Posts ByRobert French, Author at PorchDrinking.com
California’s Craft Beer Summit Is Back
March 3, 2023 | Robert FrenchThe California Craft Beer Summit is back! This multi-day event includes educational seminars, a hands-on trade show, food and craft beer pairings, and a place to reconnect, meet people and learn. Read More
It’s All In The Blend | Tasting Eleven Years of Firestone Walker Anniversary Ales
December 28, 2022 | Robert FrenchThe coming together of brewers and winemakers mixed with the art of blending and barrels is the genesis of Firestone Walker Brewing Company Anniversary Ale. Read More
5 Questions with Jacque Fields, Wild Fields Brewhouse
November 21, 2022 | Robert FrenchThere are not too many breweries that have had this kind of success in such a short period of time. Located strategically between Los Angeles and San Francisco in the town of Atascadero, Wild Fields Brewhouse is just three years old and has captured numerous gold medals. You would be hard-pressed to find two nicer people. Jacque & Ryan Fields are the real deal.
Alvarado Street Brewery | Motor Oil No. 17
November 1, 2022 | Robert FrenchAs the weather cools, leaves begin to change color and the smells of pumpkin spice are inescapable, it’s hard to beat the comforting warmth of an Imperial Stout. Alvarado Street Brewery in collaboration with Weathered Souls Brewing Company is bringing the latest version of Motor Oil. Motor Oil No.17 is a Chocolate Imperial Stout registers with an impressive 11.5% ABV.
California Craft Beer Week Returns This July
July 14, 2022 | Robert FrenchCalifornia craft beer week returns! Craft beer guilds across the state have come together to bring California Craft Beer Week (CCBW) to fruition. Read More
Teresa Psuty of Crooked Lane Brewing
June 24, 2022 | Robert FrenchCrooked Lane Brewing has a unique setting and is one of the most respected breweries in the Sacramento, CA area. Its home was initially built as a duplex movie theater, and then has seen life as a German auto dealership, a motorcycle dealer and then a mixed martial arts studio. Read More
Claimstake Brewing | Hit Me With Your Best Hops
June 1, 2022 | Robert FrenchAre you looking for some old-school dank bitterness with some new school hops? Hit Me With Your Best Hops, just might be the answer. Claimstake Brewing has definitely dialed up the bitterness but did it in a way without knocking you out. Read More
Event Preview | Sacramento Beer Week 2022
April 18, 2022 | Robert FrenchSacramento welcomes back beer week, beginning April 22 and running through May 1. The Sacramento Area Brewers Guild, which represents the Counties of Sacramento, Yolo, Placer and El Dorado has plans to quench your thirst and satisfy your food cravings. Breweries, taprooms, restaurants and retail craft beer stores are all joining in the celebration. There will be over 100 regional events during beer week.
Wild Fields Brewhouse | Mountain Moonlight Oatmeal Stout
February 21, 2022 | Robert FrenchWhat comes to your mind when you think of a comfort beer? That beer you open and that first taste conjures up a feeling of relaxation. Maybe it brings back memories of sitting around a campfire with friends. Maybe just sitting on a patio watching the night sky or maybe just a quiet spot to relax. Read More
Phantasm Powder | A Unique Ingredient in Craft Beer
November 3, 2021 | Robert FrenchWhen it comes to new ingredients in beer, you might be thinking about the items that you would find in a heavily adjuncted stout or fruited IPA. So what about grapes? Read More
Brew Your Story | A National Beer Collaboration
September 27, 2021 | Robert FrenchOak Park Brewing Co. wants to help to tell the stories of black-owned breweries. On September 21, they announced a national beer collaboration to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Peoples Beer, one of the nation’s first Black-owned breweries.
Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale Turns 25
August 23, 2021 | Robert FrenchNot many beers brewed in the US have an origin story that equals Firestone Walker’s Double Barrel Ale, aka DBA. So when Adam Firestone and David Walker, two brothers-in-law, set out to brew this beer in 1996, it was safe to say they were not just forging their own path. Instead, they were envisioning a new concept.
Green Flash Brewing Co. | Saturhaze IPA
May 17, 2021 | Robert FrenchGreen Flash Brewing Co., since its founding in 2002, has endured crazy growth and national expansion, as well as financial troubles and company restructuring. So when they asked me to try Saturhaze, it intrigued me to see what they were up to. Read More
Ultimate 6er | Beers Homebrewers Replicate
May 12, 2021 | Robert FrenchWhat prompts a beer drinker into becoming a homebrewer is each owns journey. Maybe they think it will be cheaper, but who are they kidding. Maybe it’s to test their abilities. Regardless of why they started, it’s almost guaranteed that the specific beer propelled them deeper into the world of homebrewing. Read More
Sacramento Beer Week is Back
April 20, 2021 | Robert FrenchAs we all attempt to bring back a level of normalcy to our lives, hanging out at a brewery might seem low on that list… until you remember all the great conversations, fantastic beers and a sense of community breweries provide.
COVID-19 has caused the cancellation of beer festivals, forced breweries to close and meant that jobs are lost. While the world is not back to 100%, case rates are coming down and, with proper safety measures in place, things are opening up. A “beer week” might be the perfect antidote to a long and frustrating lock-down that is being slowly lifted.
Radiant Beer Co | A New Brewery Heating Things Up
March 29, 2021 | Robert FrenchIt takes more than just a belief in concept to open a brewery during a pandemic. The forces behind Radiant Beer Co. are neither new to beer nor how to connect to their core audience. Read More
A California Craft Beer Veteran Retires
January 12, 2021 | Robert FrenchIf asked about the most influential people in California’s craft beer history, names like Fritz Maytag, Ken Grossman and Vinnie Cilurzo might top the list for many of the beer enthusiasts. However, away from the public eye, Tom McCormick has had an immense impact on the success of craft beer. Read More
21st Amendment Brewery Celebrates 20 Years
December 15, 2020 | Robert FrenchHow many breweries have taken this route? Start as a San Francisco brewpub in 2000; add contract brewing in Minnesota to the mix in 2008; in 2015, when the time is right, build the first production facility in San Leandro. Read More
Humble Sea Brewing Company | Rare Beer Auction for Santa Cruz Wildfire Victims
October 3, 2020 | Robert FrenchWildfires have devastated much of California this year and Humble Sea Brewing Company has responded by calling on brewery friends to help Santa Cruz wildfire victims. The impressive group of breweries has donated bottles to a wildfire relief auction benefiting the Community Foundation Santa Cruz County Fire Relief Fund. The Rare Beer Auction for Santa Cruz went live on Friday and ends at noon on Monday, October 5.
Firestone Walker Brewing Company | 805 Cerveza
September 9, 2020 | Robert FrenchFirestone Walker Brewing Company has never been shy about embracing a classic style and putting their take on it. It’s no different with their 805 Cerveza.
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