Too Early for Winter Beers and Other Comments

Yesterday, as I stood in the Fred Meyer beer aisle, my eye beheld a new arrival: MacTarnahan's Winter Humbug'r. Winter--what the? Much like Christmas decorations, it seems that winter beers arrive sooner and sooner on shelves every year. But September first? The autumn solstice is three weeks off; fruit yet ripens on the trees. Is it too much to ask for winter beers to hold off--oh, I don't know, say, October?

Other newsy bits collected for your convenience...

Tour de Lab
If you were to identify three elements that distinguish Portlandness, you could do worse than beer, bikes, and dogs. The troika are collected together in a cool fundraiser called Tour de Lab. The concept is as pleasing as it is simple: registrants pony up $35 ($55 on the day of the event) and ride a circuit that stops at each Lab outpost (three on the 18-mile Puppy loop, four on the 30-mile Big Dog). All the proceeds go to DoveLewis Animal Hospital. Registration details here.


Brewpublic Presents Microhopic
Bailey's and Brewpublic are hosting an Wednesday evening showcase of 11 of the area's tiniest breweries, including at least one debut--and one adieu? Here's the beer list as announced, though Rivergate has since shuttered its doors.

• Beetje Brouwerij. Portland's newest brewery (pronounced bay-cha, not the more entertaining beet-jah or beet-jee) is bringing a 5.2% farmhouse ale.
• Big Horse. Jason Kahler's first Cascadian Dark Ale.
• Blue House. Blue House? Yeah, it's from Vernonia, brewer Brett Costley is bringing a blueberry wheat.
• Breakside. After a Coalition-like wind-up, Ben Edmunds finally has some of the beer we've all been waiting for. He's bringing a brown ale.
• Buckman Village Brewery. The Green Dragon's in-house brewery is sending a chamomile-infused golden ale.
• Coalition. They're sending their red ale--my favorite until the maple porter came on line. (Which, if you haven 't tried it, is worth a special trip. Great beer.)
• Migration. The boys from Migration are sending their flagship MPA. As a side note, they will be debuting two new beers at an event at the brewery on September 18th.
• Mount Tabor. Little Bull Stout, a 7% powerball.
• Natian. Natalie Laird and Ian McGuinness (Nat + Ian = Natian) are bringing Big Block IPA.
  
• Rivergate. I don't know if brewer Brian Frisch has any of the kolsch left from this now-defunct brewery, but that's what's listed.
  
• Vertigo. Vertigo Mikes Kinion and Haines are sending Friar Mike's IPA.
  

As a special bonus, the brewers will be in house. The event runs from 4pm until the kegs run dry next Wednesday, September 8th at Bailey’s Taproom (213 SW Broadway). This should be a cool event--owing to my lameness, there are a number of beers here I haven't tried, and I can catch up in one evening.