Today is National Celiac Awareness Day which Jay Brooks has also tagged as Gluten Free Beer Day; while I don’t know if I have any gluten-free-specific beer news for today, if you or someone you know suffers from Celiac disease, it’s a good time to explore gluten free beers or ciders. Check out Ground Breaker Brewing, Moonshrimp Brewing, or Evasion Brewing for options.

In the meantime, here’s the beer news from around Oregon for this Thursday, September 13; as usual I’ll be updating this post throughout the day so check back often for the latest news.

The 53rd annual Mount Angel Oktoberfest begins today in Mt. Angel (near Silverton)! The celebration lasts four days, through Sunday, and you’ll swear you were in Germany—the town itself is in the style of a Bavarian village. “In the heart of Oregon, Mount Angel’s Oktoberfest brings 350,000 people to the Bavarian village every September. The Northwest’s oldest and best loved Folk Festival – celebrates the fruits of the harvest, and the goodness of Creation! There is something for everyone at the Mount Angel Oktoberfest.
• Free Kindergarten with children’s activities.
• World Class entertainment from Germany, Canada, New York, Utah, Oregon, Florida and California, from Alphorns to Alpine Rock is shared continuously on 4 stages.
• Over 50 non-profit food booths serving the best Bavarian and local treats.
• Each day begins with a traditional Webertanz performed by local school children, and performances by Folk Dancers throughout the day.” Plus much more. (Via Facebook.) And while many of the events are free, for ticketed ones you can purchase online here. Prost!

Ninkasi Brewing (Eugene): The brewery’s Pints for a Cause fundraiser today is benefiting Nearby Nature: “Join us at the Tasting Room for Pints for a Cause! From noon to 10pm, $1 from every pint sold in the Tasting Room will go to Nearby Nature! ‘Our group is dedicated to fostering appreciation of nature nearby and providing tools for ecological living.'” Make sure to stop by and help out with a pint or three today.

Corvallis Beer Week rolls on today, with the following events in the schedule:

• Strange Brew at The Whiteside Theater at 7:30pm, presented by Corvallis Brewing Supply
• Mazama Brewing Beer Dinner at Big River Restaurant at 6:30pm
• 3 v 3 Soccer Tournament at Corvallis Sports Park with 2 Towns Ciderhouse starting at 7pm

McMenamins Edgefield (Troutdale) has its monthly limited-edition beer tasting tonight from 5 to 8pm in the brewery. No word yet on what the beer will be, but it’s a good opportunity to check out the largest brewery of the McMenamins facilities and meet the brewers to chat about their creations.

Portland’s Beer bar is hosting Breakside Brewery for a fresh hop tap takeover today—Fresh to Death! “Come join us and the fine folks of Breakside Brewing for an all 10 tap takeover featuring some of their critically acclaimed and perennially award winning fresh hop beers! This will be all about comparing OG recipes to the Fresh Hop version, so come ready to nerd out with the grand master flash freezers of fresh hops!” The fun starts at 6pm.

The Brown Owl (Bend) is throwing its own “fresh hop party” today starting at 7pm: “Since we have officially entered the best time of year, we are throwing an impromptu “Fresh Hop” party this Thursday at 7pm! We’ll be featuring beers from Crux Fermentation Project, Ancestry Brewing, 10 Barrel Brewing Co, and Ex Novo Brewing! Have a pint or line them all up in one of our tasting flights!”

ABV Public House (Hillsboro) is celebrating LynnFest 3.0 today: “It’s that time of year again! Lynn is taking over the ENTIRE TAPLIST in celebration of her birthday. 30+ taps of her favorite beer, all at once! Prepare yourselves.” Hit that link for the full list.

Corvallis’ Oregon Trail Brewery added a note about tonight’s Beer Week movie: “We will be serving our strangest brew- Perpetual Harmonium tonight during the showing of Strange Brew at the Whiteside along with many other local brews in celebration of Corvallis Beer Week.”

Royale Brewing (Portland) is putting a new barrel-aged beer on tap tonight: “Tonight at the taproom we release the next beer in our barrel-aged series: 🍺 You Betcha! We styled this like an Old Fashioned, coming in at 9.8% ABV & 28 IBU. It’s a blend of a French Saison and a Belgian style Tripel aged with cherries in a George Dickel Tennessee Whiskey barrel. Freshly zested with Valencia oranges. Bright cirtus/orange aromatics with notes of tropical fruit and sherry. Medium bodied mouthfeel with a warm oaky and vanilla finish. Inspired by the classic cocktail.”

The Fresh Hop Pop-Up Beer Fest in Portland continues today at Burnside Brewing, with the following fresh hop beers on deck: Pelican Brewing: Fresh Hop Centennial, Level Beer: FH Let’s Play Pilsner (Strata), and Baerlic Brewing: Hellsner (fresh hop Pilsner).

Stickmen Brewing (Lake Oswego) has fresh hops on tap: “Our second FRESH HOP beer is now on tap (both locations). Cloudy with a Chance of [fresh] Strata is a Double Hazy IPA with fresh Strata hops from @goschiefarms. This beer is bursting with tropical fruit notes with a touch of dankness.”

Migration Brewing (Portland) is now distributing cans of its Straight Outta Portland IPA and Patio Pale Ale, Brewpublic reports: “Shortly after Migration Brewing opened its new production brewery in Gresham, Oregon back in June, it began canning two of its most popular beers. This new canning from the brewery resulted in both Straight Outta Portland IPA and Patio Pale Ale to become available in six-pack, 12oz cans. Today the brewer announced that both Straight Outta Portland IPA and Patio Pale Ale are now available in distribution through its distributer Columbia Distributing. These two can offerings are just the beginning of a long-term strategy that includes additional seasonal can releases that will begin in the coming months during the fall season.” Watch for additional offerings to come out the Gresham product brewery in the near future.