Here is the news in Oregon beer for the first of May—trying to get back on track with keeping up to date in the regional brewing scene. As per usual, I will be updating this post occasionally throughout the day with updates as I find them, so feel free to contact me to submit any newsy items and more.

A number of McMenamins locations are supporting the Oregon Humane Society throughout the month of May with a special beer: “We’re celebrating the 150-year Anniversary of the Oregon Humane Society (OHS) with a beer crafted just for their organization: Muttly Brew Pale Ale – with a portion of pint and growler fill proceeds going to OHS. Look for this on tap at: Kennedy School, Chapel Pub, St. Johns Pub, Barley Mill Pub, 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop, Tavern & Pool, Zeus Café, Ringlers Annex, Fulton Pub, Hillsdale, Market Street, Rams Head and White Eagle.”

This Sunday, May 6, the 13th annual FredFest returns to Hair of the Dog Brewing in Portland, honoring the late Fred Eckhardt. “It started as an 80th birthday party for Fred Eckhardt, the Dean of American Beer Writers, and now we celebrate not only his birthday, but his life and the incredible role he played in today’s current beer landscape. Fred would have turned 92 this year, and in the spirit of giving as FredFest has always been intended, it will continue.” It starts at 2pm, and tickets are $85 and can be purchased from Hair of the Dog (the page also has details on this year’s charities and more).

Bend’s Worthy Brewing has a new CEO, John Glick, starting immediately with a goal “to ramp up sales while also simplifying the brand message.” From the press release: “John is a veteran of the beer industry, with over 25 years of experience. Most recently, John was the Vice President of Emerging Business for Craft Brew Alliance. In that role, John traveled the country scouting out regional breweries for purchase. He has a keen eye for value, a deft feel for culture and a deep appreciation for operational elegance.” 19 of those 25 years were with Anheuser-Busch, so he definitely knows about large brewery operations.

Worthy is also hosting its NeighborImpact Pint Night fundraiser tonight from 4 to 9pm: “In May, our pint night will be in support of NeighborImpact, a private nonprofit organization which serves all of Crook, Deschutes and Jefferson county. NeighborImpact is dedicated to empowering individuals and families to succeed and become engaged citizens in the community. $1 of every pint sold between 4pm-9pm will be donated to support this program.”

Tuesdays are Community Pints days at Deschutes Brewery, where $1 from every pint sold at each of the brewery’s locations goes to benefit a local non-profit organization. In Bend this month, the community partner is Tour des Chutes: “Tour des Chutes is not just a ride or a run, it’s an inspiration. They are a fundraising event that supports Central Oregon children and adults with cancer.” Unfortunately I don’t know yet what the Portland partner is—the Portland Pub is still celebrating its 10th anniversary today (congratulations!) but rest assured your pints are being drank for a good cause!

Oregon City Brewing has its Charity Pint Night benefiting the Oregon City Optimist Club starting at 5pm tonight: “You can make a difference for Oregon City youth, one beer at a time… $1 from every OCB beverage will be donated to the Oregon City Optimists Club from 5pm-11pm for Charity Pint Night.”

Lebanon’s Conversion Brewing is hosting its monthly Head to Head beer tasting tonight starting at 7pm: “We will pit two beers in the same style against each other and see who comes out on top. This is a blind beer tasting with food pairing and we will have an open discussion about the beers and what we like about them. Cost is $10 and will include 2 samples of Amber/Red Ales, some food pairing samples and a small pour of a Conversion beer.”

Over at Widmer Brothers Brewing today, the brewery is releasing its Pink Boots Society Collaboration beer, Pinky’s Old Maple Barley Wine, with a release party from 4 to 7pm: “Here at Widmer Brothers Brewing, the team (led by brewmaster Nicole Mandala) got together and decided they wanted to brew a bold barley wine with 100% pure maple syrup. The syrup was added near the end of fermentation so it would maintain a nuance in the beer. A Pink Boots proprietary hop blend was used in this beer as well. The result is a hearty, traditional American Style Barley Wine brewed by our talented female labor force. The result is a 10.5% beer with lots of malt, hops, and alcohol warmth!” $1 from every pint sold will benefit the PBS.

Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene): The brewery announced last week the return of Maiden the Shade Summer IPA as well as the release of its Summer IPA Variety 12-pack. From the press release: “Ninkasi debuts its Summer IPA Variety 12-Pack, highlighting an assortment of IPAs for any palate or occasion. The new variety pack includes 12-ounce bottles of Total Domination IPA, Tricerahops Double IPA, Maiden the Shade Summer IPA, and 12-ounce cans of Prismatic Juicy IPA.” Both set to come out this month.

Breakside Brewing (Portland): Last week Breakside announced the launch of Rainbows & Unicorns, the second in a series of four rotating IPAs coming out this year. Available on draft and in 22-ounce bottles, it will be out until mid-July. From the press release: “This session beer was originally created for the 2015 Oregon Brewers Fest and showcases two favorite hop varietals: Galaxy and Eldorado. Galaxy provides juicy notes that are reminiscent of peach and apricot, while Eldorado screams pineapple and lime zest. Breakside backs these up with a healthy dose of Comet hops, a heritage hop varietal, overlooked for many years and now gaining popularity again due to its intense stone fruit and citrus character. Also included in the summery brew are Two Row, Maris Otter, Flaked Rice and Light Crystal malts. Rainbows & Unicorns has an ABV of 5.1% and 32 IBUs.”