Brewery Showcase | Portner Brewhouse

Featured imaged photo credit: Portner Brewhouse’s facebook page.

Portner Brewhouse is trying to do many, many things: resurrect pre-Prohibition family recipes, encourage local experimentation among homebrewers, serve delicious German food and of course, brew and serve beer.

And prost! They are actually doing it all — and doing it well.

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Starr Hill Brewing Expands, Yet Keeps Focus on Home in Virginia

The largest independent craft brewery in Virginia is expanding swiftly, but doing so with intent. Starr Hill Brewery has doubled its Virginia sales team within the past year, and from July 2015 to now, has increased Virginia sales by 16 percent — and packaging in particular by 20 percent.

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Starr Hill Brewery | Warm Up Winter Ale

ABV: 6.1% | IBU: 15

If a brewery says its beer pairs well with gouda and snickerdoodle cookies, you know you’re drinking the right thing.

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Ultimate 6er | Ain’t Nothing But a Hound Dog

We’ve had a hound dog for years and, with a new home, decided it was time for a second furry family member. We decided on Max, a 70-pound German shepherd/hound mix. We were seemingly seasoned pet owners and confidently walked into this decision with delight. We forgot there’s a learning curve. This Ultimate 6er is for new pet owners and those who discover their pets have a burgeoning affinity for chewing the couch or those of us who just love their dogs.

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BREAKING | DC Brau Announces Brewery Expansion

The 7-year-old beloved Washington, D.C. brewery, DC Brau, announced this week that they are setting up infrastructure to increase their production capabilities — by 360 percent over the next 8 to 10 years, according to a release on Friday.

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Devils Backbone Brewing Company | Ginger Brau

ABV: 4.8% | IBU: 16

You know when you eat too much turkey at Thanksgiving and you regret it? Or you pour yourself a spicy pumpkin porter and realized it’s exhausting? This doesn’t happen with this beer. ?

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Virginia’s Heritage Brewing to Launch Brewpub & Coffee Roastery

Heritage Brewing Company was started in 2013 via a Kickstarter campaign, so it’s fitting they looked to the same tool to help launch their next big move: An Arlington-based brewpub and coffee roastery, about 30 miles from their home location in Manassas, Virginia.

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BadWolf Brewing Company | Session Brown

ABV: 4.7% | IBU: 29

It’s cliché but sometimes you want a beer that you can drink in the fall while wearing a flannel. Maybe you’re wearing brown boots, maybe you’re sitting on a haystack or maybe you’re just sitting on your back porch on a sunny, somewhat warm afternoon.

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Ultimate 6er | Manassas Beer Love

Instead of just attending the Bands, Brews and Barbecue event on September 10th in Manassas, Virginia, my husband and I decided to volunteer and get to know some of our neighbors (who also happen to love music, beer and smoked meats).

It was a sweltering Saturday for the 6th year of the event, which was again located in Old Town Manassas, near its picturesque small-town train station, Civil War museum and local bars and causal restaurants. Despite the heat, folks turned out; we passed out wrist bands, glasses and sent eager imbibers on their ways. Read More

Old Bust Head Brewing Co. | English Style Pale Ale

ABV: 5.6% | IBU: 21

Old Bust Head Brewing Co. has appeared on taps throughout bars in my new hometown and because it’s made in Warrenton, which isn’t far from me, I knew I had to give it a shot. At my glorious Harris Teeter, I bought a 6-pack of their English-style pale ale, interested in both the beer but also the beer category itself — I’ve circled around English pale ales, but never dove into the style. Read More

#GoldStarToast Embodies Honor Brewing’s Mission

Nearly every brewery will say that their beer carries a story and that their mission is to do something more for their community. But Honor Brewing Company takes that rhetoric a … Read More

2 Days, 2 Nights in Washington, D.C.’s Craft Beer Scene

The first time most people visit Washington, D.C., they are in middle school. They are hustled from monument to monument, eat in overcrowded food courts and rarely adventure to spots beyond the National Mall.

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Life, Liberty and 13 Beers for 13 Colonies

It is a special thing to celebrate the Fourth of July in places up and down the East Coast, in cities that relish their historical relevance. It’s also a special thing to drink plenty of beer, develop a t-shirt tan and relish in the glory that is overcooked burgers and sour cream and onion chips, with ridges, of course. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Welcome to My House

My husband and I recently moved from a tiny 2-bedroom basement apartment on Capitol Hill to a 4-bedroom, 3-bath home on a wooded lot in Virginia. It’s been a whirlwind of changes and we’re blissfully happy learning the nuances of a compost pile and how to repair a pool vacuum.

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Old Ox Brewery | Alpha Ox

ABV: 4.5% | IBU: 31

Feature image courtesy of Old Ox.

Supermarkets in the DC-MD-VA region do a solid job of carrying craft and high-quality beer. It’s not hard to find Stone … Read More

Brewery Showcase | Right Proper Brewing Company (Washington, DC)

Now that DC has solidly established its brewing scene, it’s time to see how the beloved facilities will be spreading their wings. One of the first to open a second location is … Read More

Wild Wolf Brewing | Blonde Hunny

ABV: 6.8% | IBU: 21

Feature photo courtesy of Wild Wolf Beer.

Yes, it was the can’s design that first drew me to order this beer. A Chicago-themed sports bar … Read More

Brew(store) Showcase | The Brew Shop

The Brew Shop had a steady stream of customers on a Saturday afternoon — 20-somethings coming in to taste Italian wine, grab multiple growlers, or beeline to the back of … Read More

Event Preview | Cherry Blossom Homebrew Competition: A Budding Event

Washington D.C. may be buried in frigid temperatures, but the cherry blossoms are still on tap to bloom in early April. This means that homebrewers are also on tap to compete in the DC Homebrewers Club‘s 3rd annual competition featuring the best in inspired brewing, for beer lovers of all experience levels. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Virginia Brew Adventure

Among the pile of New Year’s resolutions from PorchDrinkers, I’m adding one of mine: Explore more Virginia beer. The state is chockablock with amazing, well-known breweries and new ones are expanding, popping up each month.

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