Westbound & Down Brewing Company | Westbound Double IPA

Idaho Springs may not be the central hub of craft beer in Colorado, but Westbound & Down Brewing Company is doing its best to change that. At 2019’s Great American Beer Festival, they took home three awards: silver medals in the Double India Pale Ale and Wood/Barrel-Aged Strong Beer categories, as well as Mid-size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year. Their Double India Pale Ale win was for their aptly named Westbound Double IPA, which was just recently added to their canning lineup. We tried this award-winning beer to see what exactly Westbound & Down Brewing did so well.

Read More

2020 WeldWerks Invitational Ticket Sales Announced for February

Mark your calendars, set your alarms, and prepare to apologize to your liver: the WeldWerks Invitational is returning for its third year on June 20, 2020, and we have the early details.

Having only launched in 2018, the WeldWerks Invitational … Read More

Christmas Classics | New Belgium Brewing Foeder Frambozen

When it comes to holiday beers, New Belgium Brewing had the market cornered for years with Frambozen: a medium-bodied brown ale awash with fresh raspberries and a delightfully festive pinkish head. The seasonal release was eagerly anticipated every year, and when they discontinued this brew back in 2015, I mourned the loss deeply.

Luckily, though, fans of the tartly fruited brown ale have been treated to new iterations of the classic over the past few years. An imperial version with cocoa was delightfully similar to the original, with subtle hints of chocolate that deepened the overall flavor without adding too much sweetness. I suspect it was the success of that iteration that brings us to the current limited release: New Belgium Brewing Foeder Frambozen.

Read More

Founders Brewing Flounders | Why We Saw This Coming

For the past 20 years, Michigan’s famous Founders Brewing has walked the delicate line of balancing immense popularity, while maintaining high-quality craft beer. But in the past few days, a former employee’s lawsuit which was first filed last year has resurfaced to shed light on a disturbing trend of pervasive racism throughout the company.

Read More

Ultimate 6er | Six Beers to Pair with the Halloween Classic: Hocus Pocus

Is there any movie more quintessentially Halloween than the 1993 classic Hocus Pocus? I’ve been watching it annually since I was a kid, but it’s even better now, because now I can drink beer at the same time. So let’s cuddle up with our talking cat, light that Black Flame Candle, and get to it: here are six beers to pair with the bewitching characters from the spooky film Hocus Pocus.

Read More

WeldWerks Brewing Co. | Citra Extra Extra Juicy Bits

Ah, Juicy Bits: The beer that launched a thousand hazy IPAs. WeldWerks Brewing Co.’s Juicy Bits may not have been the original New England IPA (the whole “New England” part should have given that away), but it’s consistently at the top of the list in terms of popularity and praise. Its tropical juicy hops character and creamy mouthfeel, along with its relatively wide distribution in Colorado, make it the perfect go-to for both hardcore and new-to-the-scene craft beer drinkers.

Because of the immense success of Juicy Bits, WeldWerks has had a lot of fun experimenting with that base, seeing how far they can push the limit on hops, flavor and ABV. This beer showcase highlights their most recent invention: Citra Extra Extra Juicy Bits.

Read More

Untappd Potential | Avery Brewing’s Bug Zapper

Welcome to the second installment in our new series! Untappd Potential is our chance to defend a beer that has a middling rating on Untappd, break down the negative user reviews and convince you to let your taste buds be the judge. (If you want some background on our inspiration for this series or more information on the Untappd app, check out our first article.)

Today’s contender: Avery Brewing Company’s Bug Zapper.

(READ: Why I Stopped Rating Beers on Untappd)

Read More

Purpose Brewing Celebrates Two Years as Peter Bouckaert Declares, “Trends are Boring”

The second anniversary of Purpose Brewing was really, really hot. I don’t mean in popularity, though that would also be true: it was packed from the minute the doors opened at 2pm and stayed bustling throughout the entire weekend. But it was also one of the hottest days of summer so far in the Coloradoan city of Fort Collins, where Peter and Frezi Bouckaert opened their doors two years ago to a thirsty public. Despite the blistering sun outside, crowds stalked the air-conditioned tables inside and huddled up under tents outside to enjoy their beer in some shade. “Yes, it’s a million degrees out. And yes, I’m drinking a stout,” laughed one patron as he wiped the sweat from his brow. “But come on, have you tried this one?”

Read More

Funkwerks | Barrel-Aged Tropic King

A few years back, Funkwerks Tropic King was somewhat of an undercover gem in the brewery-rich city of Fort Collins, Colorado. The Imperial Saison was locally made, had amazing depth, and had a reputation for being affordable while still dangerously high in ABV. Recently, though, as Funkwerks expanded their distribution far beyond Fort Collins, and Tropic King can now be found in ten states, the locals lost some of their bragging rights—until now. Funkwerks is no stranger to experimentation, and their latest unique offering is Barrel-Aged Tropic King, which is a local-only release.

Read More

Wiley Roots Brewing Celebrates Six Years with Two Slushie Machines and One Cease & Desist (So Far)

What can be accomplished in six years? Well, it takes six years to watch all the movies made since 2003, six years to get some seriously aged cheddar cheese, and, if you’re a true PorchDrinker, six years to graduate college. Wiley Roots Brewing didn’t need six years to become one of the most talked-about Colorado breweries in the scene today, but as they celebrated their sixth anniversary last weekend, head brewer and co-owner Kyle Carbaugh could tell you that those years have been filled with their share of change.

Read More

UnTappd Potential | Odell Brewing Sippin’ Pretty Fruited Sour

Welcome, readers! We’re kicking off a new series called Untappd Potential. The inspiration came to us when we realized how many beer lovers have fallen into the routine of checking Untappd to see a beer’s score before deciding to try it or not. (If you’ve been living under a rock, Untappd is a popular networking app for beer drinkers to check in and rate what they’re drinking. It aggregates scores on a scale of 1-5, and drinkers can rate in increments of .25.)

Read More

2019 WeldWerks Invitational: In a Sea of Adjunct Stouts, Still a Slam Dunk

I’ll be honest, we were a little nervous about WeldWerks Invitational 2019. Last year’s inaugural festival came out of nowhere with its world-class breweries and ultra-rare pours, and quickly became one of the most talked-about and celebrated beer events of … Read More

Karl Strauss Brewing Company | Boat Shoes Hazy IPA

In the late 60’s and early 70’s, the music of the West Coast had a distinct sound. This sound was ringing down from Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills. This music was complex and challenging, bringing the flavors of folk, bluegrass, country, funk, Latin, rock and roll, and the blues and blended them all together into something big. This stuff was smooth, it was easy to listen to, but it still had some soul and some groove. The era of Yacht Rock was here.

Read More

Odell Brewing Co. Small Batch 2019 | Pour List Preview

Odell Brewing Co. is back with their annual Small Batch Festival, one of the more laid-back and downright pleasant beer festivals you could hope to attend this spring. Despite their recent expansion to Denver’s RiNo district, the festival is staying true to its roots and will occur at their original Fort Collins site. (It’s hard to argue with that logic, since the back patio at their Fort Collins brewery is routinely touted as the best place to enjoy a beer in the entire city.) On Saturday, May 25^th, festival-goers will get to enjoy over 40 different Odell beers, live music on two stages, and a round-up of local food trucks. Tickets cost $40 and get you four 6-oz pours of a wide variety of Odell classics, rarities, and special firkin tappings. Read More

Locavore Beer Works | Split The Baby

Have you ever heard the phrase “splitting the baby”? Apparently it comes from the Old Testament, when two bickering women both claimed to be a baby’s mother. King Solomon, who sounds like he had a few beers under his own belt that day, offered to split the baby in half so both sides could win. His suggestion was meant to flush out the truth, as he suspected that the real mother would never agree to such a clearly terrible plan.

It may have been a dubious method for figuring out the truth, but centuries later, this phrase gave birth to one majestic beer: Locavore Beer Works’ Split The Baby, a blueberry lemon wheat ale made with real blueberries and lemon zest, brewed with Sorachi Ace and Citra hops. Read More

Collaboration Fest 2019: It Takes Two To Make A Brew Go Right

Like most good friendships, Denver’s Collaboration Festival has only gotten better with age. This past weekend we celebrated its sixth year with over 100 creative and delicious collaborations amongst 200+ different breweries. The rules for participation were as laidback as the festival vibe itself: each beer needed to be a collaboration between at least two breweries, and at least one brewery in the team needed to be a member of the Colorado Brewer’s Guild. Beyond that, the sky was the limit.

Read More

Envy Brewing Joins Fort Collins’ Storied Brewery Landscape

Envy Brewing is the newest watering hole to open in Fort Collins, but don’t be mistaken—they’re drawing from a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the business. Brian Connery, Envy’s head brewer, has been in the industry for 22 years. The brewery opened last Friday so we chatted with Brian about his past, present, and future in the beer industry. Read More

McClellan’s and Pink Boots Society Team Up For International Women’s Day

It’s no coincidence that on today, International Women’s Day, you’re reading about McClellan’s Brewing Company. Located in Fort Collins, CO, McClellan’s is a small brewery located in a shopping center at the northwest side of town. Their simple facade belies a cozy interior and an impressive brew list that specializes in cask ales. McClellan’s recently collaborated on a squarrel-aged brown ale that will be featured at the upcoming Collaboration Fest in Denver on March 16th. Since their collaboration goal was to highlight and empower women in the craft beer industry, they had an easy choice on who to collaborate with: the Pink Boots Society. Read More

Lost In The Woods 2019 | New Belgium Gets Lei’d

New Belgium Brewing is famous for a lot of things, but here in their hometown of Fort Collins, their parties are what most people will have a story about. The sprawling, beautiful brewery space just beyond Old Town has opened its doors to countless soirees over the years. But none is so popular or memorable as their annual Lost in the Woods. Read More

Stone Brewing | Xocoveza

I think everyone can agree that January is the worst month of the year. For the entire first week, you’re nursing your holiday hangover. The second and third weeks you spend frantically trying to catch up on all the work you avoided during December. The last week, you fully realize how long it is until you get another holiday. I guess what I’m trying to say is that good beer is what will help you get through January.

Read More