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The outbreak of the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on our society in a mere two months. As I’m writing this column, all of Oregon’s restaurants, bars and taprooms are prohibited from dine-in service and may only offer takeout and delivery. (Of course this may change by the time you read this.) Many businesses have opted to close entirely for the interim.

With social distancing and self-isolation the rule of the day, that means drinking beer at home. If you’re a beer enthusiast like me, you likely have a well-stocked beer cellar (or closet) you can dip into, or you may need to stock up for the coming weeks.

Breweries have adapted by offering steep discounts on their beers, particularly the draft options (growler, crowlers and kegs). Most of Central Oregon’s breweries are open to purchasing beer to go, and several are even delivering beer, including Deschutes Brewery, Boneyard Beer, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Craft Kitchen and Brewery and Bevel Craft Brewing Company. I am maintaining a continuously updated list of all of these options on my website, thebrewsite.com.

And beer is still available on grocery and retail shelves as well. One bit of advice if you’re bringing beer home: Give each bottle or can a quick wipe down with a disinfecting wipe to clean any potential traces of the virus from them.

Beer is a social drink and is often best consumed with friends, in a pub, over good conversation. So drinking at home might seem like a lonely endeavor—but it doesn’t have to be!

For instance, you can connect with other beer drinking friends with the Untappd social app. Untappd lets you check-in and share the beer you’re drinking with your friends, who can “toast” your beer (similar to a Facebook “like”) and leave comments. Users can post photos, rate their beers and more. And yes, I use Untappd. Feel free to search my name and send me a friend request.

Others have turned on their webcams to go “live” on sites like Facebook and Instagram, sharing their beers online and interacting virtually with others.

Online discussion forums such as BeerAdvocate.com have people connecting from across the world to discuss their beers and other issues.

If interacting on a social media website is not for you, consider connecting with me more directly; my email address and website are listed at the bottom of this column, and you can contact me any time with questions about beer, or simply to share what you’re drinking. In that spirit, I thought I’d share some of the beers I’ve enjoyed recently that I happen to have on hand, and I’d love to hear what you think!

Deschutes Brewery, Luna Jo Cold Brew Coffee Lager, 5% ABV and 25 IBUs

This seasonal offering is a collaboration with Deschutes and Riff Cold Brewed Coffee, and the result — a dunkel lager infused with coffee — is at first glance a non-intuitive pairing that turned out quite successful. There’s a terrific light-roasted coffee bean aroma combined with nutty, toasted maltiness and continues into the flavor with bread crust and pumpernickel notes. I’m not saying the coffee addition means you can drink this in the morning, but I’m not not saying that, either.

Sunriver Brewing Company, Cocoa Cow Chocolate Milk Stout, 7% ABV and 28 IBUs

I’ve written about Cocoa Cow before, and it drinks as much like chocolate milk as a beer can. It’s rich and decadent, brewed with Ghana cocoa nibs and milk sugar (lactose) to give a luscious chocolate flavor and thick, silky mouthfeel. It’s a great “comfort beer” to drink at times like these.

Multiple breweries, State of Excitement IPA, 6.7% ABV and 75 IBUs

It may seem like an odd time to be drinking a beer named “State of Excitement,” but this one was the official Zwickelmania Oregon brewery collaboration beer from last month, of which I’d saved a couple of cans. This west coast IPA is full of tropical fruit and marmalade aromas, and marries pineapple juice hop flavors with biscuity malts in a great balance that finishes hoppy.

Great Divide Brewing Company, Hibernation Ale, 8.7% ABV and 50 IBUs

This English-style old ale is one of my all-time favorite winter seasonal beers, and I had picked up a six-pack a few months ago to savor. It’s warming, rich and malty with leather and tobacco notes, a light molasses-like residual sweetness, and a terrifically balanced earthy hop profile.

COVID-19 is changing how we consume and enjoy beer, at least in the short term. I don’t know what the state of things will be when this article sees print, but support the local breweries by drinking their beer at home — and let’s connect online to share a beer!

—Jon Abernathy is a beer writer and blogger and launched The Brew Site (http://www.thebrewsite.com) in 2004. He can be reached at jon@thebrewsite.com.

Top 5 Beers of the Week – April 2, 2020

Luna Jo Cold Brew Coffee Lager — Deschutes Brewery

G. Love’s Special Sauce – The Juice IPA — GoodLife Brewing

Lucubrator Doppelbock — Occidental Brewing

Cocoa Cow Chocolate Milk Stout — Sunriver Brewing

Kiwanda Cream Ale — Pelican Brewing