Happy first day of winter! And in addition to the winter solstice, today (Friday) is also National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day! Celebrating is easy — just wear an ugly Christmas sweater today, especially if you show up to any of the beer events taking place.

This is also the last daily new post of the year — I’m taking the holidays and final week off! I’ll be updating this post throughout the day Friday with the weekend news, so be sure to revisit. And then, merry Christmas!

Friday, Dec. 21

Santiam Brewing (Salem) kicks off its annual weekend-long “End of the World” Vintage Ales Festival on Friday: “Our first winter Vintage Ale Festival dubbed “The End of the World” was held on the eve of the 2012 apocalypse prediction. Our annual Vintage Ale Festival held near the solstice has since been known as the “End of the World” celebration. No Cover Charge. 15 vintage ales available. Ales will be tapped over the course of the three days of the event. New ales tapped each day.”

Reverend Nat’s Hard Cider (Portland) hosts a Winter Cider Night starting at 4pm: “Darkness descends. The year draws to a close. On the evening of the winter solstice, join me for good cheer and 12 taps of my seasonal ciders. You may also wish to take advantage of an excellent sale price of 30% off all to-go bottles and cans during this evening only, for all your holiday needs.” Check out the event page for the list of ciders pouring.

Ex Novo Brewing (Portland) has a couple of big beer releases for you on this solstice: “This Friday marks the Winter Solstice and the yearly release of our barrel-aged imperial stout, Kill the Sun. This year, we’ve decided to bottle up a variant as well, adding coffee and vanilla to the mix. Both these beers are tasting super delicious and we can’t wait to share them with you all. Get one of each, a KTS tulip glass, and a heavyweight zip hoodie for $80! Individual pricing on each bottle is $12, hoodies are $60, and the glass goes for $6, if you’re not into the whole gift set thing.”

Belmont Station (Portland) welcomes Grains of Wrath Brewing for a can release event from 5 to 8pm: “We are stoked to be one of the first places in Portland to get our hands on Grains of Wrath’s first canned offering. Overkill IPA is brewed in the vein of a classic west coast style IPA. It boasts notes of stonefruit, diesel, passionfruit, citrus, piney, dank all rounded out by a sturdy yet subtle malt backbone. Founder/owner/brewer Mike Hunsaker will be here hanging out talking shop and helping us introduce you to the fine folks of Grains of Wrath brewing. We will also have a special something on draft as well.”

Widmer Brothers Brewing (Portland) will be at Proper Pint Taproom for a collaboration beer release starting at 5pm: “Join us in celebrating the release of a Dry Lager Duo collaboration between BEER kakurega (the brainchild of Mark Keene and Yoshi Yamakawa) and Widmer Brothers Brewing. All proceeds from these beers will be donated to The ALS Association Oregon and SW Washington Chapter.”

Portland’s Rosenstadt Brewery has a new beer release taking place at Olympia Provisioins, a Sticke Altbier: “Stop by at the Olympia Provisions Public House and be one of the first to try the Sticke Altbier and chat with the Rosenstadt brewers.” The release is from 5 to 8pm.

Saturday, Dec. 22

The new Beachcrest Brewing in Gleneden Beach is holding its soft opening on Saturday! “Join us at Beachcrest Brewing Company located in the shops at Salishan for our soft opening! The taproom will be open for all ages from noon-9 and 21 and up to close out the night. Featured will be Beachcrest’s one of a kind ales, Oregon wine, Italian cream sodas, cider, kombucha and light snacks.”

McMenamins 23rd Avenue Bottle Shop (Portland) is hosting a cider tasting with Rev Nat’s on Saturday from 2 to 4pm.

Fort George Brewery (Astoria): The latest in the brewery’s Field of Greens series is coming out Saturday, codenamed Henry. “Look for this batch at the brewery starting Saturday, December 22nd, around the Pacific Northwest soon after. Fields of Green is an evolving series where every batch is unique. Henry features Hallertau Blanc, Meridian, Citra, and experimental X09236 hops.”

Ruse Brewing (Portland) has its Holiday Extravaganza taking place Saturday night: “Come on down this Saturday. We have the legendary Peter LeClair with a rotating cast of 14 musicians, to fill your ears with all the classics. There will be an onsite food truck [details to come], a merchandise raffle, and of course a beer release. Looking forward to debuting, Sunstone, a mimosa inspired extra dry sparkler ale with tangerine. Come dressed in your best casual holiday gear! Let’s party!”

Sunday, Dec. 23

December 23 is my birthday! I’ll be enjoying some great beer and taking it easy.

The BeerMongers (Portland) is celebrating Christmas Eve Eve (or Festivus, if you’re a Seinfeld fan) all day Sunday. “Festivus for the rest of us! We do this every year. We’re digging through the cellar as we speak putting together a list for you fine folks.” There’s a fine taplist posted on the event page.