State of Suds

Just when you think this town can’t get any more into beer, or any more into hoppy beers, Eugene is like, “Hold my beer.”

In our annual State of Suds issue, we dive into the beer scene as we look at non-hoppy beers, Oregon hops’ immigrant history and brewfests and talk to a beer scientist about brews and feminism in the beer industry.

And beer news is always hopping; a quick survey of recent beer news tidbits reveals that Plank Town Brewing has a new location in Pleasant Hill opening in July that will be known as Hilltop Bar & Grill.

Ninaksi’s Kegs for McKenzie is running from Earth Day, April 22 to June 30, with a goal of raising $50,000 for preserving and protecting the McKenzie River, the main water source for Eugene and for Ninkasi’s suds, by donating $20 of every Ninkasi keg sold at participating bars and restaurants to benefit the McKenzie River Trust and its McKenzie Homewaters Campaign.

Elk Horn Brewery will debut its SirBerlin-erweiss, a lychee and lemongrass Berliner Weisse named after SirBerlin, a long-time employee from the Philippines at this year’s 30th Annual Oregon Brewer’s Festival in Portland’s Waterfront Park in July. “This brew uses ingredients from his native country, combining into a refreshing and easily drinkable beer,” the brewery tells us. After the brewfest, this light, slightly sour and fruity brew will be available in Elk Horn’s Eugene brewpub.

Hop Valley Brewing has released Reveal beer to benefit local and regional LGBTQ organizations, including the Pride Foundation. Hop Valley says, “Working with LGBTQ bar owners and industry veterans (including The Wayward Lamb) to craft the beer from scratch, Reveal is now available on tap and in bottles in Oregon, Washington and Northern California.”

On the federal level, back in January, Sen. Ron Wyden introduced the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2017. According to the Brewers Association, made up of small and independent craft brewers, the bill “seeks to reform burdensome laws regulating America’s brewers and beer importers, wineries and distilled spirits producers and recalibrate the current federal excise tax structure, fostering economic development and innovation in the industry.” The brewers say that as of mid-June, the bill is supported by the majority of the House of Representatives.

Got more brew news? Send tips to bizbeat@eugeneweekly.com — Camilla Mortensen

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

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