PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | June 20, 2018

The Denver Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, etc.
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Ultimate 6er | How I Met Your Mother

How I Met Your Mother did for my generation what Friends did for the one before. As a sitcom, it was never going to be subversive or show the realities of every day New Yorkers, but it certainly gave a better sense of what 20 and 30 somethings in the 2000s were really doing, and it wasn’t sitting in coffee shops. Sitting down with your friends for a few drinks at your local watering hole has been a part of American culture for generations, and HIMYM made it look great. Each of the main characters embodied a certain personality type, but with a level of complexity and fun that makes them perfect for an Ultimate 6er.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | June 20-26, 2018

The Atlanta Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings and more!

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Urban Roots Brewing & Smoke House | Luna de Miel

If you were to ask someone in the Sacramento area if they’ve had a chance to visit a new brewery lately, you would most likely get the response, “Which one?” The rampant growth in U.S. breweries has not been lost on Sacramento. At last count, there are more than 70 breweries, tasting rooms and/or brewpubs open or in planning in the greater Sacramento area. You’ll get thirsty just trying to keep track. Read More

Why Patio Season in the Midwest Means More

Oh, summer. As a native Minnesotan and current Chicagoan, I have a mixed relationship with the best season of the year. I’m used to rationalizing the cold, the rain, the snow, more cold…and even hail, endured during roughly nine months of the year, knowing that the sweet embrace of 70 degrees and sunny skies is right around the corner. Unfortunately, summer in the Midwest can be as fleeting as the last drip of Lager in your glass, which is why Midwesterners go so crazy for the nice days:  because there are so few of them. One of my favorite summer activities is patio drinking. It’s a staple pastime that tans the skin and bloats the belly as you sit outside sopping up suds and some much-needed Vitamin D. Much like its inhabitants, the breweries of the Midwest also rejoice when the first summer forecast comes into the picture. Patio season can even start before Memorial Day – I’ve seen Chicago breweries unveil their patio chairs on an unseasonably sunny day in March. And guess what? That patio was filled. We asked several Midwestern brewers why patio season is so special for their brewery and for their patrons.

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Book Review & Interview | Cheese & Beer

It may come as a surprise to many people that beer pairs beautifully with cheese. Wine has long held a stranglehold on cheese pairing, and while excellent wine and cheese combinations abound, cheese might actually find its ideal companion in the nectar of malt and hops rather than grapes. Janet Fletcher has written a book to help beer lovers get the most of this match made in heaven.

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Fremont Brewing | The Gauntlet

It was quite possibly the best night of my life. What could have been better? I, and roughly 200 other Fremont Brewing fanatics, had been invited to the Heron Hunting Club’s annual get-together. The event, which I would argue is the best beer event in the city, had it all. We were being fed by James Beard award-winning Chef Edouardo Jordan of Salare and JuneBaby, taste-testing and purchasing some of Fremont’s most hard-to-get beers, and witnessing the metamorphosis of the brewery’s Frelard location. The space, which had been a packaging and brewing facility just a few hours beforehand, could now pass for a palace. Chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, vintage furniture and rugs awaited us in every corner, and Broadway-worthy props were found at every turn. Again – what could have been better?

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Fast Facts on Revolution Brewing’s First Ever Sour: Freedom of Speach

Chances are, the last Revolution Brewing beer you had was probably from their Hero IPA line – or even a Rosa or Pils knowing both are a staple of summer. That might not be the case for much longer. Revolution is diving head first into the sour beer trend with the release of their first-ever sour, Freedom of Speach. The session peach sour gets its tartness via kettle souring and comes in at a sessionable 4.5% ABV, meaning that it will add some variety to any cooler you’re packing this season.

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Funkwerks | Oud Bruin

Funkwerks Brewery, located in Fort Collins, CO, has achieved something pretty remarkable: in a town full of breweries, they maintain an underground “hidden gem” vibe while consistently producing quality beers. Maybe it’s their tiny taproom, or the lack of splashy … Read More

2018 Denver Rare Beer Tasting Announces Initial Brewery List, Tickets On-Sale Sunday

As we’ve articulated a few times, GABF week’s multitude of events have lately grown to the point of overshadowing the event itself. And while many of these periphery activities offer a host of rare or limited distribution beers, Pints for … Read More

The Weekly Buzz | June 8 – 14

Today is my eighth consecutive day of work. Six of those days were 12-hour shifts. I work another 12-hour day tomorrow. I’m tired. I’m cranky. There hasn’t been enough beer in my diet, so definitely send some of that my way. My social media time was limited, but I gladly burned the candle at both ends for you, my dedicated readers. Raise a pint for me, and enjoy The Weekly Buzz.
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21st Amendment Brewery | El Sully Mexican-Style Lager

There comes a time where something light is needed. Something airy for lakeside Saturdays or something just enough to take the edge off a stressful Wednesday without incidentally starting the weekend early. With the latest boom of IPAs, a sessionable IPA typically comes to mind. However, on my most recent Taco Tuesday outing, I decided to return to the first style of beer I eventually fell in love with: a light, golden lager. Or in this case, El Sully, the Mexican-style Lager from 21st Amendment Brewery.

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Summer Brew and Starting Anew | Rockyard Brewing’s Dramatic Makeover

I’ve always been a bit cynical. I’m not a rare breed in that sense; the beer world has many stubborn, cranky cynics. We’re the ones shouting at you to get off our lawns with your sour, hazy, glittery slush stouts as we rock cantankerously back and forth on the porch with our pint glasses full of clear, reliable IPA. But even the most hardened beer traditionalist among us can look forward to summer. In summer, we can rise from the ashes of our self-loathing like a magnificent, tipsy phoenix. Even if for just a season, we can crack a smile and enjoy the sun on our face while the bubbles of an unfamiliar brew caress our puckered lips.

In that spirit, Colorado’s Rockyard Brewing Company is showing us how it’s done. Shedding its skin and undergoing a major renewal of its own, the brewery has done away with ALL of its award-winning original lineup.

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Perfect Storm of Beer Events Align, Denver Livers Stand Zero Chance

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of a nearly 3 million livers unilaterally crying out in agony. They know they stand zero chance of survival. Yesterday, Shelton Brother, one of the country’s most prestigious importers of international beer, announced … Read More

Stem Ciders | Hibiscus Session Apple Cider

Summer has finally arrived and it’s hot out. Unbearably hot. The kind of hot where suburbanites start doing silly things like frying eggs on the sidewalk. But yet the onset of these warmer days also affords the adventurous types the … Read More

Hopewell Brewing and Metric Coffee Release Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale

The collaboration beer, Hopewell Brewing x Metric Coffee Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale, marry two increasingly popular American brewing trends — craft beer and independent roasters (coffee).

Most of the PorchDrinking.com audience is well aware of craft beer’s growth in recent years. However, one may not be aware that 59% of coffee consumed daily is classified as “gourmet,” according to the 2017 NCA report on National Coffee Drinking Trends. That was the first time in the report’s 67-year history that the number exceeded 50%.

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