To mark the 40th anniversary of Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night—his 1972 double live album in which he spends a lot of time singing to his giant imaginary penis (see image, right)—McMenamins is pulling out all the stops. They’ve got Super Diamond at the Crystal Ballroom on Saturday, August 25, which is great, although that […]
Drunk
Posted inBikes
Win Two Tickets to BIKETOBEER Fest
Hopwork’s always-fun BIKETOBEER fest is this weekend and we have some free VIP tickets to give away. Yay! This is the world’s “only bike-in Oktoberfest” and it takes over Hopworks’ SE Powell location for all of Saturday with bands, breakdancers, and a competition to see who can hurl a Huffy the furthest. The festival is […]
Posted inFood and Drink
Deschutes’ Annual Street Fare Returns
On Thursday, August 16, Deschutes Brewery is hosting their third annual Street Fare, which is like a Street Fayre, but less Renaissancey. Actually, it’s a block party with great food and music, all going to benefit Loaves and Fishes, which brings meals to homebound seniors. The street in front of Deschutes’ Pearl District pub (NW […]
Posted inHomo
Red Cap Garage Is Closing
Sad news for fans of the Red Cap Garage: After an impressive 25 years, the queer bar that has been one of the last holdouts on what used to be known as “Vaseline Alley,” has announced via Facebook: Well, the rumors are true. After 25 fantastic years with the best customers and staff Red Cap […]
Posted inEvents
Pints for Prostates
Ok, so they could have thought of a sexier name (OR COULD THEY?), but the beer event du jour is the Pints for Prostates Portland Pale Ale Invitational, kicking off at 5:30 at the Waterfront for your post-office pleasure (a wholly differing thing from post office pleasure). The inaugural Portland edition of this event was […]
Posted inDrunk
Collaboration Just Got Cute
In brewing news, an awesome collaboration between local brewers has the cutest name ever: the ClusterFuggle, a release of multiple beers using only Cluster and Fuggle hops, brewed between Breakside, Burnside, Lompoc, Lucky Lab, and Migration breweries. These beer experts have collectively produced Red, ESB, IPA, Porter, and Amber beers with such hop restrictions, and […]
Posted inDrunk
New Summer Cocktails at Luc Lac Bring the Weird… and Delicious
I’m impressed to find so many people in Luc Lac Vietnamese Kitchen slurping steaming bowls of pho in 90-degree weather, a temperature at which we Rose City natives generally retire to our iced kiddie pools and reach for our mini fans. So it’s a testament to the charm of their heavenly soup that so many […]
Posted inDrunk
The OLCC Has Killed the Downtown Malt Liquor Ban
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is pulling the plug on Portland’s nearly two-year-old plan to ban sales of malt liquor and cheap wine downtown, Old Town, and in the Pearl District, citing legal concerns first reported by the Mercury last month. In a letter (pdf) sent yesterday, and obtained by the Mercury, OLCC Executive Director […]
Posted inDrunk
Gross or Kinda Awesome? You Decide.
Beer just got a little weirder, Blogtown… Rogue Ales’ New Crustacean, to be released early next year (if the looming apocalypse doesn’t shut down production for long) grows from the beard follicles of head brewer John Maier. Those crazy brewers down in Newport, Oregon had samples of his beard analyzed as a joke, but apparently […]
Posted inDrunk
Jones “Retro” Bar/Club Opens in Old Town
Jones just opened in the old McFaddens space in Old Town, in dangerous proximity to the Mercury offices, as a matter of fact. It’s an “all retro ’80s and ’90s danceclub” and the website is decorated with pictures like this one: It is slightly disconcerting to realize that the word “retro” does not have a […]
Posted inDrunk
OLCC Spikes Portland’s Bid to Ban Food Cart Booze
Stung by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s vote late this winter to let Cartlandia, a cart pod out on SE 82nd Avenue, sell alcohol all year round, the city tried an end-run around the OLCC. In April, it filed a petition (pdf) asking the OLCC to consider shutting out any other food cart (technically “outdoor […]