Anderson Valley Brewing Company – Summer Solstice

5% ABV

6 IBU

I know I’m a little late since summer officially started a week ago, but I couldn’t resist showcasing Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s Summer Solstice. According to … Read More

Brewing and Tasting the Porch Pounder Hibiscus Wit

Everyone who has ever homebrewed always aspires to see one of their recipes brewed on a commercial system. A few months ago, Tristan, our fearless leader, approached Phil and … Read More

Avery Brewing Co. – Snapping Turtles

ABV 9.5%

This taproom only treat was one warming experience. Avery blends the rich dark maltiness of a wee heavy with peated malt and to top it off, adds smoked … Read More

Three Floyds Brewing Co. – Gumballhead

ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 35

I am an unabashed advocate and lover of all beers brewed in Colorado. In fact, prior to my Memorial Day weekend trip to Chicago, my top five breweries all resided in this grand, rectangular state: Avery, Great Divide, Renegade, Oskar Blues, and Left Hand. You have to admit that Colorado does indeed have a mighty fine selection of brews, right? And those five only scratch the tip of that clichéd iceberg! So, please forgive my Colorado Brew Bias (CBB), for it is ever present throughout my writing.

With that being said, over Memorial Day weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Chicago, Illinois, home to sellouts and pretty-solid breweries alike (Goose Island and Pipeworks, respectively). However, the true grail of this mid-western region lies just across the border in Munster, Indiana, at a little brewery and brew Pub called Three Floyds Brewing. Read More

Left Hand Brewing | Nitro Milk Stout

This post originally appeared as one of the first posts on PorchDrinking when we launched FOUR Years Ago. We wanted to share this again, because Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout is a phenomenal Colorado beer and because many of you all have joined us since we first launched. For those who have followed us since the beginning thanks for your support and we hope you’ve enjoyed the ride.

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Lagunitas IPA – Lagunitas Brewing Company

ABV: 6.2%

The first time I ordered a Lagunitas IPA, I was in a bar in downtown Chicago, having just run a 5K (a bizarre feat that is entirely uncommon in my life and will probably never happen again.) Anyhow, I couldn’t see the whole tap, but I could see the “Lagun” of the “Lagunitas” label. Naturally, I told the bartender I wanted the Laguna Beach beer, which, for the record, I still find to be hilarious. Try it out the next time you order it; just know your audience first.

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The Alchemist Brewery – Heady Topper

I still remember vividly my first can of Heady Topper. I was out celebrating my birthday with my girlfriend, a burger, some oysters, and beers. Inexplicably, The Alchemist’s Heady Topper … Read More

Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged Siberian Night

F.G = 5.5°P, O.G. = 22°P

IBU’s = 58, 10.9% alc./vol.

Thirsty Dog Brewing Company out of Akron, Ohio recently released two barrel-aged beers that have previously been draft only, these beers being Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged Wulver and Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged Siberian Night. Of course, I had to review my favorite style first. Bring on the Bourbon Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout!
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Abita Brewing Company – Lemon Wheat Beer

ABV: 4.4%

IBU: 18

Calling all summer bunnies to check out Abita Brewing Company’s Lemon Wheat beer. This delightfully refreshing beer is going to be a beer you can fall back when you are in a rush to get to the park to waste an afternoon playing scrabble in the park, preferably with a view of some body of water. You can just grab it without thinking and have a nice, reliable picnic beer. Read More

Green Flash Brewing Co. | Palate Wrecker

While I must admit that I am not the type to usually fall for big names that make large boasts, especially when it comes to hops and bitterness, breweries like Green Flash are the exception. Hailing from southern California in San Diego, hop heads all over recognize the great quality and diversity of IPA in their regular rotation. For today’s showcase, I hoppily introduce Palate Wrecker….and it is no misnomer. Read More

Bell’s Brewery’s Third Coast Old Ale

10.2% ABV

Pale ales, wheat beers, IPAs, pilsners, kolsches, lagers, everybody can’t wait to get their summer on. Give me something light, give me something easy to drink, give me something refreshing. No. With a picturesque wintry Michigan day gracing the label, I grabbed a hanger-on from those lost days of winter, and I can’t believe that this one hung around this long (as it is usually a winter/spring beer). Not on the hottest of days, but on a rainy weekend day or a mild summer night with a fire blazing in the outdoor pit, I often look to the things that comforted me back when seasonal depression had me in its menacing grip. However, they say that Bell’s Brewery’s Third Coast Old Ale ages well and never goes bad, so a few months later than usual may have made it all the better. Read More

Flying Dog – Single Hop Series: Citra

Flying Dog – Single Hop Series: Citra

ABV: 10%

IBU: 70

One of the best places to enjoy fun new brews in Washington, DC is Pizzeria Paradiso. This week, I … Read More

Stevens Point Brewery’s Whole Hog Limited Six Hop IPA

Stevens Point Brewery Whole Hog (Limited) Six Hop IPA 8.5% ABV, 87 IBU

The thing I enjoy most about writing beer reviews is doing some homework on the brewery itself. … Read More

Jack’s Abby Brewing | Leisure Time Lager

By the time this weekend comes around I will have written close to 5,000 words on beer, interviewed the head of the “best brewery in the world” ^[1], driven over 500 miles visiting breweries, and taken more pictures of pints than I care to admit. I love doing this, but even the best things can be exhausting, especially since those numbers only scratch the surface of how much thought I try to put into every post and that is not easily quantifiable. Yes, it’s beer and beer is great, but it’s also writing and writing is hard. At the end of the “day,” which seldom is only 24 hours, my brain needs a quick reboot. After years of highly scientific research, I’ve come up with the perfect reset button: a good, long run and a bottle of the adequately named Jack’s Abby’s Leisure Time Lager.

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Madtree Brewing Company – Psychopathy

ABV: 6.9%

I went to Jungle Jim’s today hoping to find my beloved Jackie O’s, but alas, their cans weren’t there. I did however stumble upon a brew from right here in Cincinnati, Madtree Brewing Company’s Psychopathy India Pale Ale. Read More

Great River Brewery – Dirty Blonde

I went to the Burning Can Festival (not to be confused with Burning Man) in Lyons, Colorado last weekend. For those who aren’t familiar, this is a full-day event with a 5K run in the morning so you don’t feel guilty about developing a large beer belly by nighttime. The rest of the day is spent … you guessed it … consuming beer. The festival features beer tasters from more than 30 breweries all across the US.

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Stoudt’s Brewing – American Pale Ale

It’s getting close to that time of year: Independence Day.  Last year, we posted a few suggestions for your most patriotic beers, and as that time of year rolls around again, here’s a nicely balanced, classic American Pale Ale to swig down under the fireworks.

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Lagunitas Brewing Company – Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

ABV: 9.6%

Today PorchDrinkers, we are showcasing Lagunitas’ Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale. Okay, go back and reread the name of the beer again, but this time hear it in the voice of the guy who does the voice-overs for all the summer blockbusters. (pausing for you to reread) Yeah, there you go. Now we are on the same page.

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Golden Road Brewing | Point the Way IPA

ABV: 5.9% | IBU: 60

I have seen the light on IPA, thanks to Golden Road’s Point the Way IPA. “That stuff is [expletive] incredible,” someone told me recently. Quite a recommendation. As positive as that review is, I feared I might not feel the same way—I usually prefer mellow ambers to hoppy IPAs; I was wrong. I visited the Golden Road Brewery location here in Glendale, CA recently, and I loved their Point the Way IPA. To borrow a phrase, it’s [expletive] incredible. Read More

Great Lakes Brewing – Lake Erie Monster

As long as there have been people living around bodies of water, there have been stories about what lives in the deep recesses of each murky abyss. From Krakens of Greek mythology to the river monsters of the Amazon, to the Crocosaurus of the Sci Fi Channel to the infamous Nessie of Scotland’s Loch Ness, the lore surrounding mythical sea monsters swirls in all corners of the globe and throughout time. The northern Midwest is not excluded from this pantheon of time and geography as Lake Erie’s Bessie (sometimes known as “South Bay Bessie”) has graced this fourth largest of the Great Lakes since its first recorded sighting in 1817. Great Lakes Brewing’s summer seasonal Lake Erie Monster pays homage to the beast with a double IPA that (at 9.1% ABV) will have you telling tales in no time. Read More