TGIF and I hope you—yes, you—are ready for the weekend! There are a number of things going on around the state starting with Friday the 9th, and both Saturday and Sunday have nice lineups as well. It’s a busy day so I may not be able to update this post frequently, but check back periodically just in case. And as always, if you have news to share, please contact me and I can get that posted in the roundup also.

Friday, Mar. 9

Kells Brewery (Portland) is celebrating the release of their new Tropical Hazy IPA in cans all day Friday: “We are releasing our newest Hazy IPA! We are also excited to have it and our Blood Orange Wheat available in 6-pk cans to go!! Come down try our new beer and take some home with you.”

Bend’s Bridge 99 Brewery is hosting a collaboration brew day with the Bend chapter of the Pink Boots Society on Friday: “The Bend Pink Boots Society chapter will be participating in the 2018 PBS Collaboration Brew day! Becky Dorman has graciously offered to host the brew day at Bridge 99 Brewery off of Empire Boulevard, in NE Bend. The brew day will take place Friday, March 9th 2018 at 9AM. Please wear appropriate/safe apparel (pants, boots, safety glasses). The beer will be available only at the Bridge 99 tasting room, but they are donating all sales of the beer back to Pink Boots Society!” Very cool!

McMenamins is releasing its latest canned beer on Friday—Foggy Dew Irish-Style Lager. Release events are taking at the Edgefield, Kennedy School, and 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop; here’s what the beer is about: “A few McMenamins Brewers found themselves working away to a traditional Irish tune, dreaming of black and tans. Inspired by the sounds of fiddle and fife, they crafted Foggy Dew – a crisp, straw-colored lager that’s balanced, but low in hop bitterness. Whether this beer finds you for St. Patrick’s Day or any day, we hope the wind is always at your back and may the sun shine warm upon your face.”

Redmond’s Beer Stop Growler Fill Station is hosting a Block 15 Block Party—featuring Block 15 Brewery, of course. “Don’t want to miss this event. Block 15 has only been in Central Oregon one other time. We are having a tap takeover with their great beers and some from their cellar that they have hidden away. Tot’s food truck will be returning again for this event.” Friday from 4 to 8pm.

Culmination Brewing (Portland) has their latest cans available on Friday, Interstellar Voyage Hazy IPA: “This Friday, 3/9 @ 12pm, we will be releasing our latest cans for purchase. Interstellar Voyage, our latest Hazy IPA, is the most recent addition to our series of 16oz Hazy IPA cans. They will be sold at $14 for a 4 pack. This beer was ranked #4 by the Willamette Week out of the 10 best IPA in PDX. Check out their article in the discussion section of this event page, for a complete review. Additionally, we will have Obscured By Clouds and Backseat Freestyle IIIPA, our collab with Ruse Brewing and N.W.I.P.A., on tap. This is going to be a great IPA day in the Culmination taproom, so don’t sleep on this! Cheers!”

Saturday, Mar. 10

The fifth annual Cider Rite of Spring is taking place Saturday at the Left Bank Annex in Portland, featuring over 100 ciders from around the Pacific Northwest: “Cider Rite of Spring showcases ciders that are either made for the event, aren’t available locally, or are limited run, giving attendees the chance to taste ciders they wouldn’t normally be able to access. General admission tickets cost $30, which includes a commemorative tasting glass and eight drink tickets. VIP tickets cost $50 and include a commemorative tasting glass, 12 drink tickets, one hour early admission (12pm to 1pm), specialty VIP only ciders, snacks, and access to the exclusive VIP Lounge presented by Square Mile Cider. Most ciders cost one ticket per three-ounce taste, although some may cost more. Additional tasting tickets are available onsite for $1 apiece. Two food carts will be selling food, and a pop-up retail store will allow attendees to buy bottles and cans of their favorite ciders to take home. The event is for ages 21 and up.” It’s one of the largest cider festivals I’m aware of, and should be a terrific showcase for a wide variety of ciders.

Base Camp Brewing (Portland): The annual Collabofest organized by Base Camp returns for its fourth year on Saturday, starting at 2pm: “Sixteen of our favorite local breweries, sixteen rad collabobrews. All debuting at Collabofest on Saturday, March 10th. We partnered up all participating brewers via blind draw in early January, and tasked each pair with developing two unique collaborative beers. All sixteen one-off brews will be pouring at the festival, with a Meet the Brewer happening at 4pm!” Tickets are available online here and cost $25 (plus fees) for general admission.

The Abbey Bar & Bottle Shop (Portland) is celebrating its 4th anniversary on Saturday, with a party and a homebrew contest: “Celebrate our fourth anniversary with us from 3-midnight and vote for your favorite Belgian-style home brew in the People’s Choice category! We will have a bunch of swag to give away and other special treats throughout the day! Don’t miss our anniversary beer brewed special for us by Monkless Belgian Ales. For the home brew contest, entries will be accepted in all Belgian beer styles. Winners will be determined by our panel of judges, plus there will also be a People’s Choice award. The winners in each category will receive a $100 gift certificate and bragging rights for 1 year.”

Imperial Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting a special tasting and pairing with New Belgium Brewing for their La Folie Grand Reserve Geisha, sour coffee ale brewed with specialty Geisha coffee. “Geisha coffee and New Belgium Geisha are truly a rare treat each on their own, and we’re very excited to offer you this luxurious experience side by side. The pairing includes a 4 oz pour of the beer alongside an 8 oz cup of Geisha from Proud Mary’s. The pairing will come to $20, and a link to tickets is listed on this event page. Tickets may also be purchased in person at our Alberta location.” It begins at 2pm at Imperial’s Alberta Street location.

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop is hosting Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider for a cider tasting from 2 to 4pm on Saturday.

N.W.I.P.A. (Portland) continues with Culmination Brewing’s haze craze on Saturday, hosting the brewery for the can release in house from 2 to 5pm. “This Saturday, 3/10, from 2-5pm, we will be at N.W.I.P.A. celebrating our latest can release, Interstellar Voyage Hazy IPA. This beer was ranked #4 by the Willamette Week out of all of the IPAs in PDX! Check out their article in the discussion section of this event page, for a complete review. Cheers!”

Sunday, Mar. 11

The fourth annual Baker’s Dozen Coffee Beers & Doughnuts brewfest takes place Sunday morning at 10am at Ecliptic Brewing in Portland—the ultimate breakfast beer fest! “Each brewer uses beans from different roasters in order to participate. Admission includes all 13 coffee beers, morsels of all 13 doughnuts, and a souvenir glass. (No extra drink tickets needed/sold). Actual coffee will be provided, too. Live music can be enjoyed throughout the fest. Tickets are only available for those 21+ BUT the event is Family Friendly; all-ages may attend .” Tickets are still available so get in on them now!

Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene) is hosting a Prismatic Celebration for their Prismatic Juicy IPA on Sunday starting at noon: “Boogie down to the Tasting Room for our first ever Prismatic Celebration! We’ll be celebrating all things creative and vibrant while introducing the neighborhood to our new Juicy IPA!
🔸$1 of every pint will benefit River Road Park Imagination Bus “Artie”
🔹1-5 PM bring your kids or imaginations to hang out and craft with Artie
🔸2-4 PM get your face painted by Daydream Believer Face Painting for FREE
🔹2-5 PM get funky with live Music from Inner Limits
🔸12-5 PM treat your taste buds to Eugene Jian Bing food cart
🔹 I Scream For Waffles will be serving up deliciousness all day long.”