Food & Drink Malt BallCall me a centrist or call me a traitor: When it comes to who throws a best artist-driven band’n’brewery festival in town, the Merc wins hands down (and by default) with their second installment of Malt Ball. An extravaganzapaloozafest of a dozen local bands playing to a liquid soundtrack of beers inspired by—or sometimes brewed with—said band, makes this a veritable bacchanalian feast ...   More

Food & Drink Ever been on a statewide pub crawl? Unless your designated driver has a batmobile, you’re not going to make it to all 60-plus participating breweries for this year’s Zwickelmania before day’s end. (You’d probably also need Superman’s liver).Luckily, the Oregon Brewer’s Guild—which hosts the yearly mass brewery open-house—has arranged convenient suggested itineraries to help Portland's ...   More

Food & Drink It’s the Oregon Brewers Guild’s job to disseminate information about its member breweries to you, the drinking public. There’s no better way to start spreading the brews than by inviting you, the drinking public, to sample their wares—most of them free and fresh. Saturday marks the 3rd Annual Zwickelmania. A zwickel is a special valve, oftentimes resembling a metal, coiled pig-tail, that allows ...   More