Matt Brynildson, Adam Avery, and Cory King on Big Beers 2019

It’s one of the draws of the annual Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival: Bold-faced names in craft brewing routinely make the trip, pouring their beer and chatting up fans.  

Who can blame them? Snow-capped peaks, a ski lift … Read More

Beer Lover’s Guide to Evanston, IL’s Craft Beer Scene

Just a short train ride from Chicago, Evanston is home to Northwestern University. Downtown, you’ll find lots of shops and restaurants, as well as some great breweries.

Read More

Chicago Quick Sips | Jan. 22 Chicago Beer News & Events

Quick Sips is our way of highlighting beer events, tap takeovers and other notable beer news around the city of Chicago. If you’d like to submit something to be included in the next Quick Sips, please email us at [email protected].

Read More

The PorchCast Ep 57 | Outer Range Brewing – Lee & Emily Cleghorn

The New Year doesn’t officially start for beer fans in Colorado, until Big Beers, Belgians, & Barleywines kicks off the party. And for the past two years, Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines has also served as a great excuse to … Read More

Strange Roots Experimental Ales | Grapeyard Shift

I don’t care what season it is—it’s always time for a saison. The word “saison,” after all, means season in French. If you’re like me, you’re always looking for another one to try. And lately, a ton of wine barrel-aged saisons have been popping up. So when I saw Grapeyard Shift from Strange Roots, I knew it belonged in my fridge.

Read More

What We’re Drinking | January 18, 2019

I’m not going to lie to you. It’s been a week. Not only did my Philadelphia Eagles lose their way out of the playoffs, but I was also in a minor car accident. The biggest tragedy of them all, however, is the fact that I have not imbibed in one. single. beer. None. It’s quite sad. I will be rectifying that fact this weekend, if I live that long. Until then, I invite you to join me in living vicariously through the rest of the PorchDrinking staff. This is What We’re Drinking.
Read More

An Extended Summer: The Gose’s Evolution into a Year-Long Staple

It’s the dead of winter and I’m not drinking a burly, barrel-aged stout – or even an IPA. Instead, I’ve cracked open a can of Creature Comforts’ Tritonia Gose. Was I envisioning a beach on some far off island? Or a sweltering summer sun? Nope, I just wanted something light and flavorful that wasn’t a lager and wouldn’t weigh me down like some of the heavier stouts and barleywines I’ve had on winter night’s past; and I’m not alone in this sentiment.

Much like the rise of spiked seltzer, the lighter styles of beer, namely session sours such as gose ale, are experiencing a bit of a renaissance this days as folks are beginning to choose tart and tangy beers for their ability to bridge the gap between calorie-conscious and flavor-packed. IPAs aren’t going away – to the contrary even. However, many breweries have begun to appreciate the gose’s spot in giving their beer lineup a bit of balance along with a burst of new flavors. For more insight into the growing popularity of the style over the past few years, I asked several breweries making some of the best gose-style ales in the nation to get their thoughts.

Read More

Breweries Offering Free Food & Beer to Furloughed Government Workers

Putting aside one’s political party affiliation or beliefs, the government shutdown, which is now the longest in American history at 28 days, has impacted over 800,000 furloughed government workers and contractors and affected even more government adjacent jobs. But luckily, … Read More

Brewer’s Reserve Bourbon Barrel Cassian Sunset | Central Waters Brewing Co.

Despite its neighbor to the south being named Beer Capital of America, Wisconsin’s breweries are plentiful and still sling some pretty damn good beer. While New Glarus might be the destination of choice for those on a Wisconsin beercation, braving the shivering Midwest January weather and making the drive a little farther north brings you to the small town of Amherst, home of Central Waters Brewing. Expect the journey to be arduous as you attempt to avoid snowdrifts, slippery country roads, rogue cows and Green Bay Packer Fans. However, you’ll be rewarded by visiting a brewery that brews one of my favorite winter beers from America’s Dairyland.

Read More

Metropolitan Brewing Celebrates 10 Years of Business in the Increasingly Competitive Chicago Market

Chicago and the surrounding area are currently home to the most breweries in the nation. It’s an especially impressive stat when you realize that the market hasn’t really been around for that long. Being able to create a successful brewery during the early growth period of the Chicago market and then stay equally successful amongst growing competition across every neighborhood in the city is an impressive feat that deserves a bit of praise. It’s not easy, but Metropolitan Brewing has managed to do it, which is why their upcoming 10 Year Anniversary celebration this Saturday is so exciting.

Read More

Event Preview | Pink Boots Society Biannual Conference

The second annual Pink Boots Society biannual conference kicks off this weekend in Austin, Texas with an evening welcome reception. The event is a two-day conference happening January 18th-19th. It features a dual track format covering the business and technical aspects of the brewing industry.

Read More

Revisiting the Highlights from 2019 Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines

Co-Authored by Eric Gorski and Tristan Chan, Photos by Justin Graziano, @BeerBreathCO

While beer festivals have multiplied to point of mainstream adoption, the truly elite continue to thrive and stand tall above the rest. There may be no festival that stands … Read More

Zipline Brewing | Bourbon Barrel-Aged The Stout

When the chill of winer sets in, in the Midwest, we all pile on the layers. Wool socks, scarves, non-ironic stocking caps. But with the sun still setting before you can make it home from work, there’s one more trick to help warm you up – bourbon. One sip warms you from the inside out and takes away that chill that never seems to subside.

Read More

Ultimate 6er | GABF Gold Medal Winners From Texas

Each year thousands of beer drinkers invade Denver for the Great American Beer Festival, a three day event dedicated to American craft breweries. Last year Texas walked away with 18 medals, six of which were GOLD. I caught up with each of the winners to ask how it felt to bring home the Gold in 2018.

Read More

Ask the Experts | How to Properly Return a Beer

If you’ve drank enough beer, you’ve probably found yourself in this situation. It’s an unfortunate experience that leads to apprehensiveness among patrons and bar owners: how do you handle the conversation when there is something clearly off with your beer? With January being the biggest month for gift returns, I thought it might make sense to take a look at how and why patrons should return a beer to their bartender or bottle shop manager. It’s not a cheery subject, but common sense from both sides can lead to a positive outcome that betters the drinking experience of the patron and the drinking relationship between the patron and beer purveyor. To help provide a full perspective on the issue, I asked craft beer bar owners and craft brewers alike to gather their insight. Here is what they said.

Read More

Pollyanna Brewing Company | Foudre 1

Whether you’re from the Chicagoland area or beyond, you’ve likely heard of Pollyanna Brewing Company. My introduction to the brand was through their Fun Size series, which never fails to impress with all of the unique variants. While I’m familiar with the brand, I hadn’t visited either of the brewery’s two Chicagoland locations until recently when I visited and toured Pollyanna’s second location in Roselle, IL. Read More

Stem Ciders Celebrates 5 Years with $5 Ciders, Release & RiNo Party

When it comes to Colorado’s craft beverage scene, the main headline almost always focuses squarely on the meteoric rise of craft breweries. But for anyone following closely, one of the more significant success stories to emerge from the Rocky Mountain region in recent years actually comes from Colorado’s Cider industry in Denver’s Stem Ciders.

Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | January 16, 2019

The Denver Beer Beat is a weekly roundup of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, and more happening in the Front Range and beyond. Be sure to check in each Wednesday to discover anything and everything happening around Colorado’s beer scene. Now let’s get to this week’s can’t miss beer events. Read More

We Talked with Allagash | Canning Allagash White; River Trip Debut

Classics can stay classics while still getting a refresh. Such is the case for Allagash White, one of the staple Belgian beers in the United States. Allagash announced last week that they’ll be canning Allagash White, as well as a new beer in their core lineup: River Trip. I got in touch with Brett Willis, marketing specialist at Allagash, to learn more about the announcement.

Read More

Hudson Valley Brewery | Bloom

Just north of the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, the Hudson Valley in New York has long inspired artists and writers, like Norman Rockwell, with its Victorian homes, charming villages and amazing cuisine. The valley is full of outdoor activities like boating, kayaking and the opportunity to summit some pretty intense mountains; a section of the Appalachian Trail even runs through the area. So, it should come as no surprise that the Hudson Valley is becoming a hot spot for breweries. In fact, there are more than 50 breweries and counting within the region.

Hudson Valley Brewery is located in Beacon, NY. Situated just off the main street in a 1960s factory building, Hudson Valley Brewery opened their doors in 2017 and have already made quite a name for themselves—Hop Culture Magazine named them Best New Brewery of 2017.

Read More