Category Archives: Events and Signings

Events and Signings

Signing at Costco – worth fighting the crowds for!

Today (Saturday, December 20) I’m doing a book signing at Costco from 1 to 3pm!

Yes, I know—Costco? Really? In fact, Costco moves a ton of books and they do author signings all the time. And we were just in the other day and they have a huge pile of my books:

"Bend Beer" at Costco

So if you’re looking for the book for the holidays, brave the Costco crowds and come down to see me and I’ll sign one for you! (You still have to buy the book through Costco.) And if you need any last minute gift ideas (only 4 shopping days left!) you know where I’ll be!

Events and Signings

Broken Top Bottle Shop and a holiday raffle

Broken Top Bottle ShopTonight I’ll be at Broken Top Bottle Shop from 7 to 9pm for a book signing—and to sweeten the pot, we’re doing a holiday raffle for a book that you can enter for free! (But you’ll have to be present at BTBS tonight to collect.)

Here’s how that will work: anyone who attends tonight will get a free raffle ticket. That’s it! We’ll draw for a book probably towards the end of the evening, maybe around 8:30, so you will need to stick around.

Want an extra raffle ticket? Go to this post on Facebook and follow the directions there. Easy!

And even if you can’t stick around for the raffle, come down for a little while and get a beer at one of Bend’s best beer joints—Broken Top Bottle Shop has been knocking it out of the park since early 2012, after they bought the defunct Abbey Pub. They have 12 taps of great beer and a killer menu that appeals to carnivores and vegetarians alike. Don’t forget their coolers filled with many bottles of beer and cider to go!

Come on down tonight, get a signed copy of the book, and stick around for the raffle! Cheers!

Events and Signings

Worthy Winter Weekend!

This Saturday there two back-to-back events that I’ve got going on which should make for a fun day.

First up is a book signing at Worthy Brewing, one of Bend’s newest breweries (not even two years old yet!) that has one of the most amazing properties in town, with their hop yard, beer garden, greenhouse, 30-barrel brewery and expansive space, and great restaurant pub. From 1 to 3pm I’ll be on hand, selling and signing books—the perfect lunch hour break! So if you’re needing to take a break from holiday shopping, come over to Worthy from 1 to 3, grab a bite and a beer and say hello. And buy a book or two (or three)—it makes a great gift! You can get some of your shopping done while enjoying a beer—what’s better than that?

To sweeten the pot, Worthy will have a special firkin cask of beer on tap for the signing as well: their Eastside Pale Ale on French oak spirals. And a food pairing: Fresh Halibut Steak, basked with a lemon caper sauce, served with sautéed seasonal veggies and wild rice.

Don’t miss it!

Immediately afterward, I’ll be heading over to the west side to GoodLife Brewing for the Central Oregon Winter Beer Festival, where they have been kind enough to let me set up a table and sell some books. I should be there from 4 until 9pm when the Fest ends, so make sure to come by and check out the book and say “Hi.”

The Winter Beer Fest costs only $10 to enter, and you get the glass and first four tasting tokens with that. Additional tokens are $1 each. Almost all of Central Oregon’s breweries, plus Atlas Cider, will be there, pouring their winter specialties. I don’t have Atlas Cider in the book, but I wrote about everyone else—so enjoy their beer, then pick up a book to read more about those that brewed it!

Events and Signings

Portland! For the weekend

Leaving early Friday morning for a whirlwind tour of Portland, where the big event is going to be a Powell’s Books Friday evening at 7:30, but we’ve managed to pack more into the itinerary so Portlandites, keep an eye out and you could get a signed copy of the book! Here’s what’s happening:

  • The Holiday Ale Fest: From roughly noon to 6pm Friday, I’ll be at the HAF (one of the premier Oregon beer festivals!) thanks to the generosity of the organizers. You’ll be able to find me at the table near the back and I’ll have plenty of books to sell and sign. I’ll even sign other stuff if you want!
  • Powell’s Books: Starting at 7:30pm Friday, come to Powell’s Pearl Room on the third floor for a reading/talk about Bend Beer, Q & A, and signing. I’ll be joining Brian Yaeger who just published Oregon Breweries this week and I’m quite sure it’s going to an interesting night! Plus it’s Powell’s Books—that’s the Big Time!
  • Pub Crawl: Right after the Powell’s signing, we’ll be joining Brian on a pub crawl through Portland’s Pearl District, starting with Deschutes Brewery, followed by the newly-opened Fat Head’s Brewing, and then over to Rogue’s brewpub on Flanders. Depending on how the night goes there may be a fourth stop at the Tugboat Brewery (which happens to be one of my favorite Portland brewpubs). It’s free to join, so come with us!
  • Belmont Station: Saturday from 1 to 3pm both Brian and myself will be at one of the hands-down best bottleshops and beer bars in Portland, if not anywhere, Belmont Station, signing books, talking (and drinking) beer, and having an all-around great time. I absolutely love Belmont Station and I have to give a big thanks to co-owner Lisa Morrison for hosting us—it’s going to be a great time, so make sure to come by!

I love Portland, so I’m really looking forward to this weekend. Make sure to come find me at one of these events!

Cheers!

Events and Signings

McMenamins Old St. Francis School: Signing and a special beer

Thursday, December 4 from 6 to 9pm, McMenamins Old St. Francis School is hosting a signing and meet the author event for the book, and even better—brewer Mike “Curly” White has brewed a special beer as tribute to the book, Homesteader’s Pre-Prohibition Lager!

McMenamins Old St. Francis School brewery

McMenamins is one of my favorite Bend breweries not only for the amazing location but also because White is brewing some great beer in the small six-barrel basement brewery. He has an amazing range of beers coming from the that brewery, and Homesteader’s is his first Pre-Prohibition-style of beer. Here’s the description of the beer:

The Homesteader is a tribute to those that came before us in the history of brewing. A popular lager made before Prohibition wiped out many small community breweries. The Homesteader’s Lager is mild in body and mouth feel. An easy malt flavor of chewy bread gives this a well-rounded experience. A slight hop bitterness and flavor reminds you of the time when a beer was smooth and refreshing. Using a Pilsen lager yeast for this concoction lets the beer finish with crisp and appealing roll on the palate. No wonder many breweries relied on this style of lager time and time again. Look back in your books (especially ones about Central Oregon Brewing) and you’ll see how this style was a stepping stone to the craft beer sensation!

Come down and get a special taste of this special beer, buy a copy of the book, and chat with me—I can share some stories and history surrounding the St. Francis School, McMenamins, and more! And really, there are few better places to pick up a book about Bend’s beer history than McMenamins, as the property is just oozing history everywhere you look (something that McMenamins does very, very well).

See you then!

Events and Signings

Tonight: Signing and meet me at Rat Hole Brewpub

Rat Hole BrewingTonight started at 7pm I’ll be at Rat Hole Brewpub in the Old Mill District for a signing and meet the author event. Rat Hole is one of Bend’s newer breweries, launching early in 2013 and by the the middle of that year had moved into their current Brewpub space, which was formerly occupied by Old Mill Brew Werks (itself having moved into a larger space).

Brewer Al Toepfer brews all of their beers on nano two-barrel system, located in a renovated barn/utility building on 10 acres of land east of Bend. All the beers are served exclusively on tap at the brewpub (they bottled briefly, early on), and in addition to a variety of porters, pilsner, wheat, pumpkin beer and more, the brewpub menu focuses on Southwestern styled cuisine—fairly unique in Bend! They occupy a great little spot in the Old Mill so come on down.

Events and Signings

Signing and Meet and Greet with Juniper Brewing

Juniper Brewing Company is one of Central Oregon’s newest breweries, having opened up this past March over in Redmond. Owners and brewers Curtis Endicott and Scott Lesmeister made the leap from homebrewing to production, crafting a variety of beers on a two-barrel system.

Juniper Brewing Company

Redmond’s brewing scene is vibrant and growing (there is a great overview here) and Juniper Brewing is right out at the front of it. I’m pleased that they have invited me out to their Tap Room today for a book signing and meet and greet from 4 to 6pm, and I hope Redmond comes out to check out the book and the beers Juniper has to offer!

Their Tap Room and brewery is located at 1950 SW Badger Avenue in Redmond, Suite 103, over by the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. They’ve got a nice lineup of beers on tap, so come on out to enjoy beer from one of our newest breweries and get a signed copy of the book! Oh, and you get to meet me as well.

Cheers!

Events and Signings

Barnes & Noble Discovery Weekend: Friday the 21st

This Friday, November 21st, I’m happy to be invited to Barnes and Noble‘s Discovery Weekend for a presentation and reading of Bend Beer starting at 5pm!

Barnes and Noble Discovery Weekend

I will of course be signing books as well, and Barnes and Noble will have plenty on hand that you can purchase, if you don’t already have the book.

This event is definitely more “presentation” than previous events, so my plan is to do a reading of selected passages from the book, relevant to both the early history and current events, as well as a Q&A afterward. So if you have any suggestions for just what you would like to hear from a reading, let me know and I’ll see about incorporating them into the talk!

See you Friday!

Events and Signings

This week: Meet me at Growler Guys West, and the Museum Chili Feed

A couple of events are coming up this week that you should check out. First, this Thursday the 13th, I’ll be at the Growler Guys over on Bend’s west side, selling and signing books and chatting up beer and history starting at 5pm. The Growler Guys have changed the face of beer in Bend and Oregon over the past couple of years and I’m excited that GG West’s manager, Cari, invited me to come for the signing!

They are located at the base of College Way at the roundabout, in the Chevron station, and feature 30 taps of excellent beers and ciders to fit any thirst. So make sure to come by and say “Hi” and I’ll be happy to sign a copy of the book for you!

Growler Guys West signing event

And then this Saturday, November 15, from 10am to 1pm I’ll be back over at the Des Chutes Historical Museum to be on-hand signing books during their Annual Chili Feed and Holiday Bazaar Fundraiser—a terrific event that has been supporting the Museum for over 30 years! Here’s their description of it:

Have a bowl of Millie’s Chili and polish it off with a piece of pie, then stop by the Bake Sale for second dessert later on. Local craft and arts vendors will get your holiday shopping started, our raffle offers chances for great prizes and staycation getaways, and our book store offers local history and historical photographs for sale.

And yes, it’s that time to start thinking about buying gifts for the holidays, so make sure to come down and check it out!

Events and Signings

Attend the official book launch, Friday the 7th!

The first Friday in November we are celebrating the official launch of the book with an event at the Des Chutes Historical Museum—the perfect venue for a book on Bend’s history!

Official launch party at the Des Chutes Historical Museum

And even more appropriately, Deschutes Brewery will be on hand, pouring a keg of their pub specialty Botanical Ale. I like to pitch this as “Bend’s history and Bend’s first brewery” event because Deschutes (the Brewery) plays such a big role in Bend’s beer history—and the Museum embodies all of the history (beer and non-beer) that came before.

I’ll be signing books, answering questions and I’ll even do a short talk at some point, likely with a Q&A session as well. There will be food available, and the Museum will I believe be open for folks to check it out (which I would highly encourage!).

Afterwards we will be embarking on a “historic” pub crawl through downtown Bend, visiting several of the pubs that feature in the book as the source of Bend’s beer. The tentative schedule:

  • McMenamins Old St. Francis School
  • JC’s Bar & Grill (birthplace of Wildfire/10 Barrel)
  • Bend Brewing Company
  • Deschutes Brewery

So come on out and join the fun! Cheers!