Happy Monday! Here’s the news in Oregon beer for this Monday the 21st, highlighting some of the big events this week and more. As usual I’ll be periodically updating this post with news as I find it, so check back in throughout the day.

It’s not beer itself, but beer-related: Newport’s Rogue Ales is introducing Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey, a specialty whiskey that is aged in new charred barrels and then barrels that aged Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout. Rogue also grows the malt and makes the barrels at its own cooperage, so this is entirely an in-house endeavor that sounds worth seeking out. “Opening with subtle aromas of smoke and sea air, Rolling Thunder Stouted Whiskey has notes of dark cocoa, toffee and dried fruit and a coffee and grain finish.” It and the 2019 Rolling Thunder Imperial Stout should be available now.

This upcoming weekend is chock full of beer festivals—I count at least seven taking place, including:

• The Civic Taproom (Portland) — 4th Annual Barrel Aged Festival — Friday thru Sunday
• 6th annual NW Coffee Beer Invitational @ Goose Hollow Inn (Portland) — Saturday
• Wild Ride Brewing (Redmond) — 2nd Annual PorterMania — Saturday
• Tualatin Winter Brew Festival @ Stickmen Brewing (Tualatin) — Saturday
• Rock Bottom Brewery (Portland) — Barrel Aged Beer Festival — Saturday
• 10th Annual CellarFest @ Bailey’s Taproom (Portland) — Saturday
• 3rd Annual Holiday Hangover with Breweries in the Gorge (Hood River) — Saturday

Don’t forget Portland’s Hawthorne Hophouse has its Oregon IPA Challenge going on this month, featuring a blind tasting of 12 Oregon IPA’s that you get to guess and vote on. If you guess correctly you’ll win prizes, and the winning favorite IPA will be on tap all year long.

Belmont Station (Portland) is hosting a special “Beer School” education event this Saturday, with Master Cicerone® Rich Higgins featuring two sessions: Beer Off-Flavors Tasting Seminar from 1 to 3pm, and Deductive Beer Tasting Method from 3:30 to 6pm. And afterward: “After the school day’s final bell rings at 6 p.m., Higgins will offer his favorite version of “open office hours.” He’ll be found mingling at the bar at Belmont Station to meet and greet. No doubt, he’ll be fielding questions from aspiring Cicerones studying for February’s upcoming Portland Certified Cicerone® Exam.” This isn’t a free, walk-in event either: “Beer School discounted tickets are available for $115 for both sessions, and are also available per-session from $60-$75. Event information and tickets are available at: http://richhiggins.com/events-classes/beer-school-belmont-station” Sign up now if you’re interested!

Double Mountain Brewery (Hood River) is helping out furloughed government workers this January 24th: “Furloughed government employees. Looking for some extra dough? We need some bottling help. Pay, free lunch and beer. January 24 7am-2pm. Email Info@doublemountainbrewery.com”

The new North Forty Beer Company in Roseburg is holding its grand opening this weekend, and will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare. “We are getting ready for you and our OFFICIAL North Forty Grand Opening! so we will be CLOSED this Tuesday (Jan. 22) & Wednesday (Jan. 23) to put all the finishing touches in place. We will be open during regular hours on Thursday, Jan. 24 and we will see you at our Official Grand Opening this Friday & Saturday.”

1188 Brewing (John Day) has tap list updates coming your way: “A change to On Tap list: The Booty has left the building and replacing it is our Throttle Out IPA, a new one for us. The name Throttle Out will be used as a revolving one which will be a unique brew every time due to them being unrepeatable. When things get a little squirrelly – Throttle Out!”

Three Creeks Brewing (Sisters) is releasing the latest in its seasonal canned lineup, Eureka Single Hop IPA. “Eureka started as an experimental hop from our friends at Hopsteiner in Washington. We played with this beer as a single hop IPA to truly get a sense of what the Eureka hop was like by itself. The result? An instant favorite! Our friends at our brewpub love when this beer comes on draft, so we decided to make it more easily accessible and packaged it in 6 pack cans!”