Magic Hat Brewing Co. | Single Chair Golden Ale

ABV: 5%
IBU: 17

March is here, which means Spring Skiing! After the abysmal weather on the east coast ruined three separate ski attempts, I’m FINALLY getting a chance to get on the slopes in the East Coast. While the East in general has a reputation for tighter runs and icier conditions, they balance that out with community minded hills and a bit more of hellfire spirit (how else do you explain Bode Miller?). Few places embrace that spirit more than Mad River Glen, who provide the namesake to Magic Hat’s Single Chair Golden Ale.

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Epic Brewing | Pfeifferhorn Lager

5.3% ABV

When I stopped at the Utah state-owned liquor store last night after a day on the slopes, the label of Epic Brewing’s Pfeifferhorn Lager stood out, what with its powder-covered peak imagery. Named after the 11,326 foot Pfeifferhorn Peak, a.k.a Little Matterhorn, which overlooks the Salt Lake Valley, this beer’s label proclaims that its namesake’s “craggy summit lures hikers and skiers year round.” Read More

Renegade Brewing Company | Elevation Triple IPA

In honor of 303 Day, we re-visit one of our favorite Denver beers, Renegade’s Elevation Triple IPA

11.2 % ABV, 100+ IBUs

Elevation Triple IPA was the first beer I ever had from Renegade Brewing Company and it can easily be compared to learning to swim by being thrown in the deep end. While it is a big beer in terms of style and ABV, the flavor is surprisingly hospitable and constantly making you want more. Elevation is a beer I love sharing with people getting into craft beer. A couple years ago, my younger brother suspiciously tried a can and now I never make a trip home to Indiana without a 4-pack in my bag for him.

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Jackie O’s | Razz Wheat

Jackie O’s Razz Wheat is certainly not a new beer, but it was just released in cans for the first time a couple weeks ago. Although it’s on tap year-round here in Athens, OH, Razz Wheat reminds me of summertime and sitting on Jackie O’s back patio. And during this brutal winter, I couldn’t be wishing for anything more!

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Paradox Beer Company | Pepitas Grande

There’s nothing like getting two days off work in a row. With this heaven-sent rarity I find that one has more of a chance to actually take a step back and relax, while also having time to be productive and catch up with reality if needed. My two day weekend was complimented with the oh-so-pleasant tartness of Paradox’s Pepitas Grande paired with my legs propped up on my lazy boy listening to The Growlers.

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Verboten Brewing | Pure Imagination Double Oatmeal Stout

Verboten Brewing | Pure Imagination Double Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 6% | IBU: 32

This is a sponsored post from Small Batch Liquors, Denver, CO.

This review has been a long … Read More

Cambridge Brewing Company | Tripel Threat

Living in Colorado has many benefits, and as we all know, readily accessible microbrews are one of those perks. Because of this, it’s not often that I venture out of Colorado brews, but I’ve made an exception. All the way from Cambridge, Massachusetts is the Tripel Threat from CBC. Read More

Temperance Beer Co. | Gatecrasher IPA

It’s February in Chicago and by this point, we all have the same stinging feeling the mayor of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin is experiencing.  But also, it’s February in Chicago which means you’re running out of time to boast about grilling outdoors in the dead of winter. So in the spirit of flipping off the polar vortex, throw on your knit cap, fire up the grill, grab a beer and pretend Spring is right around the corner. I find that the best way to achieve this mindset is to dive into a Gatecrasher IPA by Evanston, IL brewery, Temperance Beer Co.

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Odd13 Brewing | <3 Machine

ABV: 6.5
IBU: 10

Odd13 Brewing is from old town Lafayette, Colorado. They focus on hoppy American, Belgian and experimental styles. Every beer that Odd13 creates falls into a group of other beers they produce, like The Odd Squad, The Legion of Odd, The Sidekicks, etc… A new group called Bi-Monthlies are starting to show up at local beer stores throughout Colorado. This Bi-Monthly group is made up of sour beers released in cans every two months. Each beer is specifically crafted to suit the season in which it is released. This month <3 Machine was released.

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Lazy Magnolia Brewery | Sweet Potato Cream Stout (Jefferson Stout)

ABV: 4.65% ABV | IBU: 22

Before Kentucky is scheduled to be buried under a foot of snow this week, I watched perplexed as Lexatonians prepare for Snowmageddon by stocking up on a month’s worth of Digiornos and Doritos while congesting every aisle of the grocery store. Rather than loading my cart with six gallons of milk and the last of the bread that just might last me 48 hours, I look for a comforting beverage with a flavor that resonates with the coziness of this bitter season. My eyes fell upon the words “Sweet Potato Cream Stout” and I knew I could ride out any storm with this belly-warming brew.

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The Ultimate 6er | Finding Beer in Utah on a Sunday

The taboos associated with Utah seem to be broad and polarizing. Locals are protective of their state. From the outside looking in you can only imagine men with five wives who belong to a cult that won’t allow you to drink alcohol. Visitors to the state seem to revel in its beauty, gloating over world-class ski resorts to the vast red rock desert in the southern regions and are often puzzled over the strange Utah liquor laws.
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Sixpoint for Bill’s Burger | Bill’s Brew ESB

When it comes to ingestion, there are no two substances I love more together than craft beer and red meat. This is the sole reason I am known by the servers at Bill’s Burger in the Meatpacking District on a first name basis. Whenever I am within walking distance of the joint, my feet involuntarily turn and pace straight towards the front door, stopping only by the contentment of being seated at a high top table, adorned with it’s infamous red and white checked table cloth atop.

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Odell Brewing Company | Wolf Picker Pale Ale

With craft breweries opening at a rate of 1.5 per day, coming up with inventive names can be a real challenge for brewers. Thanks to aggressive litigation and creative marketing, we have inventive names like Raucho Man Randy Beverage from Against the Grain, Boom Shakalager from Terrapin, and my personal favorite: Those Candies Your Granny Loves Brown Ale from Cigar City. Then there’s Wolf Picker Pale Ale from Odell Brewing Company. What’s a Wolf Picker? Good question. Trigger warning: German subtitles.

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Lakewood Brewing Co. | Sin Mint Temptress

ABV: 9.1%

I always look forward to Girl Scout cookie season, seeing the multitude of colored boxes laid out neatly on the table sparks a tiny bit of happiness inside. Whenever I see the girls eagerly awaiting, I just know I am in for some trouble. I have somewhat of a Thin Mint obsession. Luckily for me, Lakewood Brewing Co. has sinfully crafted my favorite treat into a glass with their Sin Mint Temptress. Read More

2015 Cincinnati Beer Week | BlackTart

Cincinnati Beer Week | BlackTart

Tart Stout

ABV: 8.0%

IBU: 18

“An amalgamation of breweries. A dichotomous combination of flavors. Tart and refreshing yet full bodied and malty. … Read More

Elysian Brewing Company | Loser Pale Ale

ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 57

I know what you’re thinking, but no, I did not choose to write about Elysian’s Loser Pale Ale because it’s from Seattle and the Seahawks lost the Super Bowl and everyone is (still) talking about how Pete Carroll made the play call that lost it all… But now that you mention it, my choice of beer does allow me to draw some interesting comparisons between the Anheuser-Busch acquisition of Elysian Brewing and the Super Bowl.

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Founders Brewing Company | Big Lushious

ABV: 7.8%

This Friday we will celebrate one of the worst holidays, Valentine’s Day. If you’re in a relationship, it is almost impossible to make any kind of unique romantic plans that 100 other couples won’t be doing. If you’re single, it’s a 2 week build up engineered to make you feel like a loser. The one positive is that no one judges you for buying ridiculously expensive chocolates. This year I decided to try to find the beer equivalent of romantic, fancy chocolate. With the cartoon Rihanna-circa-Umbrella on its label, Founders’ Big Lushious was the clear choice.

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Bohemian Brewery | Czech Pilsner

ABV: 4.0%

Among the numerous reasons that I enjoy writing for PorchDrinking.com is that it allows me to drink beer at the laundromat. Now, I’d typically shy away from popping the top on some suds in a place such as this, and surely there’s some legality issues at play (or at least some questions of decorum, especially here in Salt Lake City). But I feel that writing for a reputable, national beer blog like PD brings to my drinking some professional perspective, thus justifying this laundromat imbibing; I have a beer showcase due tomorrow, and I’ve been going commando, as they say, for damned near a week now.

For this public showcase I went with a beer from Midvale, Utah’s Bohemian Brewery. I chose their 1842 Czech Pilsner. Why? Because I enjoy this light-bodied golden lager? Yes. But also because the silver can, in the right light, looks like it could be full of off-brand soda, or as we call it in my home state of Michigan, pop. Read More

The Rare Barrel | Forces Unseen

Sour beers have quickly become an obsession for beer drinkers around the world. This is nothing new. American breweries have taken to mimicking styles that range from old ales to long-practiced lambics and more. As of late, the US has been bestowed with many breweries whose sole purpose is to bring the world (or those who can access it) that puckering elixir known commonly as sour beer.

Enter, The Rare Barrel and their exclusively barrel-aged sour brewery. Other than having one of the best names in the industry (I mean, come on, “rare” is right in the title), The Rare Barrel also produces some top-quality sour beers. Ranging from barrel-aged Goses to Berliner Weisses, to everything in between, The Rare Barrel rolls the dice with each batch of this lively drink, especially one of their latest brews: Forces Unseen. Read More

Ellis Island Casino & Brewery

Las Vegas is synonymous with excess. Strolling around the Bellagio or trendy new Cosmopolitan, it is all too common to see a Chinese businessman with stacks of strangely colored chips at the baccarat table, or a hip-hop star and their entourage with an endless stream of overpriced bottles of vodka and champagne in the VIP area of an equally overpriced club. This is one of the attractions of Vegas. This and the scantily clad waitstaff, ready to bring a seemingly never-ending supply of drinks for as long as you’re willing to keep gambling.

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