Events in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana

• Seattle, WA; Thursday, September 9, 2010: Merchant du Vin and the Stumbling Monk are pleased to welcome our very special guest François de Harenne, Directeur Commercial of the Orval Trappist Brewery in Florenville, Belgium. Come and meet Mr. de Harenne, enjoy a goblet of one of the most unique beers in the world, and walk away with a deeper appreciation of not only Orval, but the entire family of seven Trappist Monastery breweries. 7:00 - 9:00 pm; the Stumbling Monk is at 1635 E Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98102; (206) 860-0916.

• West Seattle, WA; Friday, September 10, 2010: Merchant du Vin and the Beveridge Place Pub are pleased to welcome our very special guest François de Harenne, Directeur Commercial of the Orval Trappist Brewery in Florenville, Belgium. From 7:00 - 9:00 pm, attendees will have a wonderfully informal opportunity to learn about the Orval monastery, Orval Trappist Ale, the brewery, and the larger Trappist family with Mr. de Harenne. 6413 California Ave SW, West Seattle, WA 98136; (206) 932-9906.

• Seattle, WA; Saturday, September 11, 2010: Samuel Smith's Organic Cider will be poured at the first annual Cider Summit NW, to be held at the South Lake Union Discovery Center Park (Westlake & Denny). From 11:00 am to 7:00 pm, attendees will have an opportunity to try artisinal ciders from around the world. Proceeds benefit The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research.

• Seattle, WA; Saturday, September 11, 2010: Today finds us at Quinn's Pub from 3:00 - 5:00 pm, where MdV has the distinctive honor of kicking off Quinn’s inaugural “Beer O’Clock” with our guest from Orval, François de Harenne, Directeur Commercial of the Orval Trappist Brewery. There will be special pricing on Orval Trappist Ale (great for the uninitiated, and a delight for those already in the fold), and of course the opportunity to have a goblet signed for your collection. Your last chance in Seattle to discover more from Mr. de Harenne about the working of the monastery and the creation of this world classic beer, Orval Trappist Ale. 1001 East Pike Street; Seattle, WA 98122; (206) 325-7711.

• Portland, OR; Sunday, September 12, 2010: Merchant du Vin and The Beer Mongers are pleased to announce very special visit from our guest François de Harenne, Directeur Commercial of the Orval Trappist Brewery in Florenville, Belgium. This weekend marks the first anniversary of The Beer Mongers, a popular new addition to the Portland beer scene. We will kick off the event at 4:00 pm sharp with a presentation about the brewery and monastery, to be followed with an informal “meet and greet” session. Beermongers will also be hosting a very special “aged” Orval Trappist Ale tasting that promises to be enlightening and entertaining. 1125 SE Division, Portland, OR 97202; (503) 234-6012. 4:00 - 6:00 pm.

• Portland, OR; Monday, September 13, 2010: Please join us at Belmont Station as we welcome our guest François de Harenne, Directeur Commercial of the Orval Trappist Brewery in Florenville, Belgium to the City of Roses. Stop by the Station for your chance to meet François and learn about the fascinating history of Orval. 4500 S.E. Stark St. Portland, OR 97215; (503) 232-8538. 7:00 - 9:00 pm.

• Eugene, OR; Tuesday, September 14, 2010: Merchant du Vin and Sixteen Tons are pleased to host our very special guest François de Harenne, Directeur Commercial of the Orval Trappist Brewery in Florenville, Belgium, for Monktoberfest - a rare lunchtime tasting and conversation about this most unique brewery. Come experience the goût d'Orval ("flavor of Orval") and return to work with a glow in your eye and song in your heart. 265 East 13th, Eugene, OR 97401; (541) 345-2003. 12:30 - 2:00 pm.

• Eugene, OR; Tuesday September 14, 2010: The Bier Stein - 345 East 11th Ave. in Eugene 97401; (541) 485-2437 - is proud to present a very special event featuring our Belgian guest François de Harenne: Directeur Commercial of the Orval Trappist Brewery. As one of only seven Trappist Monastery breweries in the world, Orval is unique and highly respected by writers, beer judges, and beer lovers worldwide. Please join us for a presentation about the monastery and brewery alongside a degustation (tasting) of this amazing treasure. 8:00 pm sharp, with a chance to meet François following the presentation.

• Seattle, WA; Friday Sept. 24 - Sunday Sept. 26, 2010: The Fremont Oktoberfest will feature Ayinger among the wide beer selection - Ayinger is also a Beer Garden sponsor this year. Friday, 5:00 pm - midnight; Saturday, 11:00 am - midnight; Sunday 11:00 am - 6:00 pm.

• Leavenworth, WA; Fridays & Saturdays: Oct. 1 & 2; Oct. 8 & 9; Oct. 15 & 16, 2010: For the first three weekends of October, the Leavenworth Oktoberfest will bring a little bit of Bavaria to this small town in the heart of Washington's Cascade Mountains. Ayinger will be featured in the beer garden. Starts at 6:00 pm on Fridays, and noon on Saturdays.

• Tacoma, WA; Friday Oct. 1 & Saturday Oct. 2, 2010: The Tacoma Craft Brew Fest - held at the Foss Waterway Seaport, 705 Dock Street - will include draft Ayinger and Lindemans. 5:00 - 9:00 pm on Friday, and noon - 8:00 pm on Saturday.

• Enumclaw, WA; Friday Oct. 1 & Saturday Oct. 2, 2010: On the 200th anniversary of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen the Ayinger brewery, from Aying, Bavaria, is proud to be pouring both their Oktober Fest-Märzen and Bräu-Weisse Hefeweizen on draft at Enumclaw’s second annual Oktoberfest! Tickets are on sale now ($8.00 advance; $10.00 on-site) and are available at Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce, Firehouse Pub - Buckley, WA, and Enumclaw Parks Department. Location: the Enumclaw Expo Center, 45224 284th Ave SE, Enumclaw, WA 98022. 2:00 - 11:00 pm on Friday, and noon - 11:00 pm on Saturday.

• West Seattle, WA; Tuesday Oct. 5, 2010: Please join us for a one-of-kind three year vertical tasting of Samuel Smith’s Yorkshire Stingo, hosted by the Beveridge Place Pub and our very special guest from Yorkshire, Samuel Smith. Samuel is visiting us for a brief time here in the Pacific Northwest, so we wanted to dream up a unique event in his honor. Tickets will be available in advance for this limited capacity tasting, but the pub will be open to all who are interested in meeting Mr. Smith and learning more about this 252 year old family-owned treasure of a brewery.

• Vashon Island, WA; Saturday Oct. 9, 2010: The Vashon Cider Fest will include Samuel Smith's Organic Cider. Held at Misty Isle Farm from 4:00 - 7:00 pm, the organizers say: "New to this year, will be our location - Misty Isle Farm, one of Washington state's finest showcase farms. The TASTING will be indoors, with BBQ going on outside and later in the evening the ever popular BARN DANCE with live music. This event has drawn an ever-growing crowd from the Island and mainland. Also new for this year, we will the announcement of the winners of the Cider judging mid-way through the tasting." Sponsored by the Vashon Rotary.

• Portland, OR; Saturday Oct. 9, 2010: For the Second Annual World Beer Tour – A Fundraiser for the World Forestry Center, Merchant du Vin will be participating and pouring a selection of Fall and Winter-themed beers from Samuel Smith's, Lindemans, Ayinger, Pinkus Organics and more! 6:30 pm - 9:30 pm at the World Forestry Center Central Plaza & Cheatham Hall, 4033 SW Canyon Rd., Portland OR 97221; (503) 488-2111.