Good Thursday to you! Here’s the news and events in beer from around the state for this November 8—incidentally, only two weeks away from Thanksgiving! As usual I will be updating this post throughout the day with the latest news as I get it, so check back often. And please feel free to contact me anytime with news or information too.

Saraveza (Portland) is hosting Firestone Walker Brewing for a FW Vintage Night tonight from 6 to 8pm: “We’re digging into the cellar and pulling out some of our favorite Firestone Walker kegs. On Thursday, November 8th we’ll be pouring: 2013 Sucaba, 2015 XIX Anniversary, 2015 Parabola, 2015 Bretta Weisse, and 2016 Agrestic.”

Rock Bottom Brewery (Portland) is hosting a Pints with a Purpose fundraiser this evening, in honor with this weekend’s Veterans Day holiday by tapping Veterans Day IPA starting at 5:30pm: “Join us for this month’s Pints with a Purpose, celebrating Veterans Day! We’ll tap our Veterans Day IPA with proceeds going towards Transition Projects, Inc., a non-profit in Portland that works with veterans and people experiencing homelessness. A group of Transition Projects veterans came in and helped brew this IPA specially for you, Portland! All proceeds from the Veterans Day IPA for the first hour of the tapping party go toward Transition Projects, and $0.25 from every pint of the Veterans IPA sold thereafter! We will also be donating 15% of the total sales from the evening, so come hungry and leave happy!”

Bend’s new Spider City Brewing (read more about it here) is opening up its brewery taproom for the first time this weekend: “Finally! Soft opening this Friday and Saturday 2-8pm. Come down and check out our tap room and enjoy a beer! Cheers! 177 SE 9th St., Bend, OR. 97702.”

McMenamins Edgefield (Troutdale) has its monthly limited-edition beer tasting today in the Brewery from 5 to 8pm, giving you a chance to meet the brewers and sample a new limited specialty beer. No mention on what beer will be pouring this evening but I’d expect something fun.

Belmont Station (Portland) is hosting Ascendant Beer Company this evening for a tapping of its Willamette Week Pro/Am keg: “Our dear friend Jason Jamie and Ascendant brewing teamed up for this years Willamette Week’s Beer and Cider Pro/Am and we’re excited to show off what kind of skills this guys got. Beers will include:
Wrath Of Pekahn – (Jason’s Pro/Am Beer) A Bock-style lager brewed with Pecans
Glow and Plunder – A German style Pilsner brewed w/ all Southern Hemisphere hops
Jason and the good folks from Ascendant brewing here to chat about the Pro/Am experience and all things Ascendant Brewing.”

Sunriver Brewing is hosting a $1/Pint Fundraiser at both pub locations, benefiting the Bend Art Center today: “Grab some friends and head out to one of Sunriver Brewing Company’s two locations for a pint and support the arts! Every pint sold earns $1 and supports our exhibits, studio workshops and education programs.” The fundraiser hours are from 3 to 8pm.

Portland’s Wayfinder Beer tapped a new beer yesterday: “[W]e are unleashing TIME SPIRAL a Munich Dunkel. Dunkel lager-style beers are popularly made in Munich. Time Spiral Munich Dunkel incorporates subtle roasted malts, biscuity Munich-style malts, a double-decocted mashing program, and a long, cold-conditioning process. Don’t let the color fool you; even though it’s quite dark, Time Spiral is not filling or sweet but satisfying even in large amounts. 5.5% ABV 18 IBU”

Pelican Brewing (Pacific City) is releasing a new experimental hybrid beer—The Grapes of Mash, combining beer and wine. From the press release: “Pelican Brewing Company celebrates the fall crush with the release of its first-ever beer made with fresh harvested Gewürztraminer grapes—welcome The Grapes of Mash Beer-jolais Nouveau. The experimental hybrid, which receives 55% of its extract from malt and 45% from the grapes, is a nod to the seasonal French Beaujolais Nouveau tradition and has been a longtime brainchild of Pelican’s founding brewmaster, Darron Welch. The Pelican brewing team now introduces the exciting new seasonal beverage hailed for its complex, rounded fruit, spicy aromatics, subtle malt aroma and bright tart finish. The beer will be available in November on draft only at Pelican brewpubs and specialty retail partners.” Sounds like one to definitely seek out!

Occidental Brewing (Portland): Lucubrator Doppelbock is back for the season: “Our award-winning Doppelbock is hitting shelves today! This year’s batch is the best yet! Let us know which retail spots you’d like to see this at.”

Nectar Creek Mead (Philomath) has a special release mead available now: “We have a special release of our single varietal Chicory mead available in our Tap Room! This is an amazing product with only 10 cases available that we were able to pull out of cellar. Come and get some before it is gone.”