Distillery Lane Ciderworks | DLC Cider

I like to think of cider (hard cider, that is) as beer’s misunderstood and oft neglected cousin. Some see cider as an “easy way out” or perhaps not as refined or complex as the craft beers we have become so accustomed to. But cider has a lot more to give than many think. In D.C., we are lucky to have a ciderworks fairly close to the city. Obviously, a visit was warranted. Read More

Fullsteam Brewery | Fearrington Winter Coffee Pecan Porter

ABV: 6.0% | IBU: 32

Today we have another installment in Fullsteam Brewery’s plow-to-pint series, the Fearrington Winter coffee pecan porter. In the previous installment, I discussed Fullsteam’s commitment to using locally grown produce in their limited edition brews. Fearrington Winter upholds that commitment. Inspired by southern pecans and nearby Pittsboro’s Fearrington Village coffee beans, Fearrington Winter embodies the dark roastiness and toastiness of a porter without being overly bitter. Read More

Unity Vibration | KPA (Kombucha Pale Ale)

ABV: 7%

I would like to begin by saying I LOVE THIS BEER. Unity Vibration’s Kombucha Pale Ale is funky, weird, and intensely flavored. It is also organic, gluten-free, and vegan, if you’re into that. I was initially drawn to it as a fan of kombucha tea. Read More

Stone Brewing Co. | Master of Disguise Imperial Golden Stout

9.7% ABV
National Release/ Limited Season

As is usually the case this time of year, dark weather brings out the dark beer in my libation rotation. Shying away from the conventional brewed coffee, the stout has become my go-to for comfortable drinking. Spending time in Ireland just recently, my liver has come to expect little else than the delicious homemade Guinness that really isn’t the same on this side of the Atlantic. Coming back after a fair share of Black & Tan’s and Baby Guinness Shots (the most delicious shot if Kahlua and Baileys are up your alley), I spent a fair amount of time during the Holidaze getting reacquainted with Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, Sierra Nevada Stout and the annual Christmas Car Bomb (while abroad, order at your own risk, fyi).

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Mobcraft Beer | Beelzebub’s Run

ABV: 7.6%

IBU: 23

Have you ever had a great idea for a beer but no means to realize it? Do you lay awake at night longing for that imperial rice lager aged in fish sauce barrels that nobody seems interested in brewing? Well, don’t lose hope; Mobcraft, the world’s first crowdsourced brewery, might just be the answer to your dreams.

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Peekskill Brewery | Simple Sour

ABV: 4.5%

Have you ever had an out-of-beer experience? It happens like this: you enter through the doors of a craft beer establishment with an unquenchable thirst and powerful desire to satiate it. At the sight of a chalkboard covered in clever titles on tap, your eyes quickly scale the menu for something familiar yet slightly unrecognizable to keep your taste-buds on edge. With confidence, you order the Peekskill Brewery Simple Sour to start — and suddenly — you are no longer in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but transcended to the stool of a brewpub in Berlin enjoying the most delicious, tangy, sweet-and-sour Berliner Weissbier to ever graze your palate.

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Peticolas Brewing Company | Velvet Hammer

ABV: 9%

IBU: 85

As if there weren’t enough days to drink during the week. Somehow Thursday’s always seem to take the prize as one of my … Read More

Lakefront Brewery | Fuel Cafe Organic Coffee Stout

ABV: 6.4%

I am not a frequent shopper of Whole Foods and nothing about my daily activities would make you confuse me for someone that buys organic. Whenever I see the word “organic” on a label, I automatically think, “Well this is going to be expensive.” Luckily for me, Fuel Cafe Organic Coffee Stout from Lakefront Brewery has all the goodness of organic foods without the typical organic price tag.

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Jester King Brewery | Das Wunderkind!

ABV 4.5%

Jester King Brewery, maker of artisan farmhouse ales out of the beautiful Texas Hill Country are more than artists in their craft but also activists in the … Read More

Uinta Brewing Company | Cutthroat Pale Ale

ABV: 4%

IBU: 34

I love big dumps, and any other skier will tell you the same thing. When it’s pouring rain on a January day where I work in Salt Lake City, you can bet that up in the Cottonwood Canyons it’s dumping snow. And that’s why I’ve been craving all day to get up there and get in a little night riding at Brighton, where the falling snow will mean free refills.

When I got to the mouth of the canyon, though, I wished the dumping had kept itself in check a bit, as the road leading up into Big Cottonwood Canyon was closed and packed with stopped traffic —no doubt an accident plugging up the tiny, winding mountain road leading to my goods. As much of a kick to the nuts a thwarted powder night is, I take consolation that my favorite SLC bar, the Hog Wallow, is right at the base of the canyon. It especially makes me happy that the Wallow serves my favorite Utah beer, Cutthroat Pale Ale from Uinta Brewing Company. Read More

Avery Brewing | Tweak

ABV: 17.81%

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Founders Brewing Co. | Porter

ABV: 6.5%
IBU: 45

If you’ve been to the Founders taproom – particularly on a Monday for $3 pint night – in Grand Rapids, MI, you know it’s a lively, friendly place. Chalkboard beer lists hang over the long wooden bar that’s almost always packed with people jostling to get closer to the rotating taps. Outside on the deck, tables and benches are organized around large fire pits that enable guests to enjoy their beer outdoors even during harsh Michigan winters. The Founders taproom is, in fact, my favorite place to visit and catch up with friends and family when I return to my hometown for the holidays. On a typical trip, I spend at least one night each weekend in the comforting arms of my favorite brews like the namesake of this article, the Founders Porter. It’s a plan that works well, as it enables me to combine my favorite people with my favorite brewery.

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Funkwerks Brewery | Nelson Sauvin Saison

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TRiNiTY Brewing | 365 Day Golden Sour

ABV: 5%

Trinity Brewing, out of Colorado Springs, is a funky, artistic, innovative brewery that creates out of the ordinary beers. Whether reviving ancient traditions or coming up with new approaches, their flavors make you stop and think about what you are drinking. Read More

Bell’s Brewing Co. | Mercury, The Winged Messenger

Bell’s Brewing Co.
Mercury – The Winged Messenger
Belgian Single
ABV: 4.8%

The planets are beginning to align with the third installment of Bell’s Planet Series. Mercury, the Winged Messenger, brings word from other planets in the form a tasteful Belgian Single. Read More

Red Oak Brewery | Hummin’ Bird Helles Golden Munich Lager

ABV: 4.5 | IBU: ~18

In addition to their flagship Amber Lager, Red Oak Brewery produces another beer deserving of extra attention, the Hummin’ Bird Helles, a golden Munich lager.

If … Read More

Noble Ale Works | I Love It!

Last weekend, I attended the second annual Los Angeles IPA Festival held at Mohawk Bend in Silver Lake, Ca. The event brought over 60 IPAs from all over the state of California for friendly competition and, of course, drinking and merriment. Read More

Straight to Ale | Rocket Bock

9.86 ABV | IBU N/A

The most important thing to know about Huntsville, Alabama is that it is the birthplace of the modern space age. Home to the Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville rocket scientists/engineers played a part in building the spaceships for the Apollo missions, Space Shuttles, the Hubble Space Telescope and many more. Read More

Wynkoop Brewing Company | Barrel Aged Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout

Who’s got the biggest… cans of them all? In walks Wynkoop’s Barrel Aged Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout in 19.2oz cans. Sure their can itself may not be the” largest” format craft can, but its “contents” may just be the most coveted this side of the Vanilla Rye-filled Mississippi.

Smooth, creamy mouthfeel with notes of wood and vanilla and… wait, what am I drinking? What is a Rocky Mountain Oyster? Hold on, what? Calf fries, swinging steaks, prairie oysters, cowboy caviar, criadillas in Mexico, Montana tendergroins, dusted nuts, bull fries or swinging beef? You’re kidding, right?!

ABV: 7.8%
IBU: 30-70
SRM: 30-40
BPB (balls per barrel): 3

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Epic Brewing | Big Bad Baptist

ABV: 11.2%

Big Bad Baptist | Batch #44 Charming Beard

Who says you can’t get a good beer in Utah? We think Utah is crafting some exceptional beer.

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