With the current output of one article per year, your ol’ pal Beerstone figures this is the ripe moment. I am now, to my continued befuddlement, head brewer at Claim 52, and ball valves deep in the American Brewers Guild’s Intensive Brewing Science and Engineering program. Oh, and I’m navigating the joys of planning a complete brewery relocation. And attempting to be a person who responds to, “how’s it going?” with, “good!” And, all around Eugene, things are moving and shaking again.

The recent Oregon Beer Awards crowned ColdFire (where I’m typing these words) the best medium-sized brewery in the state and held their Czech Pilsner in higher esteem than… the one you might expect (which also medaled). Falling Sky, Alesong, Viking, and Oakshire also received awards. Those awards matter more to you, not just because they are more accessible, but because the whole competition is designed, by its grouping of styles, to reflect consumer tastes and the intangible joys of individual beers over strict adherence to style. If you like this, you might like that.

Along with combining Claim 52’s brewery and taproom (and relinquishing restaurant operations to the passionate folks who dare do that sort of thing) to 232 Lincoln St., Oakshire (finally) opened its Springfield location, dubbed “The Oakshire Commons”, a couple weeks ago. And the owners of Eugene Burger Company in the 5th Avenue Market (it’s not 5th Street, that’s in Springfield) are taking over the food court’s bar, and will have a tap and bottle list befitting the couture of its wine merchant neighbor downstairs, Marché Provisions.

That’s a lot of stuff! Eugene-area beer is having a springtime preening, which will culminate, season-wise, during Eugene Beer Week. June 9-15 are the dates, and Sasquatch Brew Fest is June 14, 12-5 at Ninkasi’s admin building on Blair Blvd.

I led with the good news. The absolute latest is the impending demise of Hop Valley’s production facility on 1st Ave in Eugene. The brewery was purchased from Miller-Coors by Canadian cannabis giant Tilray, which has led its natuonwide brewery acquisitions with big bright language and utterly failed to follow through. Feel how you want about macro ownership; Hop was still a local employer, and the people losing their jobs are part of our community, not remote pencil pushers. Hop Valley’s Springfield brewpub and Eugene restaurant will continue operations….

Slightly further in the past, Manifest Brewing threw in the towel. I haven’t done the legwork to give you more info than that, so don’t start any rumors on my account.

If you’re wondering what it’s like to move a brewery, it is not that different from starting one from scratch. The space we will inhabit has far more square footage than the two locations combined, and will certainly offer you, dear beer drinker, a more cohesive experience. It’s the former Wildcraft Ciderworks taproom, which is ripe for public and private events.

If you’ve read this far, you may wonder about the timeline. The planned date for taproom opening is early May. While I would like to say the brewery is soon to follow, it is going to be some months before that happens. Infrastructure buildout, rigging the actual brewhouse, tanks, canning line, and essential ephemera, is not a fast thing. The opportunity to evaluate the current operations for efficiency, safety, and future-proofing comes with the cost of time. Plus, it comes during the time when the brewery should be stocking up for the busy summer season, planning for fresh hop and Oktoberfest brews, and giving the head brewer a chance to finish school and implement some of that education.

Photo: in a greenhouse at West Coast Hop Breeding world headquarters. These young crosses are being evaluated for powdery mildew resistance. Only the strong survive.