Scoop: Portland as Fudge.

1. THIS BUD’S FOR BROS: Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial mocking craft beer seemed to fans in the Northwest like Anheuser-Busch shooting itself in the foot, given Bud just bought Bend’s 10 Barrel and Seattle’s Elysian breweries. “Let them sip their pumpkin peach ale,” says the commercial. “We’ll be brewing us some golden suds.” Except… Elysian made a pumpkin peach ale called Gourdgia on My Mind only a couple months ago. “It certainly doesn’t make me feel any better about a deal I didn’t even want to happen,” Elysian co-founder Dick Cantwell told the Chicago Tribune on Feb. 2. “It’s made a difficult situation even more painful.” On its Facebook page, 10 Barrel vowed that its next seasonal would be a pumpkin peach ale, and asked Elysian to collaborate. As of press time, Elysian had not responded.

1. UNJUST DESSERTS: Gresham bakery Sweet Cakes by Melissa acted unlawfully when refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple in January 2013, a state hearings officer determined Jan. 29, two years after the original incident. Bakery owners Aaron and Melissa Klein had counter-filed for $200,000 in damages and summary dismissal of the lesbian couple’s civil rights complaint. By rejecting the Kleins’ claim, administrative law judge Alan McCullough cleared the way for a March 10 hearing that will rule on damages the bakery owes. The bakery could be forced to pay up to $150,000 by Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian. In July 2014, the Kleins’ attorney attempted to remove Avakian from the case, arguing he was biased in favor of gay rights.

1. BEE SEASON: Schoolhouse Supplies held its annual local celebrity spelling bee Jan. 30, and Dandy Warhols keyboardist Zia McCabe was dethroned after reigning supreme for two years—including a victory in 2013 over Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, who couldn’t spell “fusillade.” McCabe placed third this year, losing on “syndesmosis.” Radio morning host John Erickson of K103 won the title over City Commissioner Nick Fish, who had a hard time with “pusillanimous.”

1. J-E-L-L-O: Back in 2012, we reported on a rogue bartender at the Lloyd Center Applebee’s who was serving delicious homemade Jell-O shots in flavors like candy apple, caramel apple and candy corn. Well, that bartender, Kayla Ziolkowski, is striking out on her own with a new bar—although Ziolkowski says that before leaving, she’d been Oregon’s No. 1 Applebee’s bartender in sales, as assessed by the corporate chain’s surveillance software. Her new bar, the Kache, will take over for Roseway restaurant Sunisa Thai at 6852 NE Sandy Blvd., after it closes at the end of February. She plans to take her $1 artisanal Jell-O shots with her, augmented by a $1 PBR hour, plus free bar snacks in partnership with local bakeries.

WWeek 2015