Columbia Distributing announced today it has entered into an agreement to acquire Oregon-based, craft-centric wholesaler Point Blank Distributing. Under the deal, which is expected to close March 31, 2026, Point Blank will “continue operating as a dedicated, craft beer division within Columbia, maintaining its craft-first focus, service model, and brewer relationships,” while gaining access to Columbia’s “statewide logistics network, unmatched merchandising and category resources," per release. Today’s announcement notes that Point Blank has spent more than 25 years

Grab a 20-ounce stein of this craft brewer's World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Fest gold-medal-winning Clubhaus Lager for $3 all day, every day.

Oregon’s brewers faced yet another challenging year in 2025, with another nearly 30 local breweries, taprooms and brewpubs closing and national craft beer sales down -5% last year.

Some tasks are truly daunting. The pyramids, for example. The Sistine Chapel. Circumnavigating the globe. Family holidays. Unfathomable undertakings that make one shudder at their sheer magnitude and audacity. This article is one of those overwhelming exercises ... but duty calls. With a nervous gulp and a six-pack for the butterflies, we embark on declaring the very best, crème de la crème breweries in each U.S. state. 

Read More: https://www.thetakeout.com/2076678/best-brewery-every-state/

There’s no shortage of festivals in Central Oregon, but winter months tend to be lean. To tide you over, the Winter Beer Fest at The Suttle Lodge & Boathouse is entering its seventh year. More than 25 breweries are scheduled to participate over three days in February. A quarter are local such as Goodlife and Wild Ride. The rest are from around the state and Pacific Northwest such as Double Mountain, Little Beast, Von Ebert and Bauman’s Cider.

Oregon’s brewers faced yet another challenging year in 2025, with another nearly 30 local breweries, taprooms and brewpubs closing and national craft beer sales down -5% last year.

Zwickelmania®, an annual celebration of craft beer organized by The Oregon Brewers Guild, will bring together the community in new ways in 2026. Named after the “zwickel,” a German word for the sample port found on fermentation vessels, breweries from all areas of the state are participating in Zwickelmania. Oregonians are encouraged to support their local pub or visit a participating brewery that is new to them on February 21. Craft beer enthusiasts can expect samples directly from the zwickel, beer releases, tours, meet-the-brewer opportunities, educational talks, food and beer pairings, specials, NA beverages for designated drivers and more! In Portland, there is a free shuttle making stops at 16 breweries. Enjoy this free, non-ticketed event responsibly. 

Paul Brown the co-creator of Super Jersey Comic Expo joins me for 2 segments. A fantastic family friendly event taking place in April. Plus, Paul gives his opinion on what businesses are doing right and wrong when it comes to social media. News from Stone Brewing, Coronado Brewing, Von Ebert, Alesmith and Weyerbacher. Angry Erik Anniversary party and more.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Today, Von Ebert Brewing launched an innovation as part of its new Von Ebert Presents series of non-beer offerings working their way into the 2026 lineup. The three non-alcohol sparkling hop waters, called Boost, Flow, and Chill, are the first in the series, which will later include hard teas, hard fruit punch, and hard seltzer, among others, to offer variety and appeal to more legal-age drinkers.

PORTLAND, Oregon. — Today, Von Ebert Brewing launched an innovation as part of its new Von Ebert Presents series of non-beer offerings working their way into the 2026 line up. The three non-alcohol sparking hop waters, called Boost, Flow and Chill are the first in the series, which will later include hard teas, hard fruit punch and hard seltzer, among others, to offer variety and appeal to more legal-age drinkers.

Von Ebert Brewing launched an innovation as part of its new Von Ebert Presents series of non-beer offerings working their way into the 2026 line up. The three non-alcohol sparking hop waters, called Boost, Flow and Chill are the first in the series, which will later include hard teas, hard fruit punch and hard seltzer, among others, to offer variety and appeal to more legal-age drinkers.

The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (the MJF) has announced a new round of technical education scholarships for people of color, including 2 members of Oregon’s brewing community.

Seven emerging professionals were chosen for the 10th round of MJF scholarships that help strengthen not only their individual careers but also the craft beer and spirits industries at large. With this new group, the MJF has now supported more than 70 awardees in accessing world-class brewing and distilling education.

🧪 It’s been too long that we have done an issue highlighting the important role laboratories play in our industry. If you have a good real world example (food fraud, recall, adulteration, etc), please reply “LAB” so I can reach out to you.