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Beer Showcases

PD’s own dissect beer. Leave the pretentiousness on the curb.

Spiteful Brewing | Alley Time! Pale Ale

August 18, 2014 |

Spiteful Brewing | Alley Time! Pale Ale

6% ABV

Spiteful is among my favorites of the breweries I’ve discovered since moving to Chicago a little over four months ago. The Alley Time is a smash beer (single malt/single hop) made with Pilsen malt and Simcoe hops. These two ingredients come together to create a crisp, refreshing pale ale with just the right amount of bite for these warm summer days, fleeting though they may be. Read More

KelSo Beer Company | Pilsner

August 15, 2014 |

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 23

Barely there at eight years old, KelSo Beer Company lives in the heart of Brooklyn, New York under the supervision of brewer Kelly Taylor and wife Sonia Giacobbe. For a New Yorker, this brewery’s inception surfaced from an interesting background. Taylor, in fact, oversees production for the entire Heartland Brewery group — which, if you are a local here, know is the leading brewpub of the craft beer movement in the nineties. When the distribution of native beers was nearly non-existent, with beer taps so redundant we avoided the bar scene altogether, the fiery red lights of Heartland Brewery shone like a beacon for lost ships in the night. He is a master of his trade, and by all means, a trusted name whispered among the beer-enthusiasts walking our streets. Read More

Comrade Brewing Company | Superpower IPA

August 14, 2014 |

ABV: 7.9%

It’s pretty well-known that Colorado is currently the home to many a brewery. In fact, some people have gone as far as calling Denver’s craft beer market “over-saturated.” Sure, there are tons of breweries, and, sure, some of them don’t quite make the cut, but I always like to give new breweries the benefit of the doubt. When it comes to brand new breweries, I tend to give them at least three periodic visits throughout the year to see how their taste is (or isn’t) improving. Fortunately for these brewers, my first visit to Comrade Brewing Company was a (communist) party (in my mouth). Read More

Odell Brewing Company | Jaunt

August 13, 2014 |

7.6% ABV

I’m always excited to taste new entries in Odell Brewing Company‘s cellar series, a line of unique beers conceived on their pilot system. Over the years, this program has yielded delicious results such as Friek, Fernet-aged Porter, and Treeshaker. Jaunt is a recent addition to the family, a pale ale aged on oak staves and blended with Riesling grape juice sourced from Colorado’s western slopes. When I saw a bottle on the shelf in a local shop, I knew I had to have it.

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Elysian Brewing Company | Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale

August 12, 2014 |

ABV: 5.4%

IBU: 45

Since I’m originally from the Midwest, I pride myself on being able to withstand harsh weather – frigid winters and humid summers are the foundations of even my earliest memories, and I recall those glory days bravely and often. However, after three summers in Seattle, I’m beginning to turn into a bit of a weather wimp, and once it hit 80 degrees for the 10th day in a row I started to get that antsy, uncomfortable feeling that had previously only plagued me after a month of 95 degree, 90% humidity days in the Midwest. It was time for a beer. Read More

Adroit Theory Brewing | Scorpion Black IPA

August 8, 2014 |

ABV: 8.1%
IBU: 89

 

I first heard about Adroit Theory Brewing from my sister, Caroline, who lives in the same area of Virginia as this nano-brewery. Right away, the name caught my eye as seeming somewhat unusual but after a dictionary visit, it became clear as you can see here:

 

Adroit – adjective
Clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.

Theory – noun
a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.

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Red Oak Brewery | Bavarian Amber Lager

August 7, 2014 |

ABV: 5.0% | IBU: 20

I attended a soirée recently. Have any of you ever attended a soirée? If not, it’s just like a party, only with a French word. My … Read More

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company | Freshchester Pale Ale

August 6, 2014 |

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 35

As a brew that comes from the South East tip of New York State, Freshchester Pale Ale is a reinvention of one of Scott Vacarro’s earliest encounters with beer making, … Read More

Unibroue Brewery | Trois Pistoles

August 5, 2014 |

ABV: 9%

IBU: 15.5

Sometimes in order to discover that special beer, it takes a little extra searching to find that one brew that speaks to you. Other times, you’ll discover a … Read More

Uinta Brewing Company | Detour Double IPA

August 4, 2014 |

Uinta Brewing Company – Detour Double IPA

ABV: 9.5%

As I celebrate my 30th birthday in a rented trailer on the banks of Utah’s Weber River, drinking a Detour Double IPA from Salt Lake City’s Uinta Brewing Company, I find it hard to believe that nine years have passed since my 21st. I’m glad tonight that I’m not drinking countless car bombs and tequila/tabasco shots at the Bayview and then barfing them out the window of my own Jeep as my friends drive me home, though beers at the Bay on Michigan’s Gull Lake do sound pretty nice.

I stopped at the nonsensically-regulated state of Utah-owned liquor store on my lunch break for some celebratory beer and chose a four pack of the 9.5% Detour Double IPA. Why? Because I like hops? Maybe. Because the label features a sweet, stylized Airstream trailer, and I live in a less-sweet, but still kind of cool trailer? Probably. Read More

Deschutes Brewery | Not the Stoic

August 1, 2014 | 1

ABV: 12.1%

IBU: 15

I first encountered Not the Stoic at a food and beer pairing hosted by Deschutes Brewery’s executive chef during Seattle Beer Week. I must admit that I immediately swooned over this perfectly balanced Belgian quad that was served with the first of five courses, a trio of local cheeses. However, its stoicism (if you will) was proven when, even after weaving our way through three hours of gastronomic and fermented bliss, Not the Stoic endured as the brew that left its boozy mark on me and my date for the tasting, my dad. We each bought a bottle and, likely due to our palpable excitement, were interviewed shortly thereafter for a Deschutes promotional video. Needless to say, we left the event giddy with delight, each clutching a 650ml bottle of satisfaction. Read More

Widmer Brothers Brewing & Breakside Brewery | Saison a’ Fleurs

July 31, 2014 |

6.7% ABV, 25 IBU

1984 was a hell of a year. I mean, seriously, look at that list. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles AND Scarlett Johansson AND Ghostbusters? You gotta be … Read More

Hoppin’ Frog Brewery | Gangster Frog I.P.A.

July 30, 2014 |

Hoppin’ Frog Brewery  – Gangster Frog I.P.A.

American IPA

7.5%  ABV

55 IBU

Being native to the northeast Ohio region, I have come to realize that there is not always a lot to do. Because of that, I find it almost shameful to say that I have never been to Hoppin’ Frog Brewery. I love going to small breweries (of course drinking the beer is a perk), but I cannot understand how I have passed this place up some many times. Just the other day, all of this was going through my tiny little brain, and then it hit me…..James Taylor concert at Blossom Theater + needing something to eat and drink prior to the concert = Hoppin’ Frog Brewery. Read More

Great Lakes Brewing | Spacewalker American Belgo

July 29, 2014 |

ABV: 8.2%

IBU: 65

If you explore the brief description on Spacewalker’s carrier, it reads:

“Perhaps one of space’s great mysteries is why so many of its explorers hail from Ohio. In honor of the 25 courageous astronauts who have called Ohio their terrestrial home, and the nine Ohio men and women who’ve logged hours walking in space, we present this adventurous brew.”  Read More

Flying Bison Brewing Company | Buffalo IPA

July 28, 2014 |

As a PorchDrinker based out of NYC, I am happy to regale you, dear readers, with tales of daring innovation that spring from the sometimes excessive effort to be the leader of the pack in the NYC-area beer world. But what about those cities that don’t get a lot of play in beer media? Places where craft beer is only just beginning to flourish? Well today folks, I am taking you to that great American stalwart, Buffalo, New York. In particular, we are talking about the Buffalo IPA from Flying Bison Brewing Company, a sweet little operation that, according to its website, professes to be the city’s first stand alone brewery since 1972. Before we get to the actual beer, let me just first tip my hat to the brewery for having the good sense to draw some wings on a bison and turn it into their logo. Excellent decision making there.  Read More

Strange Craft Beer Company | Zora Rosemary Pale Ale

July 24, 2014 |

6.5% ABV, 55 IBUs

On an eighty-degree summer night, the back patio of Strange Brewery in south downtown Denver is about as close to actual “porch drinking” as it gets. Copious amounts of good vibes, camaraderie and beer are present, and while the facade of the Strange entrance has a strip-mall feel, the patio’s warm industrial vibe feels almost Brooklyn-esque. Denver RTD trains even rush along the back fence every 10 minutes or so as if the Brooklyn J train de-railed and headed west of its own accord.
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The Commons Brewery | Urban Farmhouse Ale

July 23, 2014 |

The Commons Brewery is by far my favorite discovery since moving to Portland 2 months ago. While other new breweries have satisfied my palate in my search for delicious beers … Read More

Troegs Brewery | LaGrave Triple Golden Ale

July 22, 2014 |

After a long hard day in the sun (or dreaming of the sun for that matter), few things are as refreshing as a delicious golden ale that is big in … Read More

Almanac Beer Company | Farmer’s Reserve Blackberry

July 21, 2014 |

ABV: 7%

Recently Denver received a wave of California goodness with little hype. Bars and bottle shops in the Mile High currently have some amazing beers from Almanac Beer CompanyRead More

Odell Brewing Company | Perle White IPA

July 18, 2014 |

ABV: 5.5%

Do you remember the first time you tasted a white IPA? While enjoying a Chainbreaker a few years ago, I wondered if these wheaty-hoppy hybrids would ever catch on. Little did I know it would soon find a home on seemingly every taplist in Denver. While albino IPAs have become increasingly popular nationwide, we’ve only seen a few examples of the style from Colorado brewers. When I heard that Odell Brewing, the Ft. Collins brewery responsible for perhaps my favorite Colorado IPA, were releasing their Perle White IPA this summer, my tastebuds stood at rapt attention. Read More