Trillium Brewing | Skimpy Sparrow

ABV: 5.4%

Two months ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Boston with my wonderful girlfriend. It was our very first time going and we were able to stay with our amazing friend, Jackie. The great thing about Jackie, besides having two super adorable dogs and living in Salem, is the fact that she is a beer lover just like us. So we spent the better time of five days exploring the East Coast for craft beer and fresh lobsters; yum! Nothing pairs better on a hot day than fresh caught lobster and a cold beer. Throughout our mini vacation we were able to try numerous new breweries and even attended the Microbrewery Invitation. All brews considered, one brewery stood out to us above all others: Trillium Brewing (including its Skimpy Sparrow American Pale Ale, or APA).

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Event Preview | Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest

It’s that time of year again! Something about fall makes it perfect for drinking an amber lager and listening to beerhall music among several thousand of your closest friends. For many, making the trip to Munich for Oktoberfest may be a financial or logistical impossibility, but there is still hope! The Oktoberfest at the Reading Liederkranz in Reading, Pennsylvania, aims to recreate those traditions and warm, cozy feelings of Gemütlichket right here on the East Coast.

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2016 GABF Pour List Preview

With 775+ breweries in attendance and 3,500+ beers available for sampling, the dazzling array of choices at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival could overwhelm even the most seasoned beer enthusiasts. Are you looking for all the sours? IPAs? Barleywines? Look no more!

Continuing one of our favorite GABF traditions, we reached out to every brewery attending the festival this year to get a preview of what they will be pouring. We hope our exclusive pour list preview will give you a head start on planning the best route possible through the maze of GABF breweries in order to gain the best beer for your buck. Read More

2016 Presidential Debate Drinking Game

Image courtesy of OSV.com

Unless you’ve been in a coma for the past six months, you’re well aware that this has been the most absurd, controversial, heated and passionate election cycle that this country has ever seen. In recent months, the country has heard about Donald Trump’s, er, hand size, exhausted the topic of Hillary Clinton’s inbox, and experienced major deja vu at the Republican National Convention. I would say that it has been a roller coaster of a season, but the comparison does not do justice to the madness. Read More

Avery Brewing Company | Ale to the Chief

8.1% ABV | 19.1 degrees Plato (OG)

Avery Brewing Company Ale to the Chief is around for a third term. Don’t worry, there’s no dictatorship here — it’s all about democracy. In that spirit, this isn’t the first time we’ve written about Ale to the Chief. Four years ago, PorchDrinking’s own chief wrote a blurb about Avery’s Ale to the Chief, but there’s a new political and beer climate around, it’s time for a new voice. It’s time for my voice. It’s time for change!

[Balloon Drop]

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What We’re Drinking | September 23rd, 2016

Have you ever been on a trip out of state and done quite a bit of beer shopping? You know, you casually search out all the best places to find local craft beer to drink while you’re on your trip. But you end up not drinking any of it because you’re attending a wedding that has plenty o’ booze, so you decide you should probably attempt to pack all the beer into your checked luggage. There’s no way it could be over 50 lbs, right? But you find out that your luggage is over the weight limit and have to remove 12 lbs worth of crap from your checked luggage and shove it into your carry-ons. You don’t know what that’s like? Oh good, neither do I.

Here’s what we’re drinking this week.

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Beerstagram | September 15 – September 22

Happy Fall! We are still amidst the hop harvest season and saw a lot of photos of it shared over Instagram this week! We also saw a lot of tasty bottles shared, looking good Beerstagram world, keep on enjoying! Be sure to keep tagging us to be featured! Cheers! Read More

The Weekly Buzz | September 16th – September 22nd

This week was chock full of event announcements, new beer releases, and breweries giving back to the community. Hmm, am I forgetting anything? Only the grand opening of Stone’s location in Berlin, and a legendary collaboration brew that took place there! Ladies, gentlemen and children of all ages (but preferably over 21), this is The Weekly Buzz! Read More

Event Preview | Music Tastes Good

Photo courtesy of Music Tastes Good. 

Festival season may be winding down, but it’s not going quietly. With prices soaring and tickets selling out for mega-fests like Coachella and Bonnaroo, niche festivals have been popping up all over the Los Angeles area. The new kid in town is making its debut on the streets of Long Beach this weekend, September 23rd through the 25th, with a lineup as diverse as the LBC. Read More

2016 Presidential Debate BINGO

The Presidential Debate on Monday, September 26 is maybe the most anticipated debate in your lifetime or mine. Expect massive ratings on TV. Anticipate hostility between the candidates on stage. Plan on a few major soundbites to play on cable news for days afterward. And overall, honestly, you can likely expect to be a bit bored by the end. Which is why PorchDrinking brings you Presidential debate Bingo!

PorchDrinking has the antidote to debate boredom and political bickering. Republicans, Democrats, and Independents can ALL play our Debate Bingo game. Whichever candidate you support, we’ve got the card for you (five for each candidate, to be exact). Enjoy competing with friends. Read More

Guinness Brewery | Antwerpen Stout

ABV: 8%  |  IBU: 52

In the U.S., for the longest time, when you heard Guinness you thought of only the iconic stout that is a staple at every bar. But over the past few years the brewery has been dedicated to branching out and highlighting other beers to become known for more than the stout with the unique tap handle. Guinness‘ latest release, Antwerpen Stout, is just one of several beers that are hitting shelves in the U.S. to help diversify the Guinness name.

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Old Irving Brewing Co. Opens in Chicago

The week has finally come for the much-anticipated opening of Old Irving Brewing Company. OIB is located in the sneakily densely populated Old Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago just off the Edens at 4419 W. Montrose. The brewery is also only a couple blocks from the Montrose Blue line stop, making it very commuter friendly. Right now only street parking is available, however, a parking lot is in negotiations. Read More

Craft Beer News | Rhinegeist Expands to Massachusetts

Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist is headed for Massachusetts.

The “Ghost of the Rhine” brewery that breathed life into the old Cincinnati brewing district resides in the old Moerlein bottling plant (1895) – a facility so large it hosts motorcycle shows, dances, concerts, and wiffle ball tournaments. But, even that expansive space wasn’t large enough to contain Rhinegeist. The brewery needed to expand, and Massachusetts is where it is landing.

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Festival Recap | Old Bust Head Brewing Company Bleu & Brew Festival

September is a tricky month for outdoor beer drinking in Virginia. You pray for a break in the heat, for those fall-like temperatures to appear and bring with them the perfect weather for enjoying a brew or two at your favorite festival. “No more warm beer!” you cry. “Bring me fall!” Sadly, more often than not, you have to get real, accept that for some reason it’s still 90 freaking degrees outside, slap on your sunscreen and roll with it. The second annual Old Bust Head Brewing Company Bleu and Brew Beer and Cheese Festival was held this month on, you guessed it, a steamy, sunny September day! Lucky for us we’ve been blessed with some of the best beer coming out of Virginia, making that late summer heat much more bearable when you have a variety of beer styles at your fingertips. And when you pair local cheeses with local beers? The only heat you end up feeling is from that Smoked Gouda Jalapeño cheese bite sizzling in your mouth!

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Devils Backbone Brewing Company | The Family Beer Project

Devils Backbone Brewing Company may be best known for its Germanic, lager-centric catalog, but the brewery also takes time to put unique beers into the market. Nearly every season, Devils Backbone releases up to four new beers ranging from common styles to experimental fusions, and the Family Beer Project is an example of that. So it’s safe to say that whether I’m heading to my favorite bottle shop or Costco, I’ll be able to satisfy the intrepid beer fan within.

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The PorchCast | Ep 26 Bierstadt Lagerhaus

Over 5,200 miles away, two plus weeks of celebration featuring streets lined with jubilant semi-cognizant attendees sporting their dirndls and lederhosen prost-ing to the autumn festival of beer that is Oktoberfest. Meanwhile back in Denver, Colorado, you can now discover a slice of Munich in the form of liter steins and proper slow pour pilsner glasses that speak to the detail and authenticity of Bierstadt Lagerhaus. Read More

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