Great Lakes Brewing – Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

Edmund Fitzgerald Porter – Great Lakes Brewing, Cleveland, OH

ABV: 5.8%

IBU: 37

Availability: Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington … Read More

Judging A Beer By Its Label

A few weeks ago, some friends and I were at Whole Foods picking up some of their amazing guacamole (seriously, best grocery store guac EVER), and decided to get some … Read More

Southern Tier Brewing Co. | Back Burner Imperial Barley Wine Style Ale

ABV: 9.6% | IBU: 53

Southern Tier calls Back Burner an “imperial barley wine style ale.” As it turns out, barley wine is not something hobbits drink. I know, I feel completely betrayed too. It took me, like, a half an hour to get my Frodo costume together. It is, however, a super tasty beer with a respectable alcohol content. Read More

Oskar Blues Brewing Company – Dale’s Pale Ale

Dale’s Pale Ale – Oskar Blues Brewing Company, Longmont, CO ABV: 6.5% IBU: 60

Beer in a can is the fucking bee’s knees. And there is something about this … Read More

Dark Horse Brewing Company | Tres Blueberry Stout

ABV: 7.5% | IBU: N/A

I’m pretty skeptical of anything boasting an added fruit flavor. 9 out of 10, times it turns out to be a gimmicky mix of artificial tastes and colors—ultimately tasting nothing like the actual fruit. Fortunately, this is not one of those cases. As it turns out, Dark Horse Brewing Co. has put together an exceptional stout that balances a fantastic blueberry nose with dark, rich flavor. Read More

Unibroue Brewery | Maudite

ABV: 8% | IBU: 22

Unibroue beers are juxtaposed with history and mythology. In an important way, the juxtaposition is quite literal; the bottom refermentation process that most of its French Canadian beers undergo produces a look and style that defies modernity. These unfiltered beers are a refreshing alternative to both the sterility and uninteresting nature of your local Safeway favorites, and one note style-box beers. Maudite is no different. It’s murky look and yeasty odor inspires curiosity. Part of it, I’ll admit, is bias. Its compatriot, La Fin du Monde, is one of my personal go-tos. And with a name that translates literally as “the Damned,” there are plenty of reasons why this beer deserves a pour. Read More

Oskar Blues Brewery – Deviant Dale’s IPA

Deviant Dale’s IPA – Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont, CO

ABV: 8%

IBU: 85

I am a lover of all things hoppy. And when it comes to pale ales, Dale’s has … Read More

Sixpoint Brewery | Righteous Ale

ABV: 6.3% | IBU: 57

New favorites can be a funny thing; when something comes along that radically alters your taste—be it a song, a dinner or a philosophy—that newfound love can quickly change into elitism. The excitement about a new discovery devolves into myopia, like a two-year-old demanding Skittles for dinner. I was guilty of this in recent history when I was too quick to anoint India Pale ales as the only style of beer I would ever need to drink after my palette was awakened by Dogfish Head’s 60 Minute IPA. Though I’ve spent the last few years imbibing anything with IPA or “hop” and an emphatic qualifier in the name, I have equally denied myself that exciting feeling of discovery by eschewing all beers that didn’t promise my body weight in hops in each sip. Read More

Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House | Hop Bomber Pale Ale

ABV: 5.5% | IBU: 60

Okay, here’s the thing: I’m not exactly what you would call a “beer expert.” I couldn’t tell you the difference between an IPA and an APA, and I don’t actually know what IBU’s are—I just googled that number. That being said, I do enjoy beer and I really enjoy my pal Tristan—so when he asked me if I wanted to participate in the PorchDrinking website, of course, I had to say yes (after first checking to make sure he was serious). Read More

Trader Joe’s Brewing Company | Stockyard Oatmeal Stout

ABV: 5.2% | IBU: N/A

If I ever wanted to drink beer for breakfast—this would be the one I’d want. Every morning I eat a bowl of oatmeal and drink a cup of coffee. What better than an oatmeal stout with a hint of coffee flavor? That’s what you get with the Stockyard Oatmeal Stout. Read More