We are little more than a week away from Christmas Day, Hanukkah has already begun, and still a few days away from the winter solstice. Whatever you celebrate, we wish you the warmest holiday season. As those holidays approach, there's still time to buy gifts! Be sure to check out the merch section of your favorite brewery for that special someone on your list.

As a note on the newsletter, larger events are a little sparse in the coming couple weeks, but we have a lot of news for you this issue.

Happy Holidays!

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News

Winning in Belgium Last month, the Brussels Beer Challenge, one of the world's most prestigious competitions, handed out medals, including eight for Oregon breweries: Alesong, Heater Allen, Monkless, and pFriem. More on the winners here

Beer and Civilization New evidence suggests that alcohol was a surprisingly big motivator in our monumental transition from hunting and gathering to farming. Details of the closure here

A-B Shutters 3 Plants Anheuser-Busch built a network of 12 plants to serve its huge audience, but in a sign of declining sales, the giant announced it was closing three of them. Read which ones are closing

Jamie Floyd Interview KLCC's Zac Ziegler showed up at Eugene's Ninkasi Brewing for a tour recently. In this half-hour interview, he and co-founder Jamie Floyd tour the brewery and talk about Oregon beer. Listen here

Supporting Public Hops Oregon's Crosby Hops will donate $1 for every pound of 2026 Estate Grown Thora hops contracted through August 31, 2026 to support the Hop Quality Group USDA-ARS partnership. Learn more about the project

Pink Boots Blend Yakima Chief is backing the Pink Boots Society once again with a 2026 blend of Ekuanot, Centennial, HBC 638, and Mosaic. A dollar from each pound sold will support women in brewing. More on the collaboration here

Get Ready for Pub January

On December 31st, as revelers enjoy a night celebrating the coming new year, breweries and pubs brace for January, their slowest month of the year. The month has become even more dismal thanks to the "dry January" movement that has gotten more robust each year. The brewing industry supports moderation, and taking a month to re-balance one's relationship with alcohol is something we can all support. But it does put our favorite local breweries in more danger.

And you know what? You don't have to choose between sobriety and the pub. Get out to your local and have a non-alcoholic beer or soft drink and a plate of food. Because the weather isn’t nice, we have far fewer activities in January. And because we’re not out already and we’re feeling sluggish and depressed, we tend to hole up. But this is exactly the time to get out and enjoy the company of friends and family, and breweries are a perfect place to visit.

Breweries have a TON of stuff going on, and we'll be promoting and celebrating these activities throughout the month of January. Follow us on Instagram to stay in the loop. This #PubJanuary, prepare to have some fun!

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Upcoming Events

Please send us all your upcoming event information at the following email so we can include them in our weekly roundups: events@celebrateoregonbeer.com

Hanukkah at Leikam The Leikam Hanukkah-themed pop-up experience is back from now through December 21. In addition to beers like the Maccabeer IPA and Challah Back Ale, the bar menu will feature eight themed cocktails celebrating the Jewish experience. All the details here

Holiday Hell at Obelisk Join Obelisk for tattoos, new beers on tap, a fun drink special, live music, and their hallowed and highly revered ugly sweater contest this Sat, Dec 20. All the details here

Wonderland Brew Fest Visit the Bitter Monk in McMinnville from Dec 19-21 for three days of seasonal brews + live music and local artisan pretzels, chocolates, and cheese. it will be a true celebration of the Wonderland that is McMinnville! All the details here

Victorian Christmas Tea On Dec 28th Bend's Porter Brewing is hosting a Victorian Christmas tea at The Cellar. Tea sandwiches, cookies, sausages, scones, and holiday tea make it an unusual and fun throwback way to spend the day. More info here

St. Johns Winter Fest The St. Johns Winter Beer Fest is Back. Join Stormbreaker (St. Johns location) to celebrate local beers, cideries, cocktail makers, and brewers with all your favorite makers Jan 23-24. More details here

Keeping Up

For everything Oregon, please visit the Celebrate Oregon website.If you think someone you know might like this newsletter, have them sign up here.

Celebrate Oregon Beer is supported by the Oregon Brewers Guild and Oregon Hop Commission.

Excellent journalism is of the many ways Oregon is so special. In between newsletters, be sure to check out these sites for the latest happenings:

• ​The New School​
• ​The Oregonian​
• ​Astoria Beer Zone​
• ​Brewpublic​
• ​Beervana Blog​

See you again in two weeks!