Happy Friday! Today is National Beer Lover’s Day, though I don’t know what makes it any more of a beer lover’s day than any other—but I’ll still raise a beer in toast! What beer will you be loving today?

Here’s the news in beer from around Oregon for the weekend that may help you decide. As usual I’ll be periodically updating this post throughout this Friday with the latest weekend news as I come across it. And of course if you have news to share, feel free to contact me to get it posted!

Friday, 9/7

Monkless Belgian Ales (Bend): The brewery’s fall seasonal, Four Devils, is back and the release party is Friday from 4 to 7pm: “Four Devils was originally brewed in celebration of the fourth anniversary of The Abbey Bar and Bottle Shop in downtown Portland, and the reception was so good we had to bring it back as our Fall Seasonal! This strong yet light bodied ale is inspired by Duvel – THE original Belgian Strong Golden Ale. The bouquet of Four Devils is sweet with a pleasant pineapple character. A dry beer with a slightly fruity flavor and a subtle earthy hop character.” During the release enjoy $1 off full pours of Four Devils!

Salem’s Vagabond Brewing has pumpkin beer! The brewery is releasing its seasonal pumpkin spice beer, In Gourd We Trust, on Friday, and to celebrate, Vagabond is offering $1 off full pints of it all weekend long, through Sunday.

Cascade Brewing (Portland) is releasing Rose City Sour 2017 on Friday: “Celebrating Portland’s reputation as the City of Roses, Rose City Sour 2017 is a blend of wheat and blond ales aged in oak wine barrels for up to 14 months with rose petals, rose hips and hibiscus flowers. Rose City Sour captures the delicate floral aromas of fresh roses matched with notes of dried cranberries, pomegranates and a hint of white pepper. This quenchable barrel aged sour beer comes in at eight percent ABV. A Tier One offering, Rose City Sour will be available in 500ml bottles and on draft through Cascade’s worldwide distribution network and at its two Portland-area pubs.”

The BeerMongers (Portland): The beer bar’s 9th anniversary celebration continues through the weekend, with Friday showcasing 9th anniversary live music: “The staff will pick some of their favorite beers to be pouring throughout the day. Then at 8:00pm The BeerMongers house band, Beats Workin, featuring Ashbolt will play some music, free of charge!” (Via Brewpublic)

The 2018 Oregon Brews & BBQs kicks off on Friday in McMinnville and runs through the weekend. “This is a fundraising event for St. James Catholic School & GhanaHope Foundation. Located in the heart of McMinnville we have over 18,000 square feet of tent, 50+ taps serving craft beer from 35+ breweries for your enjoyment throughout the weekend, delicious barbecue and other food delights, as well as live music. It is a time to get together and have a good time. We are pet friendly. All tickets purchased online must be printed and all parties must be present to enter. Tickets needed for those 12 and older.”

Saturday, 9/8

The inaugural Portland Lager Festival takes place at Zoiglhaus Brewing on Saturday starting at noon. (I wrote about it here.) It’s free admission and family friendly, and if you want to drink it will cost $20 in advance or $25 at the door, and you’ll get the glass and ten drink tickets. There is also a raffle, games, comedy, and more—so quite the community event, and it looks like one worth attending!

Portland’s StormBreaker Brewing has its own fest, Stormtoberfest, taking place Saturday as well. “Before you Oktoberfest, it’s time to Stormtoberfest! All day beer and Bavarian Food Special pairing featuring Stormtoberfest Marzenbier and 4 of our favorite German beers. Live music from our favorite German Duo, performing 1-3 at StormBreaker St. Johns and then at StormBreaker Mississippi Ave from 4-6. Prost!” So really the first Oktoberfest-type celebration I’ve seen for the season—so if you need your German harvest fix, swing on by.

The BeerMongers 9th anniversary continues with a Timbers view party Saturday night: “In anticipation of the night’s Timbers vs. Colorado match at 7:30pm, the tap list will be dedicated to The BeerMonges’ favorite IPAs from Oregon and beyond. Were your Timbers scarf and you may win a ticket to the Timbers match that night!”

Sunday, 9/9

Corvallis Beer Week begins on Sunday! This year marks the 8th annual celebration of Corvallis beer and runs from Sunday the 9th through Saturday the 15th, with events taking place each day. For Sunday, the kickoff, here’s what happening:

• Corvallis Brewing Supply and Flat Tail Brewing are releasing Spigot Licker in bottles, with a release party from 1 to 4pm at Corvallis Brewing Supply for its 21st anniversary. Spigot Licker is an intense barleywine that is 18% ABV! “An experimental strong ale, with Simpsons Golden Promise, a long six day boil, naturally fermented, unfortified, and aged 100% in neutral and new oak.”
• Nectar Creek Bike Ride: A bike ride and raffle from 3 to 7pm that starts at Riverfront Commemorative park and ends at Nectar Creek Mead in Philomath. “The ride itself is 7 miles should take approximately 40 minutes. Please take care with smaller riders, bringing enough water and please, everyone wear helmets!”

Bailey’s Taproom’s The Upper Lip (Portland) is hosting a Beer Symposium on Industry Growth and the Future of craft beer on Sunday, from 2 to 4pm: “For the third edition of our Beer Symposium (9.9.18), the topic will focus on the future of the craft beer industry. The Upper Lip will host Van Havig (Gigantic Brewing), Sarah Pederson (Saraveza), Jeff Alworth (Beervana), and Jon Brodie (Shelton Brothers) to talk about the craft beer industry’s growth potential and what their predictions are for the future. The price of entry is $10 and includes two of the six featured beers on draft during the symposium. Tickets are available online or can be purchased in-store at either Bailey’s Taproom or the Upper Lip.”

The BeerMongers finishes out its 9th anniversary celebration with a customer appreciation day on Sunday: “The day’s draft list will include Customer Appreciation pricing in addition to the community cook out. Please bring some food to cook on the grill!”

General

Cascade Brewing has news on its upcoming fresh hop beers: “We’ve got two this year, both made using our barrel-aged sour blond ale. First release is 9/11 & will showcase the Sterling hop project, with citrus, herbal, and spicy notes. Second release is 9/21, and will highlight Comet hops, with grapefruit and grassy notes.” The hops were “dry” hopped for 48-72 hours before the beer was packaged. Sour/funky fresh hop beer will be an interesting take.

Pelican Brewing in Cannon Beach has a fresh hop beer on tap now to check out: “Enjoy Carronade Fresh Hop Pale and exclusive pub beer at Pelican Brewing – Cannon Beach! The name is derived from the type of cannons found washed up on the beach that led to the name of the town, Cannon Beach. Much like those cannons, this beer bursts with fresh Centennial hops from Goschie Farms, Inc., and at less than 6% ABV, it’s ready to be enjoyed frequently while it lasts!”

Viking Braggot Company (Eugene) has fall seasonals on tap for the weekend: “We’ve got our fall seasonal release at both locations on Friday! Maelstrom CDA, Beowulf Brown and Valkyrie Belgian Amber are all back on tap for the season!”

Silver Falls Brewery (Silverton) has its fresh hop beer on tap now: “Fresh hop Silver Eclipse is tapped and ready for your enjoyment! 10lbs of fresh centennial hops per barrel to bring you a fresh bold flavor in a crisp IPA.”