State
of Suds
ust 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 tid-
bits 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 lemon-
grass 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
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Far m to F l ask
di st i l l ery
C o c k tai l s • Tast i ng s
To u r s • Bot tl e Sa l e s
H OU RS
We d. & Th u r s. 3 - 9 P M
Fr i . & Sat. 3 - 1 0 P M
Th i n k i n g Tr e e S p i r i ts. c om
2 EUGENE WEEKLY’S STATE OF SUDS 2017
www.eugeneweekly.com