Beer Hall: Portland Beer Week Ends, Oregon Cider Week Begins, and the Snackdown Ensues

Portland Beer Events for the Week of June 16, 2016

Portland's 10-day beer vacation ends this Sunday evening, as some of the city's best chefs and brewers pair up for their WWE-themed Snackdown spectacular. But never fear, beer drinkers, Oregon cider week is underfoot, and there's plenty of awesome beer events yet to come during this year's Mexican lager months.

So enjoy the rest of the festivities while you can, but don't get too down. After all, you've still got a lot of drinking to do before Monday's event hangover takes hold.

Friday, June 17

Cider Summit PDX

With 58 producers and three times as many ciders available to sample, the Cider Summit is probably the closest gluten free tasters come to the Oregon Brewers Festival in terms of size and scope. A place where international all-stars meet local favorites and their makers, producers new and old will pour their best fermented juices to more sleeves (and less impromptu shouts) than brewers will at next month's barley-based waterfront extravaganza. Because even with almost as many taps, let's face facts: Cider is classier. The Fields Neighborhood Park, NW 10th and Overton. 3-8 pm Friday, June 17 and 12-5 pm Saturday, June 18. $30-45.

3-Way IPA Party

The house of hops gets its hands on some fresh kegs of this year's 3-brewery Fort George collab, which features contribution from the renowned palates at Melvin Brewing and Barley Browns. This year's batch is big, bitter, and a particular standout in the series, even considering it's star-studded history. N.W.I.P.A., 6350 SE Foster Rd. 5 pm. Free.

Saturday, June 18

Sour Solstice

Imperial's mouthwatering foreshock to Belmont Station's upcoming weeklong Puckerfest is also one of the last big events during this year's 10-day Beer Week. On tap tonight are some of the best the Northwest has to offer, with beers like De Garde's fantastic Eponyme comingling alongside Culmination's Grand Cru, and worldwide legends like Russian River's coveted Consecration will test their mettle. Never fear; Oregon's beer holds up to virtually all outside invaders. Imperial Bottle Shop and Taproom, 3090 SE Division St. 12-11 pm. Free to enter, drink tickets $2, full pours available for normal price.

Culmination One-Year Anniversary

The experts (and one burgeoning beer columnist here at WW) at the Oregon Beer Awards qualified Culmination as the state's best new brewery last year, and boy did they deserve it. A little engine which churns out some of the city's best sour ales and numerous other delicious brews — including one of the best IPAs in Portland, at least according to that time we tasted all 70-odd of them blind a few months ago. Tonight it's time to celebrate one year of fine ales and lagers, and they'll do it in as Portland a way as possible: With $3 pints of the house-brewed Tom's Blue Ribbon and a damn pig roast. Live long, and prosper. Culmination Brewing Company, 2117 NE Oregon St. 12-9 pm. Free.

Sunday, June 19

Snackdown!

A snackdown is what happens when snacks fight. There'll be 10 small plates from people like Nomad, Lardo and Kim Jong Grillin, paired with 10 5-ounce beers from people like Breakside and Buoy. Then everyone votes on the best ones, after eating and drinking a lot. Tix at pdxbeerweek.com. The Evergreen at Loyal Legion, 618 SE Alder St. 12 pm. $49.

Wednesday, June 22

Shootin' Fruit In A Barrel

Four local cideries break out their best wooded and fruited selections tonight at Bailey's, pouring special ciders which were aged in barrels or blended with non-apples, or both. If you're a budgeting top-shelf cider snob, this is the place for you, as Bailey's historically affordable prices will put more of this Red Tank, Swift, Wildcraft, and Bauman's in your belly for less. Bailey's Taproom, 213 SE Broadway. 4-7 pm. Free.

Lompoc Brewer's Dinner

There's no reason to waste time wondering how a pan-seared duck breast with brandy cherry glaze pairs with a four-year-old sour cherry stout. But in case you're a skeptic, take it from us: The main course pairing from Lompoc head brewer Brian Keilty and Chef Mark Otey's upcoming brewers dinner is heaven above. Then again, our tongues were already seeing stars from the pink peppercorn and apricot salad we had tasted two courses prior, which made the brewery's Mystical Apricorn Belgian pale sing like a church choir. And then there's the five other courses that we won't even mention. Let's just say you'll be full. Lompoc Sidebar, 3901 N Williams Ave. 6:30 pm. Tickets $65.

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