I'm just now getting to my xmas shopping. I usually buy my stepfather some sort of t-shirt related to a company local to where I am. I just about bought out the McMenamins line and have gotten pretty far into Rogue.

Do you know of any local places either downtown or close in that have nifty t-shirts? I don't think the Zell's girl is his style.

Bonus Question: Why would you name your bar "Blitz" and then not fucking have shirts?!?

For the second year in a row, we spent the days between Christmas and the New Year in Forest Grove at the Grand Lodge meeting about the year ahead (never fear, we found plenty of opportunity to relax and rejuvenate). Over the next week or so, we'll be sharing some of what came of these valuable sessions.

We are excited to be back in the studio and working on a handful of inspiring projects. Thanks to each of you who made 2008 the best year yet for Needmore and we look forward to more in 2009.

Happy New Year!

Jackstraw is a traditional bluegrass band from Portland, OR, making converts to the bluegrass sound with their wild solos and eclectic mix of traditional and original sounds.

After this week's social events, beer is probably the last thing on your mind, but if you like beer and spend time on the West Coast you need to take a look at the Good Beer Guide: West Coast USA. Written by two British beer writers, they had the good fortune to tour the Western US to visit brewpubs, breweries and bars and provide exhaustive coverage of the beer drinking opportunities out here.

While I have dabbled in the delights of the West Coast, I know the Portland scene fairly well and they have it beautifully covered. They rightly point out the excellent Concordia Ale House as a highlight and also provide indepth reviews of the local majors like Deschutes, McMenamins and Bridgeport.

The writing is funny and enthusiastic, these guys really do like beer quite a lot. If you drink beer (decent beer that is) and spend time on the West Coast, this is an excellent investment.