Christmas Classics | Great Lakes Christmas Ale

The annual release of Great Lakes Brewing Co.‘s Christmas Ale is a big deal in Ohio, and that excitement extends all the way up to the man responsible for its creation.

“When I take a sip, it’s like I’m wearing a sweater,” says Pat Conway, co-founder of Great Lakes in Cleveland, Ohio.

His brewery first brewed Christmas Ale in 1992, but Conway is still like a kid on Christmas when asked about this celebrated holiday seasonal. The beer helped define the Christmas beer style for the early craft beer movement.

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Event Preview | 2019 Denver Festivus Announces Participating Breweries

In a holiday season littered with White Elephants, tinsel and ugly sweaters, I think it’s safe to say what we really care about is cutting straight to the booze and debauchery. Denver Beer Festivus, which returns on Saturday, December 14 from 3-6 pm., cuts to the chase with a host of Denver-based breweries in attendance. This year’s event taking place at Major Studio will also feature a silent disco floor from SoundDown, part luchador-style wrestling and comedy from Lucha Libre and Laughs, a holiday market, food vendors, and plenty more surprises.

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Boulder Beer is Here to Stay | Brewery Inks Agreement with Sleeping Giant

In an indication of just how fast the craft beer market moves these days, earlier this week Boulder Beer Company and Sleeping Giant Brewing Company announced a partnership to bring Boulder Beer back into distribution. This comes fast on the heels of Boulder Beer’s October decision to exit distribution. Boulder Beer was to be available only in the Boulder brewpub.

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Bruz Beers | Hellraiser Golden Strong

Bruz Beers in Midtown, just northwest of Denver proper, is pumping out some delicious, true-to-style beers. With several medal wins in brew festivals including one at GABF this year, they are aiming to brew high-quality beers across all Belgian beer styles. Quads, Saisons, bottle-conditioned Sours, and everything in between keep brewers Charlie Gottenkieny and Dave Olson (formerly of Ursula Brewing), and Brewery Operations Manager Ryan Evans very busy!

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | December 5, 2019

The Denver Beer Beat is a weekly roundup of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, and more happening in the Front Range and beyond. Be sure to check in each Wednesday to discover anything and everything happening around Colorado’s beer scene. Now let’s get to this week’s can’t miss beer events. Read More

Beervent Calendar | A How-To Guide

The time between Thanksgiving and New Years is supposed to be about enjoying family and friends, but it can quickly devolve into a five week stress marathon. With holiday parties, family gatherings, traveling to see loved ones, and presents to buy the stress can pile on each day. One obvious remedy to the holiday madness is beer of course, and why not make those beers special and surprising? The key to a delicious daily dose of holiday calm is a Beervent Calendar!
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Foreign Objects Beer | Psychomantic Cult Worship

Arguably the best part about craft beer? The label art. “Label buying” is a phrase among some craft beer drinkers for when a person purchases a beer just because of the name or label art. Many beer labels produce a recognizable identity for the brewery, which can, in many cases, encourage the purchase of a particular beer. Advertising is a powerful thing!

I’ll admit I’m one of those people who succumbs to the “label buys,” and Foreign Objects is a label buy I will always make. It comes as no surprise to hear that when I saw a can of Psychomantic Cult Worship, my hands were right on it.

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Anderson Valley Brewing Company Sold to the McGee Family

The holiday shopping season is underway, and it seems that breweries are a hot item. In a matter of weeks, we’ve witnessed the acquisition of New Belgium Brewing by Kirin’s Lion Little World Beverages and, just yesterday, the stunning story … Read More

The PorchCast Ep 65 | Raíces Brewing Grand Opening

In episode 65 of the PorchCast, Tristan and Sam got together to talk with Jose Beteta and Martin Vargas, two of the three co-founders of Denver’s Raíces Brewing Company on their Grand Opening this weekend on Saturday, December 7th.

We … Read More

Hammerheart | Herbstklagen Smoked Märzen

Minnesota’s Hammerheart Brewing Company is devoted in every facet of their existence to the holy trinity of Vikings, heavy metal and beer. These are all passions I share, so when I first caught a glimpse of a row of their … Read More

Kings & Convicts Brewing Co-Founder on Today’s Ballast Point Acquisition

When Ballast Point was sold to Constellation Brands in 2015 for $1 billion it made big news. It made even bigger news this afternoon when tiny Chicagoland brewery, Kings & Convicts Brewing announced they had purchased the San Diego-based brewery.

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BREAKING | Small Chicago Brewery Acquires Ballast Point Brewing

Well it seems the billion-dollar Ballast Point experiment with Constellation Brands is over. The maker of Corona and Modelo which first purchased the California-based brewery in November 2015, announced today, that it has sold Ballast Point Brewing, along with several … Read More

2020 Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines Participating Breweries Announced

For the initiated, it’s already well-known that if there’s one non-negotiable, can’t-miss beer festival in the state of Colorado that represents the ultimate beer nerd experience, it’s Big Beers Belgians and Barleywines. And this year, expect the spectacle to be even bigger than ever.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary the weekend of January 9-11, the next Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines will offer a full slate of programming, the return of some of Big Beer’s biggest names from past Featured Brewmasters including Adam Avery, Sam Calagione, Eric Wallace, Brian Dunn, Doug Odell, John Mallett, Jeffrey Stuffing, Cory King, Dave Thibodeau, and more, as well as a Brewers Reception and Traditional Brewmasters’ Dinner on Thursday night with featured brewmasters Neil Fisher of WeldWerks Brewing and Troy Casey from Casey Brewing & Blending.

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Cooking with Beer | Raspberry Cheesecake with WeldWerks Brewing’s Raspberry Cheesecake Berliner

Does it get any better than a cheesecake made with beer? Maybe. But this Raspberry Cheesecake made with WeldWerks Brewing Co.‘s Raspberry Cheesecake Berliner is definitely one that you don’t want to miss out on trying. The beer itself was inspired by this mouthwatering dessert; it seemed like a no-brainer to incorporate the beer into a recipe to further enhance the flavors before pairing it with the beer itself.

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Parish Brewing | Pure Tropics

You’re looking to impress if you include the word “pure” in the name of a beer. Pure Tropics from Parish Brewing is one of the newer IPA offerings out of Broussard, LA and further proves this brewery’s superiority of the style.

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Roundtable Discussion | How Do You Promote Diversity in Beer?

It’s unfortunate that it takes public relations disasters like the recent Founders Brewing litigation and other instances of sexual harassment and sexism to open up a greater dialogue around diversity in craft beer. Over the past several months, we’re finally seeing more breweries address the industry’s lack of diversity head-on. Some are also realizing that embracing diversity in their brewhouses and taprooms has benefits beyond PR. The Brewer’s Association points out that cultivating diversity isn’t just a feel-good effort: “Research studies increasingly show that diversity and inclusion (or D&I) can help increase a business’ bottom line, drive innovation, attract more talent, attract more customers and create more opportunities for growth.”

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