papaya skin and lychee followed by a sweet berry and mellow malty finish from the rolled oats.”

Nectar Creek Mead (Philomath) teases a new draft mead going out next week: “Hey Everybody! We have a specialty draft only release going into distribution starting next week! Fruity and tart, this beautifully bright mead combines blueberries, black currants pinot soaked oak, and a touch of honey to create a complexity of Northwest flavors, tannins, and aromas! Be some of the first to try this mead come by our Tap Room this weekend!”

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