Schlafly Partnering With Award-Winning Wineries for Newest Release

If you have never had a sip of anything from Schlafly’s Ibex Series, I highly recommend you start. Schlafly Beer first introduced this series of premium beers in 2017. Since then, the series has provided new, handcrafted beers from what is known as the Ibex Cellar.

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Breweries Plan Big Events for First-Ever Georgia Beer Fortnight

We’re gonna need a bigger boat. Why? Because one week of celebrating Georgia craft beer just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Thanks to September 2017 changes in state legislation allowing beer sales directly from breweries to customers, the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild and Wrecking Bar Brewpub have decided to extend Georgia Beer Week by introducing the inaugural Georgia Beer Fortnight.

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The OGs of Craft Beer | Great Divide Brewing – Yeti Imperial Stout

There’s a Talking Heads song you probably know if you were old enough to drink when Great Divide’s Yeti Imperial Stout was released. David Byrne’s songs weren’t always coherent, lyrically, but damn it if they weren’t cool. As I get older, this line often runs through my head: And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?

How Great Divide got here was through the vision and hard work of founder Brian Dunn. In the ‘80s, while Talking Heads were writing songs about buildings and food, Dunn was overseas building farms in developing countries. When he returned to Colorado, he started homebrewing and went to grad school. When Great Divide officially launched in 1994, Dunn was the only full-time employee – brewing, bottling and selling the beer himself. After some fantastic initial success, Great Divide bought a building (an old dairy processing plant) in downtown Denver in 2001.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | August 15, 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 | The Bittersweet End of Summer

It’s a well-known (if not scientifically documented) fact that as we get older, we start complaining more about the weather. Sit near an old man on a park bench sometime, there’s really no condition that he can’t find fault with. Too hot. Too cloudy. Too much humidity. Lots of hot air these days; very few cool breezes. Nothing’s ever right or as good as it used to be. EDM music and so forth…

What if you like warm weather, yet long for the beers of winter? What about those of us who hate driving in the snow, but love football? People who are in limbo during this time of year want some beers that can meet the needs of any climate. The changing of the seasons truly is a bittersweet symphony, and as we clumsily straddle the fence that separates pre-autumn excitement from end-of-summer blues, let’s look at six tasty brews that that can help us savor the remaining warmth while preparing for the imminence of gawking leafers and poorly raked yards.
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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | Georgia Beer Fortnight

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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The OGs of Craft Beer | Saint Arnold Brewing Company – Amber Ale

In a world of hoppy beers, where even a beloved kolsch-style must now be dry hopped, it is nice to go back to one of the standard styles that helped set the stage for the craft beer movement – the Amber Ale. Today this style doesn’t receive all the notoriety of a West Coast IPA or the new hazy IPA styles; however, it was one of the original popular craft beer styles appearing in the 1990s that continues to be a staple among fans.

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Lagunitas Partners with Short’s Brewing Co. on New Session Ale

Last July, Lagunitas purchased 20% of Michigan-based Short’s Brewing Co. When it was announced, Short’s spokeswoman Emily Sullivan noted that the agreement was strategic and helped them grow their business through easier access to materials and packaging that a brewing behemoth like Lagunitas can offer. Now, we’re seeing the first real activation of the partnership, as brewers from both operations joined together for a Midwest meets West Coast collaboration: Passion Grass Session Ale made with passion fruit and lemongrass. The new creation is the first consumer-facing example of their partnership and is sure to appeal to beer geeks nationwide. Here are the details.

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Event Recap | Great Taste of the Midwest 2018

Temperatures stayed in the mid-to-high 80s all afternoon but that didn’t deter over 6,000 craft beer fans from sampling some of the regions finest beers at the Great Taste of the Midwest this past Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin.

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Homebrewing Recipe | Free From Amber Ale

The number one thing you will learn as a brewer is that there is always room to improve. Even the most professional people in the business know this. The very first beer I ever brewed was an amber ale that somehow surpassed all expectation by getting infected and tasting like sour lemons. There’s no shame in admitting it because everyone has gone through a similar, baffling situation in their first year of brewing.

Thanks to criticism from professional judges, I’ve found out what has been the bane of my brewing existence since I moved to a new apartment. Three of my beers were found to have medicinal off-flavors, resulting in band-aid/astringent tasting bottles. This type of problem can occur due to over-crushing grains or yeast contamination, but I was convinced it was a problem with the water. These reasons are why I constantly advise brewers to learn about the chemicals in your water source (using a system like Ward Lab) or by talking out the issue with other local homebrewers. Using the Brewer’s Friend Water Chemistry Calculator is a good way to figure out what needs to be added to accommodate your beer recipe.

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The OGs of Craft Beer | Anchor Brewing – Anchor Steam

Anchor Steam®. Those two words serve as a metaphorical window into a world filled with a veritable wealth of American beer history.

To view Anchor Brewing is to observe three distinct stages of American brewing: 19th Century to Prohibition; the resurrection of American craft and the establishment of craft as a business worthy of significant investment. To drink the beer is to enjoy a historical brewing process that afforded West Coast brewers an ability to brew successfully without ice; it also helped remind later-twentieth-century beer drinkers that beer need-not be clearish-yellow and full of adjuncts.

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Brewery Showcase | Wiley Roots Brewing Co.

For the past five years, Kyle and Miranda Carbaugh have been operating Wiley Roots Brewing Company on a quiet dead-end street in Greeley, Colorado. They’ve run their small space with a friendly and humble mindset, believing that if the beer is good, then the rest will fall into place. The Carbaughs have even come to affectionately refer to themselves and their brewery as “the weird kid in class”.
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The OGs of Craft Beer | New Belgium Brewing – Fat Tire

Imagine, if you will, a bicycle trip through Belgium. That bike ride served as the catalyst for a butterfly effect that helped to change the face of beer in America and encouraged a new generation of brewers and beer drinkers to prize flavorful, full-bodied and well-balanced liquid.  This surge, partially powered by New Belgium Brewing, has swept us into a new world of craft beer. Had this journey not taken place, there would be no Fat Tire. Without Fat Tire, there would not be New Belgium Brewing Company, and, without them, we may not have access to such a bountiful cornucopia of craft beer. Read More

What We’re Drinking | August 10, 2018

Summer is ending, school is starting, but the sun is still setting later into the night. We here at PorchDrinking are soaking up the last bit of rays and summer feels with some tasty brews in our hands. Build that last bonfire, throw a sweater on and see What We’re Drinking.

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Event Preview | Cocktails: A Competition

Denver’s Avanti F&B (Food & Beverage), presented by Shinola, is throwing a New Belgium Brewing Beer Cocktail Party on Monday, August 13, from 6 pm to 9 pm, and you are invited. Guests receive a complimentary New Belgium Beer upon arrival, taste the 10 competitors cocktails and help select a winner.

The grand prize winning bartender receives a spectacular Shinola watch. But the night is more than about winning and losing: “This contest was designed to be low impact for contestants, and a fun celebration of our community,” notes Avanti.

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Tie Seven On with Monday Night Brewing: 7 Questions with Peter Kiley

There’s energy in the air. You can feel it. It feels exciting. Monday Night Brewing just celebrated their 7th anniversary last week, so we sat down with Peter Kiley, Head Brewer, to catch up on the last seven years. I met Kiley with a pale golden liquid-filled glass in hand, he greets his friends and family with warm hugs and firm handshakes. This place feels important. It feels like home. Like family. Read More