Upstate Brewing Co. | Common Sense

ABV: 5.3%

IBU: 22

Let’s take a trip Upstate, where the landscape is lively and craft breweries are bountiful!

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Grist Brewing Co | Berliner Weisse

ABV: 5.4% | IBU: 13 | SRM: 6

As we are hitting record highs here in Denver, we know that summer is leaving us. We know it. But we can’t just say goodbye to its beers just yet! So, as leaves are falling on the ground and as Misun’s Goodbye Summer plays on my iPhone, I snag an old summer style favorite of mine, the Berliner Weisse. The brew is new to me and is from the Denver suburb of Highland’s Ranch; the brewery is Grist Brewing Company.

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Middle Brow Beer Co. | Keep It Copacetic

ABV: 4.7%

Keep It Copacetic is an elote-inspired cream ale made by Middle Brow Beer Co. in conjunction with the folks over at ManBQue, an organization that got its start in Chicago, but now has chapters worldwide. Read More

Breakside Brewery | Passionfruit Sour Ale

The two words ‘Oregon beer’ have been buzzing around Denver for months, “Where can you get beers from Oregon?” “I’ve heard Portland has great beers”. Besides Deschutes Brewery, distribution … Read More

Dogfish Head | Palo Santo Marron

ABV: 12%

IBU: 50

I never really was a big fall guy. Tons of my friends are all about it. I just love summer, and I wail and moan when the first frost hits. What I do enjoy, however, about this time of year has to be the smells, specifically the hint of bite to the air as the temperature lowers and the winds pick up. Particularly, when the nights get really cold, the bonfires in backyards become commonplace, and the smell of firewood catches in the air and on one’s clothes. To go along with the welcome-to-fall fires, I have a Dogfish Head beer that I have, strangely enough, just stumbled upon: the Palo Santo Marron, a brown ale that packs a mighty punch. Read More

Yazoo Brewing Company | Hop Project IPA

ABV: 5.70% | IBU: 75

During a recent family trip to Nashville, I not only got to experience the tranquility that Old Hickory Lake offers and realized how much I miss my family that lives 1,000 miles away, I also got to experience some of Tennessee’s best craft beer. One brewery that stood out was Yazoo. I was able to try their IPA, Hefeweizen and a beer named Sue (a crazy awesome Imperial Porter).

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Miller Lite | Miller Brewing Company

In honor of the recently concluded Great American Beer Festival, I wanted to shine a spotlight on the Wisconsin brews that did our state proud while the world … Read More

New Belgium/Perennial Artisan Ales | Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout

ABV: 9%
IBU: 35

It seems like every time I talk to someone outside St. Louis about the craft beer here, they ask me about Perennial Artisan Ales.  Either they’ve had it and are raving fans or they’ve heard about it and want to get their hands on some. It’s understandable considering the quality of the brew Perennial puts out and their participation in the overall scene. If you follow them around the labyrinth of the internet, you know they’re up to a LOT of good things. Brewer meet and greets, beer dinners and festivals all over the country. Not to mention collaborations with the likes of Evil Twin, Half Acre, Prairie Artisan, et cetera, et cetera. But if you aren’t familiar with them yet, you’re likely going to be thanks to this new bomber of delicious teamwork – New Belgium/Perennial Artisan Ales Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout, the latest addition to the Lips of Faith series. Read More

Highland Brewing Co. | Thunderstruck Coffee Porter

ABV: 5.8% | IBU: 26

With a name like Thunderstruck Coffee Porter, the expectation is clear. Highland Brewing‘s winter seasonal should bowl us over with its coffee essence. Read More

Shmaltz Brewing Company | He’brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 21

Thanks to football season, I spend a lot of time talking with the Lord in the fall. “JESUS F*CKING CHRIST!” I screamed when the Iowa kickers cost us the game against Iowa State. “Goddamn that was too close” when we beat Pitt 20-24 in September. But mostly I am huddled in a corner muttering “OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD” whenever Kirk Ferentz goes for it on 4th. Luckily for me (and all Iowa fans) we have Mark Weisman, our personal Hebrew Hammer of a running back who saves our drives on a continual basis. In honor of Iowa’s own savior, I thought it was time to introduce the PorchDrinking community to He’brew, the Chosen beers made by Shmaltz Brewing company.

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Pyramid Breweries | Apricot Ale

ABV: 5.1%

IBU: 11

Since I couldn’t attend GABF this year, I decided to do the second-best thing and write about it. Today I’d like to introduce you to Pyramid Breweries’ Apricot Ale, the 2014 GABF Gold Medal Winner in the Fruit Wheat Beer category. Read More

Founders Brewing Co. | Dark Penance

Imperial Black IPA

ABV: 8.9%

IBU: 100

October is finally here! And half gone at that! But, there is still plenty of time to drink some of the best seasonal beer selections breweries have to offer. Now, it is no surprise that pumpkin beers have been taking over the market selection for seasonal brews this year. However, there are a ton of other great beer styles to drink this October, such as Harvest Ales, Brown Ales, Black Ales, really any full-bodied dark beer with toasty notes to keep you warm by a fire. Founders Brewing Co. introduced one such brew to their autumn line-up, a bold new speciality beer, Dark Penance Imperial Black IPA. From appearance all the way to flavor, Dark Penance sets a fresh new tone for beers this season, capturing all the right characteristics of fall. Read More

Nebraska Brewing | Brunette Nut Brown Ale

ABV: 4.8%

IBU: 15

Although I typically write about Northeastern craft beers, I could not resist ordering a Nebraska Brunette Nut Brown Ale this past week while at happy hour. If not solely for the name, then surely for the implication of it’s flavor. Being that I have been a brunette since birth, I firmly believe that we do it better — whatever “it” may be — which in this case, is choosing the most delectable craft beers from a remarkably curated menu.

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Schlafly | Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 8.0% | IBU: 16

Pumpkin beers have been a contentious issue on PorchDrinking over the past six weeks. Opinions certainly differ on the propriety of drinking pumpkin beer in August, but since we’re well into October, I hope I’m not in the minority in calling pumpkin beer season officially open for business. They’re not for everyone, these pumpkin beers. They tend to offend the Reinheitsgebot in nearly every way possible. Not only do they have adulterating spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, but they’re usually chock full of “pumpkin”. Read More

Perennial Artisan Ales | Saison d’Alina

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 20

You know that guy from college that was, like, a champion beer drinker? You know, the guy who, no matter how you trained, prepared, or strategized, could single-handedly win Beer Olympics on his own – who you watched in awe as he made his way through a case of Natty completely unfazed? Well, for me, this guy is my friend Andy Hille. And from the moment I met him, I knew he had to be destined for beer greatness.

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Sly Fox Brewery | Phoenix Pale Ale

Few things get you excited after getting home from work late: catching the rest of a game won by your favorite team (or your most hated losing it), a full DVR arsenal locked and loaded for your viewing pleasure, and of course a hidden drawer in your fridge of delicious beers.

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4 Hands Brewing | Resurrected IPA

My 3 year old daughter asks me this question every night at dinner – “Daddy, may I sniff your beer?” She then daintily sticks her nose into the glass and takes a very theatric, deep inhale. When I ask her what it smells like, she always tells me the same thing, “It smells like beer.” As if I didn’t already love her enough? Though she gave me the usual reply on my recent can of Resurrected IPA from 4 Hands Brewing, I’m here to tell you that it smells MUCH more interesting than just beer.

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Greenport Harbor Brewing | Leaf Pile Ale

ABV: 5.2%

If there is one thing I absolutely need so that I cheerfully adjust to the seasonal transition of Fall, it would have to be pumpkin. Nothing says comfort like an over-sized sweater, multicolored horizon, warm fireplace, and a tall pint.  Read More

Flying Dog Brewery | Snake Dog IPA

ABV: 7.1%

IBU: 60

It snakes down the throat like a faithful friend. – Anna Steadman (Snake Dog IPA label) Read More

Upland Brewing Company | Champagne Velvet Pilsner

ABV: 5.50% | IBU: 29

After a long week at work, I felt I needed something light and simple to drink. While pilsners are usually one of styles of beer I avoid, I’ve found plenty of pre-prohibition style beers that surpassed my expectations. When I realized that Champagne Velvet was originally released as a part of Upland Brewing Company‘s 15th anniversary, I was intrigued by this modern take on the early 1900s beer that originally put Indiana brewing on the map.

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