Don’t sweat it, drink it

Photo Credit: The Sweater Store

Forget about the hall-decking and gift shopping for a while, this weekend is chock full of beer events you won’t want to miss:

- On Friday and Saturday, The Lantern Tap House hosts its annual Ugly Sweater Weekend, with a half-dozen Deschutes beers on tap: River Ale, Chasin’ Freshies fresh hop IPA, Pine Drops IPA, Jubelale, Dopple Dinkel Bock and Class of ’88 Belgian Style Ale. Wear your cheesiest seasonal threads and get $4 taster trays and pints; there’s also music each night at 10, with DJ Lydell on Friday and holiday tunes by musicians from around town on Saturday.

- Trickster’s on Friday releases the latest in its series of Hipster Juice pale ales, Volume 3 (5.7 percent alcohol by volume, 45 International Bitterness Units). Hopped heavily with Citra as well as some Chinook and Zeus, it’s less bitter than the Chinook-centric Volume 2 but plenty aromatic. The release party features $3 pints and $8 growler fills, along with Beastie Boys Pandora radio all day long.

- Also on Friday, Zythum unveils the new incarnation of its Navis IPA, brewed with citrusy Trestle Hops from Tekoa – actually, an unknown variety of wild hop that grows by the train trestle there. Owner/brewer Shawn Carney compares its pronounced citrus character to Citra.

- Ramblin’ Road is introducing its Wild IPA (6.5, 85), fermented entirely with Belgian Brett Trois yeast and hopped with big late additions of Simcoe, Cascade and Centennial for a funky tropical fruit aroma and intense citrus and pine hop flavors.

- Enoteca ’s pint night Friday at 5 p.m. features a trio of beers from Odell : Myrcenary imperial IPA, Gramps Oatmeal Stout and Friek, a tart raspberry/cherry lambic. Look for free glasses for the first 24 pint purchasers, and more giveaways.

- Pints will be pouring eight Firestone Walker beers starting at 5 p.m. Saturday:  Stickee Monkee, an oak-aged quad brewed with Mexican turbinado sugar and Belgian candi sugar; Anniversary XVIII, a blend of Stickee Monkee and eight other beers, particularly Parabola Russian imperial oatmeal stout, aged mostly in bourbon and brandy barrels; Double DBA, an oak-aged imperial ESB; Double Jack imperial IPA; Wookey Jack rye Cascadian dark ale; Velvet Merlin oatmeal stout; Mocha Merlin, infused with cocoa nibs and espresso beans; and Velvet Merkin, aged in bourbon barrels. There’ll be special pricing and a brewery rep handing out schwag.

- Big Barn Brewing ’s holiday bash on Saturday at its home base, Bodacious Berries, Fruits and Brews on Green Bluff, begins at 6 p.m. with a potluck dinner followed by music at 7 from Big Red Barn .

And on Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., Twelve String celebrates its third anniversary by tapping a hoppy imperial red brewed specially for the occasion. Look for a full preview of that one tomorrow.