If Eugene, and Oregon in general, is known for anything other than its illustrious track pedigree, it’s definitely its unprecedented and unending selection of the finest beers and spirits west of the Mississippi. From the pales to the porters, the ambers to the browns, when it comes to wetting your whistle, Eugene leaves no stone unturned. With over thirty craft brews on tap, Eugene City Brewery is Track Town’s one-stop shop for the sweetest hops and maltiest barley that make for the perfect way to relax at the end of a long, hot day of sitting up in those Hayward bleachers.
And if the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials have you all wrapped up in the competitive spirit, Wednesday nights play host to the rowdiest game of bingo you will ever find, where the more you drink, the better your chances you will win.
Located in the heart of downtown, on West 8th Avenue and Olive Street, the Eugene City Brewery brews its own line of ales. Its bottles are naturally adorned with a track cleat, and the ales come in four varieties: Honey Orange Wheat, Natty Red, 100 Meter Ale, and Track Town Ale. It is one of five pubs along the West Coast sponsored wholly by Rogue Ales – the makers of the nationally distributed Dead Guy Ale – one of Oregon’s first and most inventive craft breweries.
With twenty-two different Rogue varieties on constantly rotating taps, there is always something new to try. But if an evening of riotous number-calling madness is more what you are looking for, Wednesday night, bingo night, is the time to be there.
Every Wednesday, the games are slated to begin at 7 p.m. sharp, but really, it doesn’t actually start until bingo caller Jason Albright is finished with his last round. A purchase of a pint of beer earns you your bingo card, and if you want to double your luck, an order off the food menu will earn you another. More than just bar food, Eugene City Brewery offers mouthwatering Kobe beef burgers and delicious Chocolate Stout milkshakes made with Rogue Chocolate Stout.
The night is made up of two rounds of five games. The first round features traditional bingo games, including Four Corners, Picture Frame and Big X, with prizes such as Rogue glassware, T-shirts, wrist bands, yo-yos and condoms.
That’s all fine and good, but you don’t want to blow all of your luck here because what you really want to win comes in the second round. That’s right: beer, and lots of it.
The games become less conventional when the Rogue 22-ounce bottles are on the line. “Dunsky” is a Eugene City Brewery original game of Last Man Standing, where the prize goes to the last person to have one of his or her numbers called. The most stressing game to win, when one of your numbers is finally called, you have to yell out “Dunsky.”
The prize that the players have their eyes on is a big box that comes at the end of the night. A sixteen-beer case of the manager’s choice selected Rogue 22-ounce bottle variety pack goes to the winner of the “blackout” round, where every number on your card has to be called. At a $50 value, you’d be hard pressed to find a better bingo prize.
Eugene City Brewery is open 24 hours a day for the Trials, and kids are always welcome. Don’t forget to bring a joke, because bingo draws are settled with a joke-off where the best crowd reaction wins.