Coming up on Saturday, January 17th, McMenamins Old St. Francis School is holding their second annual High Gravity Extravaganza—a terrific mini brewfest featuring all “high gravity” beers, meaning “strong.” It starts at 1pm and runs until 10, with a special meet the brewer part going from 1 to 5.

Come celebrate the uniqueness of the High Desert in January with an extravaganza of big & bold high-gravity beers. We’ll be pouring beers from 10 McMenamins Breweries and 12 Central Oregon guest Breweries.

Huddle around the four blazing firepits while chat with the brewers and taste their samples. Meet the brewers from 1 p.m. ’til 5 p.m. Enjoy live music by Mark Ransom & The Mostest and Down North.

If you’re keeping count, that’s 22 breweries pouring beers, which is pretty impressive. How it worked last year was, you bought the pint glass and a punchcard which contained 10 punches, each which would get you a four-ounce sample (worth $1.25 per sample)—a much simpler way to handle and keep track of your tasters than carrying around tickets or tokens. I think they are doing the same this year as well.

The Central Oregon breweries that will be pouring beers are listed as:

• GoodLife Brewing
• Three Creeks Brewing
• Bend Brewing Company
• Solstice Brewing Company
• Worthy Brewing Company
• Sunriver Brewing Company
• Wild Ride Brewing
• Crux Fermentation Project
• Riverbend Brewing
• Deschutes Brewing Company
• Boneyard Beer Company
• Silver Moon Brewing

And among the McMenamins breweries that have made a special trip for the day:

• McMenamins on Monroe
• High Street Brewery
• Thompson Brewery
• McMenamins on the Columbia Brewery
• West Linn Brewery
• Edgefield Brewery
• Concordia – Kennedy School Brewery
• Crystal Brewery
• Old St. Francis Brewery
• Roseburg Brewery

All in all, this is a great little (or big!) fest that I’m looking forward to! Last year it was unseasonably warm for January, and so far the monthly extended forecast isn’t looking too bad for this year—important since this Extravaganza takes place primarily in the courtyard outside, between the main restaurant and the pub/theater building.

Don’t miss it! And don’t forget to get there early for a chance to meet the brewers and chat about the beers they brought.