Event Recap | Chicago’s 6th Annual Beer Hoptacular

In a setting normally reserved for bringing screenplays to life, the entertainment value of Chicago’s Beer Hoptacular at Cinespace Chicago was worthy of an Oscar. Within the expansive production studio, a sea of breweries lined both walls and were accompanied by music, food, an airbrush tattoo van, and even an insult booth. Of course, a beer fest is only as good as its beer, and with more than 150 craft beers on hand, the beer selection did not disappoint.

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Brewery Showcase | Imperial Oak Brewing

The enthusiasm for brewing small-batch beer at Imperial Oak Brewing is palpable. Brett Semenske, Grant Hamilton and Chris DiBraccio of Imperial Oak Brewing own a wealth of combined home brewing and bar industry experience which explains their recipe for success – brew a variety of great beer and make the brewpub experience priority number one.

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Ultimate 6er | Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos)

The Day of the Dead – or Día de los Muertos – involves a myriad of cultural traditions, largely comprised of the Roman Catholic All Saints Day celebration and ancient Native Mexican observances associated with those who’ve passed. But, like most things these days, the festivities have evolved in such a manner as to take a little bit of this, a little bit of that, which ultimately results in a large party! Throughout Mexico and the U.S., it’s a good excuse to have some fun. Let’s just make sure we do it with the right beer. 

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Chicago’s Moody Tongue Brewery Tasting Room Opens

Many in Chicago are familiar with Moody Tongue Brewery and its unique form of culinary brewing. Now, Chicagoans can taste brewmaster, and culinary-trained, Jared Rouben’s creations fresh from the tap. The Tasting Room (2136 S. Peoria St., Chicago) opened Friday, October 28 at 5:00 p.m.

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Product Showcase | Brewswap (Beer Trading App)

Do you like beer? Do you like beer you can’t have, but wish you could have it? Well, there’s an app for that – Brewswap. The app aims to connect beer-nerds from all over the country in the sport of social media beer trading. On a broader scale, a beer trading app such as this serves as yet another example of how “community” serves as the foundation of the craft-beer industry. 

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Avery Brewing | The Beast Oak Aged Grand Cru Ale

Vincent Price warned us all, but nothing can stop Avery Brewing from unleashing The Beast upon the beer-drinking world. It is big. It is bold. It is even a little frightening. It lurks in the depths of Avery’s brewhouse, ready to pounce on nearby taste buds. The Beast doesn’t just dominate the palate, it devours it… and you will love it.

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y’all’s neighborhood

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2016 Goose Island Proprietor’s Day: 2016 BCBS Release

If it’s Black Friday, it’s time for Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS). However, Chicagoans are allowed an opportunity to get their hands BCBS a tad bit earlier; Proprietor’s Day arrives Sunday, November 20 and is Goose Island’s way of saying “thank you” to their hometown fans. But, if you find yourself in Chicago, don’t just show up at Goose Island’s front door – read on.

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UPDATED Event Preview | Chicago’s 6th Annual Beer Hoptacular

Chicago’s Beer Hoptacular enjoyed tremendous success and popularity its first five years..and then it vanished. Seemingly in its prime, it went away for a year. But, drawing on its inner Michael Jordan, HopTacular can announce to the world, “I’m back!”  

(Edit: Back, indeed! The Pour List is located at the bottom of this article. More than 150 beers from around the country.)

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2 Days, 2 Nights | South Bend Craft Beer Scene

Notre Dame isn’t the only source of gold in South Bend; there are plenty of pint glasses filled to the brim with golden lagers and ales, too. Not to mention, barrel-aged barleywines, stouts, and everything else one can imagine are all being served in Northern Indiana.

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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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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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Chicago’s German-American Oktoberfest

Chicago’s German-American OktoberFest, held in the city’s Lincoln Square neighborhood, celebrates culture, history, and of course good old fashioned Deutschland fun. However, it also provides a glimpse into Chicago’s love affair with German-style bier, both traditional and modern craft.

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Beer Bar Showcase | HopCat Chicago

HopCat Craft Beer Bar in Chicago (2577 N. Clark St | Clark & Wrightwood) takes beer drinkers on a funky ride through time to the 1970s. Glowing orange lamps, geometric carpets, oil-paintings of rock legends and plenty of mahogany and red-leather meet beer drinkers the moment they enter the building.  Of course, the one glaring difference between a 1970s lounge and HopCat Chicago is clear — the immense presence of craft beer in the form of 130 taps and 200 bottle choices, nearly half of them born from Chicago-area fermentation tanks.

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Dogfish Head | SeaQuench Ale

ABV: 4.9 | IBU: 10

Dogfish Head has a knack for marking time — 60, 90 and 120-minute intervals. But, in the case of SeaQuench Ale, it’s not mere minutes that matter, it’s centuries. Five hundred years ago, the German brewing purity law, or Reinheitsgebot, gave birth to the prominence of the German lager we’ve all come to know and love. Sea Quench Ale honors that anniversary by simultaneously celebrating German brewing and ignoring that law.

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Goose Island’s BCBS 2016 Announcement Greatly Exaggerated

For many beer enthusiasts, the release of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) is akin to Christmas morning. The 2016 variants are beginning to leak through several sources, but according to Megan Lagesse, Communications Director at The High End beer division of Anheuser Busch (and whose office is situated at Goose Island), rumors of the BCBS release — regarding the exact variants — are untrue. She explained, “We have to submit many labels to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) prior to releasing the beer. We have to do that well in advance, but that doesn’t mean those are the actual, final versions. So, about those rumors. They are just not true.” Read More

Brewery Showcase | Around the Bend Beer Company

Around the Bend Beer Company isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; the two-year-old brewery is on a mission to make the wheel faster, slicker, and cooler. When brewing a Kolsch-style beer (Ghost of ‘Lectricity), a first-wort brewing process is applied to extract more hops flavor, yet also smooth out its edges. When Around the Bend brews an American Pale Ale (Silk Road), galangal is blended into the recipe. And who else make the connection between orange marmalade and a Double/Imperial IPA? You find it in Mr. Marmalade.

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Chicago’s Urban Legend Brewing is Now Myths and Legends Brewing

Another Chicago brewery is changing its name, and this time it’s Urban Legend Brewing (Westmont, IL). And it’s coming with a week-long party! On Aug. 22, Urban Legend Brewing Company will officially become Myths and Legends Brewing Company. This name change arrives on the heels of several, recent Chicago brewery name changes such as Atlas Brewing becoming Burnt City, South Loop Brewing becoming Hop Butcher for the World, and a few years ago, Mercenary Brewing becoming Maplewood. Read More

2016 Summer Olympics | Beer from Around the World

It’s Summer Olympics time. Sure, a flight to Rio is expensive. So, stay home, turn on the T.V. and have a flight you can afford — an international beer flight. Anthony Norkus, who specializes in imported beer for the 127-year-old Chicago-based Louis Glunz Beer explained, “The international/import beer market is aggressively trying to stay relevant as much as the American craft breweries. Due to this we are seeing a lot of innovation coming out of breweries that are hundreds of years old.” Read More

Event Recap | Tribes Fest IV

The fourth annual Tribes Alehouse & Beer Company Fest (Tribes Fest IV) was for beer aficionados, as demonstrated by the abundance of guests adorned in craft-brewing shwag and who routinely engaged in beer-centric conversations. Don’t think of Tribes Fest IV as pretentious or snobby — that’s not even close. Instead, imagine enthusiastic, passionate, and nerdy beer lovers enjoying their hobby in the same manner car lovers enjoy car shows and roller coaster enthusiasts enjoy amusement parks. Tribes Fest IV offered tremendous fun, but also a place to revel in superbly crafted beer.
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Avery Brewing Co. | El Gose

ABV: 4.5%

Avery Brewing El Gose (Gose-Uh)

Is it Mexican? Is it German? Is it Coloradoan? Here’s what it is — It’s delicious. Read More