East tabor Portland favorite Montavilla Brew Works (MBW) has released Lovin’ Oregon, a West Coast IPA that celebrates living in Oregon and coincides with the state’s 161st birthday. Lovin’ Oregon was brewed in collaboration with Heart in Oregon, a Portland company whose sticker featuring a green heart in the center of the state is ubiquitous in the Northwest. While MBW is not open for on-premise, they are doing delivery and pick-ups and have another brand new local collaboration in cans — Plywood Pilsner.

Plywood Pilsner is a fresh and floral German-style lager is brewed in collaboration with neighboring business Mr Plywood. This has also been a taproom favorite at MBW back in the times before the pandemic, but it’s now available in 16oz cans and 4-packs.

More from a press release:

Lovin’ Oregon is a West Coast IPA brewed with pilsner and pale malts that support a medium-light body, easy drinkability and a dry finish. Falconer’s Flight hops impart tropical and fruity flavors while maintaining a restrained yet suitable bitterness. This IPA is dry hopped with Citra and Strata hops with aromas of grapefruit, lime, tropical fruit and dank herb. The beer comes in at 6.5% ABV.

“This collaboration between MBW and Heart in Oregon is what makes this job so rewarding,” said Michael Kora, MBW founder and head brewer. “We’ve always enjoyed partnering with other local businesses that share our vision of keeping things local, serving the community, and supporting each other in good times and bad. 2020 was an incredibly challenging year, particularly for small businesses like ours that had to pivot their business model to accommodate Covid-related safety protocols. It made sense to collaborate with Heart in Oregon, not only to celebrate Oregon’s 161st birthday but to celebrate surviving 2020 in the resilient state we live in.”

Chris Bucci, the founder of Heart in Oregon, explained that since February 14 is both Valentine's Day and Oregon’s statehood birthday, he’s been looking for partnerships with Oregon-based companies whose products are a natural fit for release on that date. “Teaming up with MBW made perfect sense—both our companies are headquartered in Portland's Montavilla neighborhood and Michael and I both live nearby. And after the year we’ve all experienced, we’re excited to share a beer with our fellow Oregonians."

Added Kora, “What’s exciting about this collaboration is that everyone recognizes Chris’ stickers—they’re everywhere, from vehicle bumpers to beer kegerators to bicycle helmets. Seeing his popular image on our cans of IPA and distributing them across the state is a real treat for us and reminds us of how fortunate we are to be in Oregon.”

Oregon’s official birthday is February 14, but one-off IPA Lovin’ Oregon will be available starting today until supplies run out. Prepay and pickup or home delivery orders can be placed online with touchless transactions available at the brewery.

About Montavilla Brew Works
Montavilla Brew Works was founded by Michael Kora in 2015 in Portland, Oregon, in the heart of the historic Stark Street business district. Located at 7805 SE Stark St., Montavilla Brew Works is a 10-barrel capacity brewery and taproom that utilizes high-quality brewing ingredients to produce time-honored yet exciting beer styles. The brewhouse and taproom are situated in a remodeled auto garage built in 1922, with an outdoor patio that’s a neighborhood summertime favorite. Spacious, yet remarkably intimate, the neighborhood haunt is full of lively locals and good conversation in a true pub atmosphere. A dynamic tap list consists of fresh focused Pacific Northwest-style ales, German-style lagers, wood-aged beers, and occasional Belgian-style brews.
MontavillaBrew.com | @MontavillaBrewWorks (FB+TW)

About Heart in Oregon
Heart in Oregon was created in 2003 when Chris Bucci drew Oregon with a heart on a napkin, and said, “My heart is here, my heart is in Oregon.” Through hard work, persistence, and the community's assistance at large, Heart in Oregon is one of the most recognizable symbols of Oregon. Follow your heart; it will lead you home.
HeartSticker.com |@HeartStickerCo (TW+IG) | @HeartSticker (FB)