If you’ve had a challenging year (and… hello! Who hasn’t?), we’ve got just the thing to make life a little more fun: It’s the Portland Mercury's Shot & Beer Week! That’s correct: For one glorious week, your favorite local bars and restaurants will be serving up a one-of-a-kind, creative “shot & a beer” pairing—and all for the low price of $8!

And wait no longer, because this year’s Shot & Beer extravaganza is HAPPENING NOW, running through this Sunday, November 14, and is graciously sponsored by our generous pals at Jim Beam! There are 20 of Portland's finest drinkeries participating in Shot & Beer week (take a look at 'em all RIGHT HERE), and if you're wondering if some of them are located near you... rest assured THEY ARE! Check out all the Shot & Beer locations with this handy-dandy locator map!

While you're plotting which of these delicious "Shot & Beer" combos you're going to imbibe first, be sure to consider the following friendly requests to make the experience better for everybody....

• Drink responsibly! Be safe and smart with your Shot & Beer consumption—and NEVER drink and drive.

• Be patient! If your favorite bar is slammed, be cool—it’ll all get sorted soon enough, and there are plenty of other Shot & Beer locations to choose from! And if you want to help things going smoothly, pay in cash—it’ll save time, and your server will appreciate it. Speaking of which....

• Tip your bartenders, and order food! While the entire purpose of Shot & Beer week are those dee-licious $8 heavenly pairings, we've made sure each participating location also has great food! So relax, grab a bite, and let your bartenders and waitstaff know how much you appreciate them.

Folks: The Mercury’s Shot & Beer Week helps everybody—you’re supporting local bars and restaurants during a very difficult time, you’re helping the Mercury continue to produce their hot-stuff journalism, AND you’re taking the edge off what’s been a very difficult year. See? EVERYBODY WINS.

So don’t miss the Mercury’s Shot & Beer Week, happening right now and running through Nov 14th. It’s a double-shot of FUN!