German Beer Day | PorchDrinking Staff’s German Beer & Brewery Picks

Prost! For some parts of Europe, grape is king. But, in Germany, it is all about barley and hops. German Beer Day (Friday, April 23) celebrates that country’s rich brewing culture and history. So we wanted to briefly discuss German brewing and ask some of our team what German Breweries they’d like to visit and what German beer styles they genuinely love.

Read More

Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion No. 18 | A New Zealand Hops Blend

A beer exuding New Zealand terroir, the latest release of Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion No. 18 consists of four hops from the island country: Nectaron, Nelson, Motueka and Riwaka.

“It’s a celebration of our new grower and merchant relationships that we’ve forged over the past couple of years in the Southern Hemisphere,” said Brewmaster Matt Brynildson. “It’s the first time we’ve had enough supply to go all-in on a blend of 100% New Zealand-grown hops.”

Read More

Cullen-Harrison Act of 1933 | National Beer Day

“I think this would be a good time for a beer,” exclaimed Franklin Roosevelt after signing the Cullen-Harrison Act on March 22, 1933. Though the passage of the 21st Amendment in December 1933 fully ended the nation’s temperance experiment, the Cullen-Harrison Act allowed for the legal sale of low-alcohol beer (and wine). It went into effect on April 7, 1933, a day we commemorate as National Beer Day.

Read More

Firestone Walker Crafted Thru Hops IPA Mixed Pack

The flavor. That enticing aroma. Ah yes, there’s just something special about that first hoppy-beer experience. When Adam Firestone and David Walker founded Firestone Walker 25 years ago, West Coast IPAs helped convert multitudes of beer fans into craft beer fans. These days, of course, the IPA is more than just a West Coast treasure as hops are now grown and distributed throughout the world, and that’s demonstrated fully by the Firestone Walker Crafted Thru Hops IPA Mixed Pack.

Indeed, the Firestone Walker IPA Mixed Pack expresses one of IPA’s most favorable attributes: versatility. Each case comes with three cans each of the classic Union Jack West Coast IPA, the Hazy Mind Haze IPA and two New Zealand hopped beers: the 18th batch of Luponic Distortion and the hazy, single-hopped Propagator Series.

Read More

The Final Four of Beer Styles | PorchDrinking Staff Picks

The calendar says April, but for millions of sports fans it’s still March Madness. The 68 teams that qualified for the tournament have been reduced to the Final Four, who will battle in Indianapolis on Saturday. Will you be drinking a beer while watching the game? If so, what beer? Let’s be honest, picking which beer to enjoy can sometimes be tough. That got us thinking: If a there was a beer style competition, what styles would make the Final Four of Beer Styles? Our staff provided their picks — what are yours?

Read More

What We’re Drinking | March 26, 2021

The first week spent in Daylight Saving Time may have made a few of us tired at first, but it didn’t stop the PorchDrinking staff from enjoying some delicious beers. We hope you are able to enjoy the extra daylight and warming weather with a few beers of your own — maybe even at a brewery (be safe).

Read More

Women in Beer | Katherine Valleau of Exit Strategy Brewing

When Katherine and Chris Valleau say they built Exit Strategy Brewing Co. from scratch, they’re not kidding. “When we first walked into the building, the skylight was hanging down from the ceiling and there were birds flying around. Everything had been stripped. No plugs. No running water. Only four walls,” said Katherine. Nearly six years later, the couple has turned that once empty space into a popular, name-brand brewpub (food and beer), frequented by locals and often visited by traveling craft-beer aficionados.

Read More

5 Questions with Kevin McGee, Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

Now in its fourth decade, Anderson Valley Brewing Company (AVBC) is now owned by the McGee family, namely Kevin McGee, an attorney who previously opened the one-barrel, nano brewery called Healdsburg Beer Company (out of his garage). Although buying an “OG” craft brewery just in time for a global pandemic was not ideal, AVBC has managed to not only survive, but do well. It helps that AVBC beer remains in the hands of the well-respected, longtime brewmaster (and author) Fal Allen. Under his direction, the brewery continues to produce its famed Gose series, run a laudable barrel program and offer a slew of “regular” beers such as its Boont Amber Ale. The beer is produced in part with power from the sun, as roughly 40% of the brewery’s power is solar (and soon to be 100%). And why not? When you can look outside your brewery and view gorgeous scenery, you might feel inspired to protect the planet that provides it.

We wanted to know a bit more about Anderson Valley so we asked Kevin McGee, owner and CEO of AVBC, five questions about the brewery and its beer.

Read More

What We’re Drinking | March 5, 2021

In the world of meteorology, March 1 is the start of spring. So, happy spring! Because of a heavy story load last week, this week’s version is actually two weeks’ worth of beer submissions. Needless to say, there’s been a slew of good beers enjoyed by the PorchDrinking staff. So, forget that whole “March comes in like a lion,” deal — excellent beer always makes for an outstanding start to a month.

Read More

Mental Health & Beer | Things We Don’t Say IPA

The phrase “Sitting down over a beer” is part of the American lexicon. Friends discuss work, marriages, money, politics, sports or even physical health. But, what about mental health? Why does that seem so rare? As well, craft brewers, who routinely engage in community support, have not addressed mental health until recently. Maybe it’s because it seems hypocritical to produce alcohol and note support for mental health; but that’s a stigma that many hope to change. Malteurop Malting Co., Hollingbery & Son Hops, Eagle Park Brewing, Hope for the Day and many others have kick-started a collaboration beer called “Things We Don’t Say IPA” in an attempt to make mental health discussions as common as Monday morning quarterbacking. This is not to say that one should have a beer when feeling down. Simply, it’s that that people who make and/or enjoy beer should not only feel okay discussing the topic, but be happy to do so.

Read More

The PorchDrinking Comprehensive 2021 Beer Release Calendar Roundup

For the past seven years, PorchDrinking.com has compiled a collection of breweries’ beer release calendars. The PorchDrinking Comprehensive 2021 Beer Release Calendar Roundup offers readers insight into what some of their favorite breweries have planned for the year and provides an early glimpse of this year’s brewing trends.

We will continually update this page as soon as we receive information (many breweries are still in the final stages of finalizing their calendars). So, be sure to bookmark this page and check back often. If your brewery isn’t listed and you’d like to share your release calendar, please reach out to us via [email protected], and we’d love to add you to the list!

Read More

What We’re Drinking | January 29, 2021

Can you believe we are already one month into 2021? It’s tough to say that 2021 is much better than 2020, so far. But, one thing hasn’t changed: the beer produced by a nation of brewers remains good as ever. The PorchDrinking team certainly loves to demonstrate that with photos of their beer-drinking experiences. We hope you enjoy this week’s version of What We’re Drinking, and we also hope that you have a moment or two this week to kick back, take a deep breath, and enjoy a malty libation of your own.

Read More

Pollyanna Brewing | Lite Thinking

In 2016, I wrote a piece about Pollyanna Brewing Summerly Raspberry Wheat that stated, “Pollyanna Brewing‘s rapid success is almost unfathomable until you try the beer — and then it makes perfect sense. Just shy of two years old, Pollyanna Brewing is already expanding its production.” Well, nearly five years after that story published, the brewery has opened two new locations and won a host of prestigious beer awards, including its Lite Thinking American Lager that won 2019 gold and 2020 bronze at the Great American Beer Fest (GABF).

Read More

Ultimate 6er | A Beer Journey Through the Decades

Our country has gone through tough times before – wars, economic strife, pandemics, and political upheaval. So, as we move deeper into the 2020s, a decade with its own inauspicious start, we thought it would be nice to look back and different periods of history through the lens of craft beer. A Beer Journey Through the Decades starts during the 1920s and ends at 2020. Each decade presented society with difficulties, yet each era also had its good moments and offers evidence that 2020’s misery won’t last forever.

Read More

More Inside Hershey’s Trademark Dispute with Side Lot Brewery

As reported by CBS Chicago’s (WBBM) Marie Saavedra, Side Lot Brewery in Wauconda, IL (Chicago’s Northwest Suburbs) must pay The Hershey Company $8,500 by January 4th because of its Sugar Series beer release this past Halloween comprised of Hershey’s candies and the associated labeling that mimicked Hershey products. We spoke to the parties involved about the trademark dispute.

Read More

Brewery Showcase | North Pole Brewing Company

The North Pole goes dark for months at a time during the winter months, which also happens to be the time when the indigenous elves work their hardest. The elves, of course, serve the world’s most famous philanthropist, Santa Claus. But, with a harsh and brutal winter comes the need to kick back with friends and enjoy a good beer or two and that’s where North Pole Brewing comes into play. The brewery, and its head brewer Abigail Cornelious, have so far enjoyed resounding success.

Read More

Santa’s Cookies & Milk Stout Release from The Open Bottle & Hailstorm Brewing

Forget golden rings. On the fifth year of holiday collaboration, The Open Bottle and Hailstorm Brewing gave to us, Santa’s Cookies & Milk Stout. And, it’s adorned in gold labeling, with a special glass to match. The stout is decadent, creamy, full-bodied and somehow still crushable; a real holiday treat. Yet, the real gift goes to Tinley Wish because a portion of sales aids the south-suburban Chicago organization that gives aid to needy families.

Read More

Begyle Brewing 2020 Barrel-Aged Imperial Pajamas Preview

The 2019 GABF Gold Medal for Chicago’s Begyle Brewing Barrel-Aged Imperial Pajamas gave credence to those who boasted of its excellence, and the award did wonders for its popularity. However, medals only go so far; Chicago’s beer crowd can be downright snobby about BBAs. The annual Imperial Pajamas release enjoys increasing fanfare because of its consistency, quality and a taproom party consisting of hour-by-hour variant tappings. Sadly, the global pandemic prevented Begyle from throwing its annual gathering. Nevertheless, the three packaged Pajamas stand as exemplary BBAs and evidence of why the program now hangs with the big boys and girls of the strong barrel-aging beer world.

This year’s three Imperial Pajamas release consists of the classic in Heaven Hill barrels, a vanilla variant and a special version aged in Booker Bourbon barrels. “We’ve had a lot of fun with release day variants, the way we handled those hourly releases allowed us to explore many different flavor combinations over the years. With our first foray into canning a barrel aged variant we chose vanilla as it is one of the most versatile ingredients we use in several of the variant combos we have done in the past. From the feedback we’ve gotten vanilla was always the most popular flavor, whether it was just vanilla, or vanilla combined with other ingredients,” said Kevin Cary, Begyle co-founder.

Read More

Halloween Beer Treat | Spiteful Brewing Mrs. O’Leary’s Chocolate Stout

The famous Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871, in a barn owned by Catherine and Patrick O’Leary. The city went ablaze for 36 hours, destroying 18,000 buildings and leaving 100,000 Chicagoans homeless. A frightful October story, to say the least! But, Spiteful Brewing has taken that story, mixed it with some cow-blaming folklore and turned into a sweet Halloween treat: Mrs. O’Leary’s Chocolate Stout.

Read More

Beer & Book Showcase | The Two Hendricks: Unraveling a Mohawk Mystery

Eric Hinderaker’s The Two Hendricks Unraveling a Mohawk Mystery discusses two men during the eighteenth century who played significant roles towards maintaining the Iroquois Confederacy amid a French-English rivalry regarding their mutual goal to control North America. Their history, somewhat hidden within broader narratives, at one point included a belief the two were only one person. Hinderaker discusses each men’s lives while also informing how the two men’s history merged (as well as why that could not have been possible). The elder took a trip to London and met the Queen. The younger met with several prominent British colonials. The discussion of both men’s lives provides a lens into the Anglo–Iroquois alliance, notably as it pertained to their place within the British – French struggle.

Read More