This year’s second annual Central Oregon Beer Week is taking place May 20 – 27 (Monday through Monday, Memorial Day) and so far this year is lining up to be great with a lot of fantastic events and sponsors.

(Full disclosure: I’m a co-founder and one of the main organizers for COBW.)

Sunriver Resort is the title sponsor this year and one of the big events taking place on Sunday the 26th is their first annual Brewfest celebrating the opening of their new beer garden. There will be breweries pouring beer (of course!) as well as food, live music, and more, all taking place from 4 to 9pm that night.

The big opening event for the Week is also the only ticketed event, the Kick-Off Celebration being held at Worthy Brewing on Monday the 20th. The $15 ticket will get you a commemorative official COBW beer glass, tastes of beer from some of our local breweries who have brewed up a special official beer for the Week, food, and a chance to win some fantastic raffle items. The space is limited (hence the tickets!) and if you want in on this you can buy tickets online here.

There are lots of other fantastic events throughout the Week too, like Deschutes Brewery’s Beer-lesque show on Wednesday the 22nd—this is one of their off-the-hook events that’s taking place at the Summit Saloon downtown from 7 to 9pm, and is free. A one-line description: “An evening full of craft beer & comedy coupled with the lovely ladies from Seattle-based Shanghai Pearl’s Burlesque Revue, who will feature a Deschutes Brewery beer in each of their burlesque & variety stage acts.” Do not miss this!

And there are many, many more things going on all Week, plenty to choose from. Such as:

• Broken Top Bottle Shop‘s Brews & Bands taking place every single day of COBW
• Mount Bachelor’s annual BrewSki festival for their closing weekend on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 3pm, featuring only local breweries pouring their beer (and of course, on Sunday you can leave the BrewSki at 3 and come down the Mountain to Sunriver Resort!)
• All week-long specials with The Growler Guys as well as some super-special tasting and meet the brewer events
• Special beer breakfasts with McMenamins Old St.  Francis School and the D&D Bar and Grill; and additional specialty beer events with McMenamins during the week
• A week-long local beer tap takeover at Crow’s Feet Commons; and Crow’s Feet will be hosting a special Ale Apothecary beer release as well as a big Fire Pit party Friday night with a ton of great live music in the Mirror Pond Plaza
• A special Industry Appreciation Night at Sun Mountain Fun Center on Tuesday the 21st
• Homebrewing demonstration and tastings at the Brew Shop/Platypus Pub
• Special beer tours with the Bend Brew Bus and GETIT Shuttle

And way too many more to list here individually! Events are, of course, subject to change (it’s the nature of the beast), so keep fully up to date at the website Events page!

Hope to see everybody out enjoying beer all Week long!