Friday, September 28 is National Drink Beer Day, which is probably a no-brainer if you’re reading this site. And happy Friday! Here’s your Oregon beer news for this final weekend of September! As usual I’ll be updating this post throughout the day (Friday) so check back in from time to time to keep up on everything that’s happening.

It’s an Oktoberfest weekend and a fresh hop weekend, with plenty of activities for both taking place. To avoid being redundant, I’m simply listing out all of the various events of each. Let’s start with fresh hops:

• Portland Fresh Hops Beer Fest at Oaks Amusement Park, Portland – Friday and Saturday
• Sisters Fresh Hop Festival at Three Creeks Production Brewery, Sisters – Saturday
• 9th Annual Fresh Hop Summit at Roscoe’s, Portland – Friday–Sunday
• Grains Of Wrath Fresh Hop Showcase at N.W.I.P.A., Portland – Friday
• Grains of Wrath Fresh Hop Tasting at Imperial Bottle Shop Alberta, Portland – Saturday
• Gluten-Free Fresh Hop Festival at Ground Breaker Brewing, Portland – Saturday

And now, Oktoberfest events:

• Oktoberfest at Prost! Portland – Friday–Sunday
• 10th annual Bloktoberfest at Block 15 Brewing, Corvallis – Friday and Saturday
• Oktoberfest at Beergarden, Eugene – ongoing
• Oktoberfest at Belmont Station, Portland – ongoing
• Widmer Brothers Brewing 14th Annual Oktoberfest in Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland – Saturday
• Oktoberfest at the Oregon Zoo, Portland – Saturday
• Oktoberfest at On Tap food cart lot, Bend – Saturday
• Rocktoberfest at Oregon City Brewing – Saturday
• 6th Annual Moo -N- Brew at The Hoppy Brewer, Gresham – Saturday
• Oktoberfest at Tiger Town Brewing, Mitchell – Saturday
• 2nd Annual Kennedy School Oktoberfest Brewfest at McMenamins Kennedy School, Portland – Saturday
• Oktoberfest at McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale – Sunday
• Oktoberfest Brewer’s Dinner at Falling Sky Brewing, Eugene – Sunday

Friday, 9/28

Monkless Belgian Ales (Bend) is celebrating its 2nd anniversary in its current location with a party Friday from 4 to 9pm: “Cheers to two Years of Belgian Beers! Bring the friends & family & help us celebrate our second anniversary! We’re roping off the parking lot, setting up a temporary outside bar with a fire-pit, firing up a live band, & even live-printing T-shirts to send you home with!” Tours will run from 5 to 8pm, an outdoor bar will be set up, and more.

The annual Pacific Northwest Brew Cup kicks off on Friday in Astoria, and runs through the weekend: The Pacific Northwest Brew Cup is an annual beer festival held the last full weekend in September in beautiful Astoria, Oregon. The festival features northwest beers on tap Friday through Sunday, along with live music, food vendors, and activities for the kiddos. Admission is FREE. To taste beer you’ll need a souvenir mug ($12 each) and tokens ($1 each).” And for the beer lineup and details: “Over forty beers and ciders from across the Pacific Northwest will compete in the 15th Annual PNW Brew Cup to be the first keg to blow in the “Thar She Blows” contest. Participating breweries will also compete for the People’s Choice Award. Who will it be this year?”

Worthy Brewing (Bend) is hosting a Craft Beer & Cheese Pairing Friday at 5pm: “Calling all beer lovers! You’re invited to Worthy Brewing’s craft beer & artisan cheese pairing dinner September 28, 5-6:30pm. Guests can expect to have their senses dazzled by a certified Ciserone beer presentation that compliments various types of local, artisan cheeses and select meats. Come and try 5 different beer & cheese pairings & charcuterie plates as well. MUST RSVP by purchasing a ticket in advance. Tickets are $30/person and can be purchased online here.”

The Bier Stein (Eugene) is hosting the Eugene release of Zoiglhaus Brewing on Friday at 5pm: “Stop by for a pint, meet their crew, and see what they’re all about as we continue our celebration of Oktoberfest!” There will be samples and swag as well.

Deschutes Brewery (Bend): Friday evening from 5 to 9pm, Deschutes is hosting a Community Bonfire for a Cause, continuing to raise money for Colby Nightingale: “Join us for a Bonfire down at The Marina to celebrate our community and to help raise funds for our fellow Deschutes Brewery co-owner, Colby Nightingale, who was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Invite your friends, family, and neighbors for an evening of beer, s’mores, good company and great conversation over a nice warm fire! BYOC (bring your own chair) and we’ll see you there!”

GoodLife Brewing (Bend) is celebrating its gold medal GABF win for Sweet As on Friday, with Sweet As beer specials starting at 3pm: “Sweet As! just won another Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival making it back to back years winning the American-Style Wheat Beer category! Grab some friends and come on down to the biergarten to celebrate with us this Friday from 3pm-8pm! It’s going to be 85 degrees and sunny, so the $3 pints of Sweet As! are going to taste even better!”

Ratchet Brewery (Salem) is hosting its first Firkin Friday: “This Friday we’re starting a new Friday tradition called Firkin Fridays! The Firkin holds a unique beer you will only be able to get TODAY! We will tap the firkin at 5:30 and pour the beer until it’s gone. It’s only 30-40 pints so come early so you don’t miss out! The beer from the Firkin will be one your favorite Ratchet beers with a twist. This week we’re pouring Shake n Bake fermented with elderberries and cinnamon!”

Saturday, 9/29

Redmond’s newest brewery, Porter Brewing, is celebrating its official grand opening on Saturday! Porter is an all-cask, English real ale-style brewpub, that quietly opened up recently with three beers on tap and more coming. “📣 Join us in celebrating Porter Brewing Co.’s GRAND OPENING!
🍻 Come hang out, grab some beer, BBQ and enjoy a day of fun!
🚪 Our doors will open at 11:30am and the ribbon cutting will begin at 3:00pm.
👨‍👧 This is a family-friendly event.”

Vertigo Brewing (Hillsboro) celebrates ten years of brewing beer on Saturday! “This Saturday we will hit a major milestone. We got our license to brew on September 29th, 2008. To celebrate 10 years, we are throwing a party. We will have two food trucks (Mad Greek Deli and Cajun Papa’s). There will be raffles throughout the day. Your first pint will be served in a commemorative glass that you get to keep (while supplies last). We wouldn’t still be here without the undying support of our amazing customers. I hope you will set a little time out of your day to come by and see us. Thanks for everything!” Big congratulations on lasting a decade!

Feckin Brewery (Oregon City) is celebrating its fifth anniversary this weekend: “Come out and help the Feckin Irish Brew Co. celebrate their 5 Year Anniversary! Axe Throwing, Arm Wrestling, great food and beer…….and Tin Silver closes out the festivities! Come out and party with us!” Congrats!

And Lebanon’s Conversion Brewing is celebrating its third anniversary, in conjunction with the fourth annual Lebanon Brewfest on Saturday: “It’s our Anniversary! We’ve had the pleasure of serving our community for 3 years now! Count ’em…1…2…THREE! Gabriel Cox band will send us into our 3 Year Anniversary & Lebanon Brewfest After Party from 8:30-10:45! We’re celebrating YOU being a part of our Conversion family! You don’t want to miss this! Plus, it’s our Barrel Berry Ale Beer Release! all day long! Come try the best beer you’ve ever put in your mouth! It’s an extra special barrel fermented raspberry oaked ale, made with 52 pounds of Oregon raspberries, the finest charred oak, and all the love our Brewers have! Just put it in your mouth…and say it 3x fast!”

As for the Lebanon Brewfest: “Located in Downtown Lebanon, Oregon, the 4th Annual Brewfest will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 1 PM to 9 PM. Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Santiam serving Lebanon and Sweet Home Communities.” There will be around two dozens breweries pouring, and there are a variety of ticket price options here.

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting its Saturday Sampling with Brewer JC Nelson from 2 to 4pm, and featuring Mr. Sandman Stout: “The Bringer of Dreams is back! This time as a sweet, robust Stout that’s perfect for daydreaming, or a night cap. Flavors of chocolate and coffee are met with hints of nut, vanilla, spice and toffee, making a perfect scape for High Council Brandy soaked American Oak spirals added to each keg. There’s a smooth but prominent layer to this delightful beverage. Sweet dreams!”

10 Barrel Brewing (Bend): The Portland Pub is hosting the first of the brewery’s Pray For Snow parties on Saturday: “This year we’re taking Pray For Snow to a whole new level. Join us on September 29th for the World Premiere of our Ski and Snowboard Movie, Pray For Snow, featuring: Ben Ferguson, Curtis Ciszek, Eric Jackson, and Lucas Wachs. Join us for live music, prize giveaways, special beer tappings, Timberline Lodge & Ski Area season pass pickups, and more!” Pray For Snow is 10 Barrel’s seasonal winter beer.

Bauman’s Cider Company (Gervais) is hosting its third annual Cider Festival on Saturday and Sunday, as part of the company’s larger Harvest Festival going on all weekend. The $20 price tag includes the souvenir glass, eight tasting tickets (additionally available at $1 apiece), and access to over 30 different ciders from all around the state.

Falling Sky Brewing in Eugene has a Brewshed Benefit Day all day Saturday: “Join Oregon Wild and the Oregon Brewshed Alliance for an exciting “pint for a cause” event on Saturday, September 29th! Oregon Brewshed Alliance partner, Falling Sky, is sponsoring a benefit event at their Brewpub location on Oak Alley. For every pint sold all day Falling Sky will donate $1 to the Oregon Brewshed Alliance and Oregon Wild to continue our conservation work to protect our incredible forests, wildlands, and waters.”

The Upper Lip above Bailey’s Taproom in Portland is hosting its “Cantillon” Day on Saturday: “Miss out on tickets to that special day by Cantillon this year? Join us and Shelton Brothers on September 29th for “Cantillon” Day at The Upper Lip! We’ll be featuring four draft offerings from Cantillon along side some of our favorite beers in the Shelton Brothers catalog.”

Sunday, 9/30

Beerworks (Medford) has “Special Tap Sunday” pouring on, well, Sunday: “Special Tap Sunday is almost here and we’ve got a keg of another Hazy Beer! Drop in to our Medford location on September 30th to enjoy a pour of “A Terrible Idea” hazy IPA from the collective efforts of 21st Amendment Brewery and Fieldwork Brewing Company!”

General News

Mt. Tabor Brewing (Portland) has freshly-tapped fresh hops out now: “It’s that CRAZY time of year known as Fresh Hop Season and we just tapped our Mosaic Fresh Hop Hazy Pale Ale. Loaded with tons of Mosaic hops grown in the Willamette Valley, this year’s version is packed with all the flavors and aromas that you have come to love during fresh hop season!”

Portland’s Rock Bottom Brewery has fresh hops out now too: “Happy National Drink Beer day! We are celebrating with our freshly tapped #FreshHop IPA, Hop Farm. We used 100lbs of fresh Comet hops and whipped this one up for you, PORTLAND! So Comet Get It!”

Not to be outdone, Salem Ale Works has its fresh hop beers that need drinking: “This year’s fresh hop beers are going quick! Stop by and try our Drip Torch NW Red and our Wy’east Blonde before it’s too late. These once a year beers are made with hops harvested from a local farm. Within hours of being harvested we are brewing with them, it doesn’t get much fresher than that!”

Worthy Brewing has a nitro stout on tap (just in time for the cheese pairing?): “Nitro Stout is on tap today at @worthybrewing only! Oats and milk sugar lend a smooth, soft body with some residual sweetness. 7.7% ABV & 30 IBU. Friday open viewings are also happening today at The Hopservatory. Stop by to enjoy Nitro Stout and the night sky.”