Here is the Memorial Day weekend edition of the Oregon beer news for this final weekend of May! Because it’s a long weekend with the holiday on Monday, I won’t be posting a news post that day but I’ll include any Monday events in this roundup. As usual, I’ll be updating this post throughout the day on Friday with the various weekend news and events, so check back often. And have a safe and relaxing weekend!

Friday, May 24

While not an official part of Beer Week, Bend’s Boss Rambler Beer Club is hosting its first beer pop-up all weekend long with Breakside Brewery: “We are stoked to announce our 1st POP-UP at The Beer Club! Starting this Friday, through Memorial Day, we’ll be hosting our good friends from Breakside Brewery! We’ll have a fresh line-up of hand selected, summer sippin’ beers pouring alongside your favorite Boss Rambler brews…for a Memorial Day Weekend you won’t soon forget! Best yet, our buddy and one of Breakside’s finest, Freddy Fred, will be slinging beers from 3-6pm on Saturday. Come hang out and have a few cold ones with the Breakside and Boss Rambler crew(s) to help kick off summer!”

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting the can release of Tropic Heat Guava Habanero Coconut Sour all day Friday. This has to be one of the craziest beers I’ve yet seen from a McMenamins brewery. “Tropic Heat is a kettle soured ale brewed with pink guava puree, coconut and habanero peppers. The heat contribution from the peppers is very minimal and creates a pleasant background quality that lingers. This slight spiciness accentuates the fruity, full guava taste that is this beer’s foundation. Coconut was also added to pleasantly blend all of the fine flavors together.”

Friday’s Central Oregon Beer Week event is with Broken Top Bottle Shop, which is hosting a beer tasting event with Sunriver Brewing from 5 to 7pm, followed by live music from Blackstrap Bluegrass from 7 to 9pm.

Ecliptic Brewing (Portland) is releasing Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale at the pub starting at 4pm: “Join us at Ecliptic Brewing to celebrate our latest seasonal beer release, Tucana Tangerine Sour Ale! We will have live music, specials from the kitchen, cocktails and of course, delicious beer! This is a free event!” The beer itself is “A twist of tangerine plays with the balanced tartness of this sunset-hued sour ale” and 4.8% ABV.

Tumalo Cider Company is celebrating the grand opening of its tasting room all weekend long, starting on Friday: “Come celebrate the Grand Opening of our new tasting room at 64654 Cook Ave in Tumalo. We will have $4 pints all weekend, food, and live music.”

Redmond’s new Initiative Brewing is opening Friday at 4pm! That’s your first chance to try the newest beer in Central Oregon!

Saturday, May 25

Central Oregon Beer Week continues with one of its biggest events, the SMaSH Fest taking place at McMenamins Old St. Francis School. This festival celebrates Single Malt and Single Hop beers, with participating breweries including: 10 Barrel, Bend Brewing, Cascade Lakes, Crux Fermentation Project, Immersion, Kobold, McMenamins, Monkless Belgian Ales, Ochoco, Porter, Silver Moon, Spider City, and Wild Ride. (Via the Facebook event page.) Cost is $25 which includes the souvenir glass and 10 tasters, with the option to purchase more tastes of course. SMaSH Fest runs from noon to 8:30pm at O’Kane’s Square and will include live music as well.

Other COBW events of the day include:

• Deschutes Brewery is holding a yard sale from 9 to 5pm, on the lawn behind the production brewery. Some deep discounts being offered on all sorts of merch!
• Silver Moon Brewing is opening up its patio for the summer with a kick-off party from 4 to 8pm. “Summer is in the air! Come join us for our kick off patio party! Fire Pits, Live music from the Leadbetter Band, and a new summer food menu are only a few of the amazing treats you will find. We will also be offering some of our brand new beer releases!”
• Broken Top Bottle Shop hosts Oblivion Brewing for a beer tasting from 5 to 7pm, followed by live music.

Fort George Brewery (Astoria) is hosting Lupulin Ecstasy on Saturday at the Captain George Flavel House Museum, celebrating the hops with all the 3-Way IPA collaborators over the years. “Spring has arrived in the City of Dreams. At Fort George that means 3-Way IPA is soon on the way, this year with our good buddies from Cloudburst and Ruse. And to really mark the occasion with maximum friendship, we’re inviting all of our 3-Way IPA friends together in a celebration of Lupulin Ecstasy. Journey to a mystical realm, where the skies are filled with wonder and fields burst in a glorious green. Tour the grand history of Astoria as you wander the halls of the Flavel Mansion. Expand your hop-perception sipping lupulin delights in the Flavel Garden. Then, explore the grounds to discover a carefully curated collection of live music, special attractions, and street tacos. Beer will be pouring from every 3-Way IPA collaborator throughout the years.” Tickets are currently sold out at this point, but it never hurts to ask!

Bevel Craft Brewing (Bend) releases its first canned beer on Saturday! “Stop on by the Bevel Craft Brewing Taproom to get your hands on our VERY FIRST CANNED BEER; Disclandia IPA! Created for the inaugural Portland Open disc golf event, Disclandia is a fresh American IPA is loaded with Comet and Azacca hops blasting with citrus and tropical notes. HUGE shout out to the very talented, Jef Wind, for creating this incredible can label for us!”

Silver Falls Brewery (Silverton) is hosting the release party for Silverton Golden Pale Ale, a special all-local brew: “The Silverton Golden Pale Ale is the very first beer created with ingredients from Silverton’s own backyard! Come and give it a try on SATURDAY, MAY 25th at 5PM. Live music begins at 7PM. Here are the specs:
ABV – 5%. IBU – 36
This simple, golden pale ale is light in body with a sweetness to that of a Pilsner. Our sample tasters say that the aroma is grassy, fruity, and floral with a a slight hint of green grapes. As it finishes, there’s the obvious malt, but a slight bitterness of the floral hop flavors. Its clean and refreshing sips make it a perfect beer for the upcoming summer!
Grain – Goschie Pale Malt
Hops – Goschie Willamette
Yeast – American Ale”

Sunday, May 26

The final day of Central Oregon Beer Week! Here’s the final events to finish it off:

• Boneyard Beer is hosting the Beer Week Hangover Brunch at its pub Sunday morning. “Help your beer hangover with $5 Boneyard Bloodies & Mimosas.”
• Porter Brewing is hosting Pints & Pistons from 11 to 4pm: “A free cruise-in for cars & motorcycles! Come show off your ride, (or just check out everyone else’s) grab some beer and food, and have a great time!”
• And On Tap food cart pod and tap house is holding a cornhole tournament with Crux Fermentation Project: “On Tap’s 1st Annual Cornhole Tournament (for a Cause!)
  32-Team Tournament
  2-person team, single elimination format
  Bags start flying at 1pm. Please arrive at least 20 minutes early for check-in. Registration $25 per team includes:
  -Entry for 2
  -Your teams first beers (drink tickets included upon registration)
  -A donation to The Environmental Center of Bend
  -A chance to win 1st, 2nd or 3rd place prizes”

Fort George Brewery will be selling this year’s 3-Way IPA from the brewery in Astoria! The beer will be available both on tap and in cans.

Monday, May 27 – Memorial Day

Heater Allen Brewing (McMinnville) is celebrating its 12th anniversary on Monday! “Come help us celebrate 12 years in the brewing industry! R&R Culinarie will have food available for purchase and we’ll have plenty of beer! Exclusive 12 year logo steins will be available on a first come first serve basis, steins are $20 and include your first beer. Hope to see you there! Prost!”

General News

2 Towns Ciderhouse (Corvallis) has a new seasonal cider release: “Chase the clouds away and celebrate the coming summer with our newest seasonal cider… SUN’S OUT SAISON! Pulled from our library of past limited releases, Sun’s Out Saison was the perfect cider for our new summer seasonal! Crafted using French saison yeast and a luscious blend of fresh-pressed Northwest apples & peaches, this well-balanced cider is complex, yet sessionable, with a kiss of saison character. Sunny peach flavors & hints of fruit leather radiate from this summertime cider, while the saison yeast adds subtle black pepper notes with an earthy yet fruity nose.” Available now.

Sunriver Brewing has new beer dropping on Friday: “We have a special beer that is hitting the Central Oregon pubs today! Ocean Blue Pale Ale is a brew that is inspired by our friends from Ocean Blue. $50 from each keg sale will go directly to Ocean Blue. Be sure to grab a pint this weekend and give the good people at Ocean Blue a follow to see what they are up to.”