Celebrate Fred Eckhardt, Star Wars, Bicycles and Gigantic Brewing – Beer Events Beginning May 4

John Foyston | May 4, 2017 | Beer events | No Comments

A stellar crew turned out at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall last month to brew Benvention Imperial Mild as a tribute to Ben Flerchinger, the longtime and much-loved Lucky Lab brewer who suddenly passed away in March. Hundreds of friends, family, brewers and industry types turned out for a memorial last Sunday at the Lucky Lab Beer Hall that included tears, hugs, toasts, photos, great Ben stories and the tribute beer, which was was on tap with several others including the last collaboration Ben brewed at Lompoc and Zeppelin Amber, a beer he brewed at his sadly short stint at 54′ 40″ Brewing in Washougal, WA. (FoystonFoto)

*Benvention Imperial Mild recipe. This beer was brewed in honor of the late Ben Flerchinger. (FoystonFoto)*

Celebrate Fred Eckhardt, Star Wars, bicycles and Gigantic Brewing with good beer, of course. Here are the Portland beer events for the week of May 4th.

Star Wars Marathon
Noon-11 p.m. Thursday May 4, Chill N Fill, 5215 N Lombard St.;
Join Ecliptic Brewing and the Chill N Fill crew in celebrating everyone’s favorite science-fiction series as they screen Star Wars Episodes I – VI all day with sound. Also: Star Destroyer, an Imperial Darkside Lager, a collaboration between Ecliptic Brewing and Gigantic Brewing Company will be pouring, and Chewbacca will be pouring pints at 5 p.m., plus prizes for best dressed.

Fourth Annual Star Wars Beer Fest
Noon-close Thursday, May 4, Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, 3090 SE Division St.;
Celebrate May the Fourth, International Star Wars Day, in the best way possible: with good beer and screenings of Star Wars Episodes IV – VI — aka the real ones — plus the yearly costume contest with a $50 gift certificate for the winner, appearances by the Mandalorian Mercs and Outer Rim Collective costumes clubs (both licensed by LucasFilms), a Sci-Fi art show, and — dare one say it? — an out-of-this-world Star- Wars-themed tap list, including:

– Falling Sky Brewing Lightsaber Lager
– Lompoc Lando Kolschrissian
– Burnside Darth Sidious Saison
– Ancestry WampaWit
– Gigantic Elegant Weapon Hibiscus Lime Wit
– Montavilla Vader Sessions ISA
– Base Camp Brewing Co. Ultra Jar Jar IPA
– StormBreaker Brewing Son of Jango IPA
– Oregon City Brewing Mango Fett IPA
– Coalition Brewing Empire Strikes Bitter (ESB)
– Royale Brewing “One Armed Wampa” Red Ale
– Baerlic Brewing Hyperdrive Coffee Red
– Ecliptic/Gigantic Imperial Star Destroyer Imperial Dark Lager
– Fort George May the Oats Be with You Stout
– Seattle Cider Jyn Botanical cider
– Rev Nat’s Thai Fighter Tepache
– Ninkasi ImperiAle Imperial Stout
– Knee Deep Dark Side Belgian Imperial Stout
– Block 15 Super Nebula Bourbon Chocolate Imperial Stout

Movies will start at 12:30 PM, with short breaks between each. Sign up for the costume contest at our register and make sure the bartender takes a photo of you when you sign up. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners will respectively receive a $50 gift card, $25 gift card, and a growler with a gift card to fill it. Also make sure and check out the art wall of Star Wars and other Sci-Fi art made by local artists and offered at great prices.

*Gigantic Brewing’s label for its newly bottles Kölschtastic features words from Diamond Dave, aka David Lee Roth.*

Gigantic Kolschtastic Release Party
5 p.m. – close, Thursday May 4, White Owl Social Club, 1305 SE eighth Ave.; 21 & older only.
Celebrate five years of Gigantic Brewing with the release of their new year-round beer Kölschtastic. Also: five Gigantic Beers on Tap plus DJs Cherri Rose and Danava playing tunes from the Rock N’ Roll Gods

Gigantic Brewing Fifth Anniversary Show
7 p.m. Friday May 5, Star Theater, 13 NW Sixth Ave.; $15
Gigantic celebrates five years with a night of tasty beer and local music, including Y La Bamba, Wooden Indian Burial Ground, bed and The Comfy Boyz. Gigantic was founded in SE Portland in 2012 with one mission: to make delicious beer. Gigantic labels feature original art created by artists from around the world. Recently the brewery also started pairing songs with their beers, including a free download on each seasonal beer label. The show features bands that have or will appear on Gigantic seasonal beer releases.

Filmed by Bike Opening Night Street Party
5-9:30 p.m. Friday May 5, Velo Cult Bike Shop + Tavern Back Parking Lot, 1990 NE 41st Ave.; free, all ages.
Filmed By Bike has grown into a major event. This year it comprises 80 films from 74 filmmakers from 18 countries over three days. The party features the Base Camp Brewing Beer Garden, live DJs, main stage entertainment, Bike Confessional Storytelling Booth, a photo booth, live performance art, the slow bike race, lots of bike parking and group processions from the party to the Hollywood Theatre.

Big Brew Worldwide Toast
10 a.m. PDT Saturday May 6, you favorite pub or homebrew supply shop
More than a million Americans now brew their own beer and in honor of National Homebrew Day, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) celebrates AHA Big Brew on the first Saturday in May. Throughout the day on May 6, hundreds of bars, breweries, shops and homebrew clubs nationwide will host their local communities to brew on-site for a national, same-day homebrewing session. This year’s official Big Brew recipes— Rushmore American IPA, Battre L’oie Saison and Klang Freudenfest Oktoberfest Lager—celebrate the upcoming release of the fourth edition of How to Brew by John Palmer, which is one of the all-time best and most beloved homebrewing guides. At noon CDT, all homebrewers and beer lovers are encouraged to raise their glass in a simultaneous toast to the hobby.

*The great Fred Eckhardt at the first FredFest held at the former, original location of Hair of the Dog. (image courtesy of The Oregonian)*

*Fred Eckhardt was always a staple at the many beer festivals in the Rose City. (FoystonFoto)*

12th Annual FredFest
2- 6 p.m. Sunday May 7, Hair of the Dog Brewing Co., 61 SE Yamhill St.; $85 includes beer and buffet.
Dear Fred Eckhardt is no longer with us, damn the luck, but his influence lives on, as does his birthday party, FredFest. It’s a celebration of Fred Eckhardt’s life and his seminal role in beer culture, as we know it today. Tickets are $85 and include a commemorative glass and an endless beer food buffet. This year they’ll have more types of beer from each brewer – more than two-dozen in all – and brewers already committed this year include Block 15, Boneyard, Holy Mountain, Rubens Brew and Hair of the Dog. Because Hair of the Dog picks up the tab for all expenses, and many of the brewers donate beers to the cause, 100 percent of FredFest ticket sales go to their selected charities.

Gigantic Beer Week Draft Beer Showcase
5 – 8 p.m. Monday May 8, Belmont Station, 4500 SE Stark St;
Belmont Station throws a party for Gigantic’s fifth anniversary and they’re tapping some pretty awesome Gigantic beers: some favorites, some one-offs that Gigantic decided to bring back just for their anniversary, their newest year-round beer (Kölschtastic) and a special sneak preview.

IPA – India Pale Ale
Ginormous – Imperial IPA
Kölschtastic – Kölsch-style Ale
Axes of Evil – Collabo Pale Ale
City Never Sleeps – Imperial Black Saison
Massive – Barleywine
Massive – Bourbon Barrel Barleywine
Pipewrench – Gin Barrel-aged IPA

Plus a very special keg of Fantastic Voyage, a saison fermented with brett and saison yeasts, aged one year in Oregon wine barrels, unfiltered and naturally carbonated.

Tags:2017, Belmont Station, Big Brew Worldwide Toast, Chill N Fill, Fifth Anniversary, Filmed By Bike, FredFest, Gigantic Beer Week Draft Beer Showcase, Gigantic Brewing, Hair of the Dog Brewing Co., Imperial Bottle Shop & Taproom, Kolschtastic Release Party, Star Wars Beer Fest, Star Wars Marathon, Velo Cult Bike Shop + Tavern, White Owl Social Club

About The Author

John

John Foyston is Oregon's longest serving beer writer, and wrote a weekly beer column for The Oregonian until just recently. His work has appeared on CNN, and in Beer Connoisseur, Celebrator Beer News, Oregon Beer Growler, Mix Magazine and other publications and will occasionally appear on these pages, at least until Angelo and DJ get tired of him too...He can be followed on Twitter at @beerherejohnny.