Happy Friday! We’re rushing headlong into the second weekend of November with a number of new beer releases, pairing events, a beer festival, and more, so you won’t be lacking for things to do. Here’s the weekend roundup for this November 9th through 11th; I’ll be updating this post throughout the day on Friday so keep an eye on it.

Friday, Nov. 9

The McKenzie Cider & Craft Beer Festival in Springfield kicks off Friday, and runs through Saturday. “This craft brewing festival is the premier fest in Lane County for craft beer & cider. Join us for live music, great food, brewing classes, family events, and more than 150 craft brewer tastings. The festival, now it it’s 7th year, is sponsored by the Springfield Rotary Club. All proceeds go to local charity programs supporting youth in our community. Come show your support for a great cause and have a terrific time tasting the best the Northwest has to offer in craft beer & ciders!” Tickets are available online for $15 for one day, or $20 for two days. There are nearly 60 breweries and cideries listed, with a nice representation of ciders, with at least a dozen pouring.

Crux Fermentation Project (Bend) celebrates the annual release of Tough Lough Imperial Stout on Friday, all day at the brewery in Bend and at The BeerMongers in Portland from 5 to 8pm (with brewer/owner Larry Sidor on hand). In Bend: “Join us in our Tasting Room for a celebratory toast and annual release of our most highly anticipated beers. This marks the official release of our 2018 [BANISHED] Tough Love Imperial Stout on draft along with 375ml & 750ml bottles. To make the evening even more special, we will also have a nitro version of Tough Love on tap along with 2016 & 2017 vintages. And you won’t want to miss the toast at 6pm from our head brewer, Cam O’Connor.”

Worthy Brewing (Bend): The brewery is hosting another of its Craft Beer, Cheese & Charcuterie Pairing events starting at 5pm: “The holidays are approaching and you have no idea what to serve your guests. Or, you are an avid beer enthusiast and would love to experience different varities and what to pair them with. Either way, you’re invited to Worthy Brewing’s craft beer & artisan cheese pairing November 9, 5:00-6:30pm. Guests can expect to have their senses dazzled by a Certified Cicerone beer presentation that compliments various types of local, artisan cheeses and select meats. Come and try many different beer & cheese pairings & charcuterie plates as well. Dessert will be provided as well! You will leave with tools to impress your holiday guests as well as a Worthy 6-Pack.”

McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse (Hillsboro) is hosting its Fall Brewers Dinner starting at 7pm Friday: “It’s a beer party in the Octagonal Barn–the quintessential fall gathering! Brewers will introduce their beers, which are paired with each course in this seasonal menu.” The menu is four courses plus an appetizer, though the beers to be paired aren’t listed. Price is $90 per person, and can be purchased here.

Caves Bier & Kitchen (Corvallis) is hosting a Deconstructed Prairie BOMB! Night starting at 4pm: “BOMB! is an imperial stout from Prairie Artisan Ales from Tulsa, Oklahoma that is aged on chilies, coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. We have kegs of the imperial stout which are solely aged on a single ingredient—only chili, only coffee, only chocolate, or only vanilla so you can taste the beer “deconstructed”. This unique tasting event is hosted in coordination with Shelton Brothers Oregon.”

Eugene’s Manifest Beer Company is releasing a new beer Friday at 5pm: “Join us Friday November 9th at 5:00pm as we release our next beer in our Single Day Series Havlova!!! Havlova is a fruited IIPAWe Drew inspiration for this beer from a favorite Dessert Pavlova!!! Brewed with coconut milk, vanilla, passion fruit, kaffir lime leaf, and raspberry. Hops used are are Mandarina Bavaria, Amarillo, Citra, Cluster, Polaris and Nelson.”

The Upper Lip at Bailey’s Taproom in Portland is hosting a beer release party for a collaboration brew between Logsdon Farmhouse Ales and Allegory Brewing: “Join us at The Upper Lip this Friday for the debut of Swordplay, a collaboration double IPA brewed by Allegory Brewing and Logsdon Farmhouse Ales. We will also be featuring several beers from each brewery showcasing their diverse portfolios. We look forward to seeing you!” The event runs from 4 to 8pm.

10 Barrel Brewing (Bend): The latest version of Rose Bois Belgian-style sour ale drops: “Join us [Friday] at our Bend, Portland, Boise, and Denver pubs as we release the 2018 edition of Rose Bois. Inspired by old school Belgian Sours, this brew took Jimmy 3 years to age to perfection. Using two types of wild yeast this concoction will take your senses on a wild trip through earth and time. Each pub will be featuring Rose Bois in a special 2-course dinner special tomorrow only. Join us for this special release for this special beer!”

Portland’s Lombard House is hosting Allegory Brewing and Von Ebert Brewing for a “Harvest Project” beer release and tap takeover starting at 6pm: “We are proud to present the Harvest Project:Viognier, a collaboration between my old coworkers Sean and Sam, who now run the show over at Von Ebert, and Charlie from Allegory Brewing. Harvest Project: Viognier is a farmhouse ale that was generously hopped with NZ Nelson Sauvin and fermented on nearly a ton of 2017 Anne Amie Viogner grapes from Twelve Oaks Estate. It was then aged in neutral oak barrels with a blend of Brettanomyces for 10 months. Before kegging, it was dry-hopped with even more white wine heavy Nelson Sauvin.”

Cascade Brewing (Portland) releases Cuvée du Jongleur, or ‘Blend of the Juggler,” on Friday in 500ml bottles and on draft at the Cascade locations. “Cuvée du Jongleur consists of select red, triple and quad sour ales aged in oak barrels for up to three years. The 2017 project pays homage to the original blend, juggling a variety of base beers that offer clean and complex flavors through the lactic fermentation process that has come to define Cascade’s Northwest sour ales. The original label, which featured a whimsical juggler, has been updated but still maintains the red and black checker pattern that defined the original release. Cuvée du Jongleur is a Tier One release and is limited in quantities. Fans are encouraged to purchase early, because once this beer is gone, it may not return for another 10 years.” Get some!

Ochoco Brewing (Prineville) has a new beer release party Friday starting at 6pm: “This Friday we’ll be releasing Collaboration Coffee Stout! We’ve teamed up with Riff Cold Brewed Coffee to bring you all tasty infusion of their Off the Cuff cold brewed coffee and our Bandit Springs stout. Live music will start around 6pm with Kinzel and Hyde. Come on out!”

Claim 52 Brewing (Eugene) has its newest beer out Friday: “Celebrate Friday with the second iteration our Brut IPA, “Krispy”. This time we held out the Motueka and hopped it with Mosaic and Comet. It was just tapped at the Kitchen this morning, so come grab a pint, wind down and ease into the weekend.”

Saturday, Nov. 10

It’s The Abyss release at Deschutes Brewery! The 2018 edition of this barrel-aged imperial stout returns in time for winter, and all day Saturday the Bend and Portland pubs will be celebrating. Look for vintage vertical flights at the Bend Pub (and I’m sure Portland too) of years 2013 through 2018, as well as food specials; the Portland Pub will also be offering brunch. This is one of the best imperial stouts coming out of Oregon (or anywhere for that matter) so don’t miss out!

10 Barrel Brewing‘s Bend Pray For Snow release party takes place from 5 to 10pm Saturday at the east side pub: “This year we’re taking Pray For Snow to a whole new level. Join us for the Bend premiere of our very own ski and snowboard movie, Pray For Snow; featuring: Ben Ferguson, Curtis Ciszek, Eric Jackson, and Lucas Wachs. We’ll also have live music, prize giveaways, special beer tappings, and more! Proceeds from the event benefit Protect Our Winters!”

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) celebrates its 3rd birthday this weekend, taking place all day long on Saturday: “Wish us happy birthday, and we’ll share our cake! To celebrate we’ve also got a Bottle Shop Birthday Taster Tray, 20% off Bottle Shop logo merchandise and bottled Birthday Reserve No. 3, a sour ale with plums and ginger that was aged in McMenamins Quince Cider barrels. Passporters, take a selfie with Homer, show us, and claim a sweet prize.” There will be tasting throughout the day and a chance to chat with the brewers of the Reserve No. 3 beer. Congrats!

Eugene’s 16 Tons is hosting its annual Imperial Stout Fest on Saturday: “Dark & delicious beers from Great Notion, Fort George, Modern Times, Grimm, Perennial, Deschutes, Fremont & more! Free entry, pay for tasters, bring in your own food from neighboring restaurants.”

Ecliptic Brewing (Portland): Starting at 3pm, Ecliptic is holding a release celebration for its latest beer, Star Party Brut IPA: “We’re throwing a star party in the pub as we toast our newest Special Release beer with an evening of music, drinks, and food specials! About Star Party Brut IPA: Behold the Cosmos! Star Party explodes with primordial hop character set against a background as dry and clean as the void of space. Raise a glass this season and join the party. 8% ABV. Star Party Brut IPA will be available on draft, along with champagne cocktail specials and bites from the kitchen. Our regular pub menu will also be available.”

The Bend Ale Fest returns to Bend’s Northwest Crossing neighborhood on Saturday from 11am to 8pm, featuring 20 breweries pouring 40 beers, almost all from Central Oregon (oddly, Double Mountain Brewery is included as well). The Fest does double duty as the finish line for the Bend Ale Run which takes place earlier in the morning. Entry is free and the pint glass costs $10, or you can get the package (pint glass and 10 tokens for $20).

Cascade Brewing (Portland) is hosting a Meet the Brewer event at its Lodge from 6 to 8pm: “Meet the Brewer! Drop in and join us on Nov. 10 for a Q&A with Cascade’s head brewer, Mike Mathis. The event will take place in the Brewer’s Den on the lower level of the Lodge at Cascade Brewing. Enjoy vintage draft and bottle tastings, special sour and non-sour projects, and fun food pairings from the kitchen! No RSVP and no cover charge. 21 and over.”

Heater Allen Brewing (McMinnville) is releasing its annual winter seasonal Sandy Paws, a Baltic-style porter, on Saturday: “Come try this year’s batch of Sandy Paws! Come by and get a taste or a stein and buy a few bottles.”

Sunday, Nov. 11 – Happy Veterans Day!

AleSong Brewing (Eugene) is holding its Fall Release on Sunday from noon to 6pm: “Fall is on it’s way, and its going to start getting chilly out there! Luckily, we think that’s perfect beer drinking weather and we’ve got a great line up of barrel aged beers to keep you warm as the seasons change! On November 11th we will be releasing four new beers and hosting our fall release party for our membership! As always, these beers will be released in conjunction with a celebration for our members at our tasting room. From 12-6pm on 11/11 we will have tastings of each of the new beers paired with delicious small bites, and live music!” The beers being released are Rhino Suit 2018, Raspberry Parliament, Four Merchants, and Farm Fresh (a Member beer).

General News

Climate City Brewing (Grants Pass) has a new beer on tap in time for the weekend: “Introducing Brown-Chika-Bow-Wow! Turn on the Barry White, light a fire and get cozy with this sexy American Strong Ale. It’s deliciously smooth and round, with just a hint of intriguing bitterness.”

Migration Brewing (Portland) will be opening a (pop-up?) location in Lloyd Center Mall in Portland: the Migration Brewing Burger Shack, opening on November 15.