Sometimes we can forget how freakin’ cool it is to have a Deschutes Brewpub in downtown Portland. Not long ago, you’d have to make the three hour trek out to Bend to get your paws on some of the exclusives that are now just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Even better, too, is that now that there are more locations, this means more tasty one-off Deschutes’ brews in general.

This week, as usual, we rolled into Deschutes Portland and were gladdened by the presence of some interesting new brews.

One of Oregon’s most anticipated brew events kicks off this Saturday. On February 13, 2010, the second year of Zwickelmania, a celebration of craft beer, gives thirsty beer lovers across Beervana an inside glimpse into daily Oregonian brewhouse operations and even better, provides them with tastes of what we love.

Running from 11 am to 4pm, Zwickelmania, in conjunction with the Oregon Brewers Guild, is a free statewide event that offers visitors a chance to tour Oregon breweries, meet the brewers and sample their favorite beers.

Here’s some highlights of this year’s Zwickelmania that we recommend you check out if you get the chance.

On Tuesday November Beer zealots in Portland lined up around the block of Deschutes Brewpub to be some of the first to get their paws on this year’s Abyss. Promptly at 2PM, the side door on NW Couch Street opened and the faithful were received by pub staff with platters of samples before heading through the restaurant and toward the front entrance. Deschutes’ Portland lead brewer Cam O’Connor welcomed the drooling masses while the first 48 in line who opted to purchase at least six bottles (but limited to twelve bottles on this day) were allowed to purchase a single bottle autographed by Deschutes brewmaster Larry Sidor.

This year’s Abyss was characteristically robust but appeared a bit boozier than in years past. Lots of bourbon up front could indicated that some cellaring might not hurt. The 11% ABV wax dipped imperial stout was at the epicenter of the pub on this autumn day. What’s in your cellar?

Longtime McMenamins brewing fixture Corey Blodgett will be leaving the brewpub chain after being laid off after more than seven years with the company. One of the most creative and respected McMenamin brewers, Blodgett has recently been living in Bend, Oregon, brewing at the McMenamins St. Francis School. This was his latest work after brewing at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse and Edgefield. For craft brew geeks, this is perhaps another reason to pass on what some refer to as “McBeer.” Blodgett’s ability to push the envelope stylistically should benefit him as he seeks out a new gig within the industry. Blodgett also has expressed some interest in opening his own place.  “So things are a bit hectic.” he said. “Not too sure what is waiting for me in the wings. There are at least two options of opening a place as well as other brewing openings. But right now is time to relax for the first time in 8 years.”

Corey Blodgett will be celebrating with his friends this Wednesday night, at O’Kanes at McMenamins Old St. Francis  “(This) will be my last event before moving on to greener pastures.” he said.  “We will be releasing an Oak Aged, Cask Conditioned Oktoberfest, tapping it at 5 pm. There also might be a keg of Organic Coffee Stout, or IPA, or Troubador Belgian Wheat. Come and celebrate with me Wednesday at O’Kanes Bar at the Old St. Francis School in Bend.”

Raise your glass to Corey Blodgett and wish him well!

Holy freakin’ crap! There’s a lot of beer stuff on the calendar this time of year, and today is a perfect example. We just enjoyed hanging out with the crew at New Old Lompoc at their 5th Quadrant Side Bar in celebration of Oktoberfest (sure it was 90 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday, but nonetheless, an excuse to quaff is an excuse to quaff.)

Our Brewpublic calendar is stretched out with lots of fun things to do that involve sippin’ on a tasty craft brew. Here’s a look at what you might consider today if you don’t already have plans. We’ll do our best to hit ‘em all, but that isn’t always an option.

Brewer Tyler West of Silver Moon

Brewpublican Mike Weksler of Green Bottling, informed us today that their crew is bottling up some beers at Silver Moon Brewing in Bend, Oregon. 300 cases of Amber, Porter, Hefe, and IPA should be on shelves soon. According to Mike, “The Amber is a real standout – flavor and sessionable.”

If you are a beer geek in the Pacific Northwest, you’d have to be living under a rock to not know the importance of July for craft beer in Oregon. For the fifth consecutive year, the Oregon Brewers Guild headed by Brian Butenschoen has organized a magnificent schedule of events to highlight the significance of craft brew in our great state. Butenschoen notes that the summer is undoubtedly the most successful month for craft brewers in the state. “It’s not surprising considering the weather here” says Butenschoen, who was on hand raffling off t-shirts and prizes at the Horse Brass Pub on the month’s kick off party. “(Craft beer) makes its peak in July and August. Since we started doing this five years ago, we’ve had a proclamation from the governor and mayor.” A parade of brewers kicks off the Oregon Brew Fest during the last weekend of July.  the inspiration was taken from the Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Week. For Butenschoen and others dedicated to promoting the craft that is so vital to Oregon’s economy July involves a lot of hard work but is also very much worth it. “It’s Craziness, but a good kind of crazy” he says. “The Brewer’s Dinner that kicks off the OBF is the closest thing to the brewers reception at the Great American Beer Fest. Lots of different specialty beers.” Butenschoen explains that the fest is really about the brewers. The dinner is a great way for industry people to gather in one spot in a great environment, Tom McCall Waterfront Park. “It’s more of a gathering than a sit down dinner” he says. “It’s nice to be on the river drinking good beer with friends.”

Deschutes brewmaster, Larry Sidor, has a background that may surprise some. For someone who has come up with such boldly innovated recipes at Deschutes such as The Dissident and The Abyss, many may not guess that Larry got his start at the Olympia Brewing Company.

“I spent 23 years at Olympia. You name it I did. It started as a journeyman situation after I graduated from OSU with a degree in the food sciences. From there I did a six-month brewing apprenticeship and performed every aspect in brewing possible. After that I was sent to Siebels, and back at that time it was a four-month course. When I returned I was named project assistant brewmaster at Olympia.”

From there Larry was promoted to Operations Manager for the entire brewery and during that time Pabst bought out Olympia. Larry remained with the company and became the R&D Manager, QA Manager, wrote and developed contract brewing situations and even brewed in Japan and China. Larry brewed such brands as Stroh’s, Lone Star, Lucky Lager, Brew 102 and even the Beer Beer (the can just said “Beer” on the side) and of course all the Pabst’s Brands.

Bend, Oregon is a true beer town. On a recent three night stay I find myself experiencing some of the best brews Central Oregon had to offer. With six different breweries to experience I definitely had a full schedule of beer tasting ahead of me.

On my first night I made the drive to Sisters, Oregon (about 20 minutes northwest of Bend) to see what was new at Three Creeks Brewing. I was lucky enough to find three seasonal offering from Brewmaster Dave Fleming. After sampling the Twisted Sisters Summer Stout, HooDoo VooDoo IPA and the Ryemosa (an orange infused rye ale, more on that later) I decided to go with the Summer Stout. It actually ended up being a perfect pairing to the Blue Cheese Pear Salad that I ordered for dinner. The subtle smokey and coffee like flavors of this light summer stout balanced the sweet notes from the marion berry dressing nicely and the creaminess of the blue cheese mellowed out the flavors nicely. After dinner, I had to get a glass of the Ryemosa just to really experience this beer. This has to be the cloudiest beer I have ever had. It actually looks like someone mixed this beer with orange juice. While thankfully, they did not, you can definitely tell there is some kind of orange flavoring added. Dave really has a mind for creating some very unique beers that taste great.

Once back in Bend, I walked over to Bend Brewing to see what was on tap. I was delighted to find the Black Diamond Dark Lager. A Negro Modelo-style dark lager that won a gold at the World Beer Cup this year. At the pub the beer was served with a lime.  I really enjoyed this beer and had to bring a growler back for Angelo to try.

On my next night on the town I made a quick trip over to Silvermoon Brewing. Earlier in the day I had seen their sign out front that intrigued me to find out what the Epic Trail Ale was all about. Turns out that this beer is a fundraiser beer for the Bend Trail Alliance, the Tumalo Langlauf Club and the Central Oregon Trail Alliance and is an ongoing program to benefit human powered activities in Central Oregon. The beer itself was very drinkable. A light Scottish style ale that tasted more like a light summery pale ale to me. This beer is available in 22’s. Another interesting sounding beer on the menu was the Heather n’ Rye, a Belgian style rye brewed with heather tips and hops. While sounding delicious the beer was a bit of a disappointment. I did not taste anything Belgian about this beer except for maybe a mild spice profile. The flavor was more creamy in body then anything else.