Beer Week, Back-to-Back Events, and Why I Secretly Love the Chaos

Every June, something wild and wonderful happens in Eugene: Beer Week.

For seven days, breweries, bars, and beer lovers come together to celebrate craft beer culture in all its hoppy, hazy, and barrel-aged glory. As someone who sits on the committee helping organize the week across the city and runs a business that hosts six of its own events during that stretch… let’s just say I have a front-row seat to the madness.

And I kind of love it.

Planning Beer Week feels a little like conducting a very enthusiastic orchestra. You’ve got different players (each brewery, bar, and bottle shop), different styles (IPA tastings, sour showcases, collab launches, brewery bingo), and a whole lot of moving parts. The committee works hard to make sure the events are diverse, fun, and well-coordinated—and it’s incredibly rewarding to see our city come alive with beer lovers from all over.

Meanwhile, back at my day job, it’s full steam ahead. The business I help run puts on six days of events throughout the week. Each one requires its own lineup, promo, staff coordination, vendor communication, and vibe. It’s exciting, exhausting, and one of the best ways to connect with our community. But it doesn't stop there…

Just as Beer Week wraps up, we head straight into Father’s Day and graduation weekend—two of the busiest, most high-volume days of the year for our taproom. There’s no pause button. No reset day. Just deep breath… and go again.

It’s a marathon with a lot of sprinting built in.

And yet—despite the long hours, the constant prep, the endless kegs and event flyers—I genuinely love this time of year. It’s when creativity meets logistics, when collaboration meets community, and when we get to throw some of the most memorable events of the year.

Eugene Beer Week reminds me why I do this: because bringing people together around something they’re passionate about is always worth the work.

Even if I do sleep for a week afterward.