GABF Virtual Session | Brewing for Change with Garrett Oliver

The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (MJF) launched in July 2020. Its mission is to grant scholarships to fund technical education within the brewing and distilling industry for people of color in the U.S. At the virtual GABF, Garrett Oliver, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, discussed the foundation, how it came together, and why it’s so important. Read More

Founders Brewing Brings Back KBS Espresso

Following its popularity as a member of Founders Brewing Company 2019’s Barrel-aged Series, Founders has seen fit to widely release a 2020 version of KBS Espresso.

A variant of the brewery’s wildly popular Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and an already fine example of how to use coffee in beer, KBS Espresso gets an extra shot of coffee flavor thanks to being aged on espresso beans after being removed from the barrel.

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4th Tap Brewing Co-Op | Stay Gold

The Black Pumas were nominated for “Best New Artist” at the 2020 Grammys, and they wanted to try something different in 2020. The Austin, TX-based group decided to collaborate with 4th Tap Brewing Cooperative, with the goal of brewing a beer for shows that would benefit their community.

According to John Stecker, President and Co-Founder of 4th Tap, the goal was to create something “accessible and drinkable for summer shows.” That said, they didn’t want to simply put the Black Pumas name on a random beer. Rather, both entities wanted the group to be a part of the brewing process.

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Louisville Beer Week Returns with “Resilience” and Launches Louisville Ale Trail

It is no secret that this year has not been easy for the craft beer industry. Kentucky breweries were shut down mid-March and were ordered to stay close until late May. They’ve pivoted to package sales and curbside orders. They’ve dealt with changing capacity restrictions and curfews. They’ve removed and added chairs and tables both inside and outside. They’ve changed their hours more times than any business should. Despite all that, they’ve remained steadfast and committed to safely serving their customers. That’s why the founders of Louisville Beer Week knew it was pivotal to go ahead with their plans to celebrate and support the local Louisville beer scene.

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Firestone Walker Launches Crafted for Adventure Series on Outdoors & Sustainability

Craft beer has long gone hand in hand with the outdoor adventure world because oftentimes, the prospect of enjoying a cold craft beer at the end of any great adventure can be just as rewarding as the workout itself.

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Blackstack Brewing | Patent Pending

Innovation is all around us, and there is so much innovation that goes into making great craft beer. Innovation can be the equipment at each brewery, or the hand-selected ingredients by the brewers, or those trendy new labels on each can. You find yourself wondering, how the heck did they do that, or what made them think of that? Doing a Google search for “beer patents” returns 603 patents just in the brewing process alone. If you keep digging down that rabbit hole, you will start to find other patents related to craft beer, items as genius as the Beerbrella. The beauty of craft beer, it will always innovate.

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Celebrate Untappd’s 10th Anniversary Party with PorchDrinking’s Founder

It’s been a busy recent few years for the team at Untappd who announced the acquisition of the iconic publication and message board, Beer Advocate earlier this February, and in 2016 took part in its own merger with beer & … Read More

What We’re Drinking | October 23, 2020

Just when I thought fall weather and championships were coming to Georgia, I was let down. Again. It’s been 80 degrees on average and the Atlanta Braves are back home from the playoffs. Alas, that’s how it goes sometimes. This week seemed to be a little more relaxing for my counterparts as you’ll see from the nature views to the cozy autumn vibes. Everyone is busy now more than ever, and with the holidays approaching fast, let’s do our best to slow it down. In the meantime, here is What We’re Drinking. 

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Phase Three Brewing and Affy Tapple Collaboration Beer | A Bushel of Apples

Phase Three Brewing, located northwest suburbs of Chicago (Lake Zurich), is arguably one of the hottest breweries in the nation. Some of their beers lean to the obscure and experimental side (Crème Series, Nectar Series), but they also produce well-executed classics (Helles Lager, Märzen, Pils). that largely receive high grades among beer geeks and professionals alike. The brewery recently garnered attention for its collaboration with Affy Tapple: A Bushel of Apples. We talked with Phase Three about their brewery, the pandemic and the sweet, Halloween-treat beer release.

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Fifth Annual Kentucky Proud Beer Series More Important Now Than Ever Before

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it very difficult for both Kentucky craft breweries and Kentucky agriculture. The two industries will be able to celebrate each other on Wednesday, October 28 for the Fifth Annual Kentucky Proud Beer Series. And the beer they will be celebrating with? Well, it’s a beer brewed with a Kentucky-made product, a Kentucky Proud ingredient.

Just like Kentucky craft breweries, Kentucky farmers were left scrambling on how to deal with the shutdown and the lack of need for their products. Both industries were resilient in their efforts to work through the challenges.

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Reviewing Goose Island’s 2020 Bourbon County Stout Lineup

While a little different than in years past, the media virtually convened over Zoom Wednesday night to open up the seven different beers that makeup Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout lineup.

Joined by Goose Island President Todd Ahsmann, Brewmaster Keith Gabbett, R&D Manager Mike Siegel and Senior Brand Manager Mike Smith, the bottles of Bourbon County were opened up to people outside of the brewery for the first time.

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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.

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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.

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The PorchCast Ep 71 | Alex Kidd – Don’t Drink Beer

In episode 71 of the PorchCast, we spoke with Alex Kidd, founder of the popular entertainment and satire brand Don’t Drink Beer, who this summer also raised an astounding $67,000 via 14,000 participants in fundraisers for the family of Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain.

We caught up with Alex to talk about how he started Don’t Drink Beer, what comedy looks like in the beer world today, how his podcast Malt Couture has pivoted during the pandemic and, of course, we dove into his apparent obsession with Barleywines and otters.

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What We’re Cooking | Hefeweizen Honeycomb Toffee

On Halloween, adults are torn between two decisions: eat candy with the kids or drink with the adults. In this edition of What We’re Cooking, Scott Johnson solves that problem by bringing the two elements together through this Hefeweizen Honeycomb Toffee! Read More

Halloween Beer Treat | Pelican Brewing Midnight Malt Cocoa Porter

As Halloween approaches, treat yourself to Pelican Brewing Company’s newest release, Midnight Malt Cocoa Porter. As the late Michael Jackson sang, “Darkness falls across the land, the midnight hour is close at hand.” In this case, the Midnight Malt Cocoa Porter should certainly be in your hand. Brewed with Meridian Cacao Company nibs, which are sourced from farmers in Tanzania, this Porter boasts a rich, dark chocolate flavor with subtle caramel undertones, coupled with light roasted coffee notes and a classic malt finish. Whatever your Halloween plans might be this year, crack open a can of Midnight Malt Cocoa Porter under the full moon and let it thrill you.
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Ultimate 6er | Spooky Places Around the U.S.

Spooky places have an incredible ability to make people irrational. In these circumstances, alcohol can be the best weapon to fight any fear you may have. While pretty much anything will do the trick, here’s an Ultimate 6er for spooky places around the country, and an ideal local beer pairing. Read More

Wolf’s Ridge Brewing Wins Big at GABF

Wolf’s Ridge Brewing head brewer Chris Davison found out his brewery had won two medals at the Great American Beer Festival in the most 2020 way possible: over Zoom while getting his daughter ready for bed. The Columbus, Ohio, brewery’s team had a company Zoom call going while the awards were announced virtually from Denver. Chris had bedtime duties, and parenting supersedes brewing.

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Halloween Beer Treat | New Realm Brewing Company Imperial Oaxaca Choca Mexican Chocolate Stout

Halloween highlights the calendar for now, and with that in focus we at PorchDrinking want to highlight some of the candy-sweet Sour Ales and adjunct-loaded Stouts that will be the perfect treat for parents during spooky season.

Georgia and Virginia-based New Realm Brewing Company brewed the perfect beer for the season in their cauldrons with Imperial Oaxaca Choca Mexican Chocolate Stout. Read More

Beers With(out) Beards Festival 2020

Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to look at the silver lining of 2020, particularly for those working in the craft beer industry. Being able to experience the Beers With(out) Beards festival helped me see at least one silver lining: Craft beer festivals have never been more accessible than right at this moment. Living in the Midwest, I would not have been able to make it to the Beers With(out) Beards festival in-person, so being able to join this festival of incredible women and non-binary people working in craft beer was a dream.

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