Brickstone Brewery | Brickstone APA: The Beauty of Amarillo Hops

About 60 miles south of Downtown Chicago, in a town of roughly 18,500 people, one will find a superbly crafted American Pale Ale (APA). You remember APAs, right? Craft beer drinkers used to consume multitudes of them a few decades ago. Well, they still exist, and they are as good as ever, exemplified by Brickstone APA from Brickstone Brewery in Bourbonnais, IL.

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Matchless Brewing | Built to Spelt with Glitter NEIPA

In case you missed it, glitter beer is a thing. Glitter beers are typically brewed with edible glitter dust – fine grains of glitter made from sugar-based compounds. Matchless Brewing in Tumwater, WA is the latest Washington brewery to venture into this trend. Their Built to Spelt with Glitter NEIPA is a delightfully flavorful interpretation that goes above and beyond the expectations of a simple trendy beer. It’s a juicy, fruity mouthful of liquid pizzazz.
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21st Amendment Brewery | Watermelon Funk

It almost feels strange to discuss a beer that’s been around for more than a year, but who says beer writers must concentrate solely on new releases? So, as summertime reaches its apex, it seems fitting to discuss 21st Amendment Brewery (21A) Watermelon Funk.

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2SP Brewing Company | The End

There is a jubilant exuberance that takes over a Delco native when you ask where they hail from. They mention the nickname Delco, short for Delaware County, PA, a region adjacent to the city of Philadelphia, before referring to themselves as a Pennsylvania native. They will fill you in on Wawa, their beloved Iggles (known by most as the Eagles) and what to order at Pica’s. But they also are proud of their local breweries—rightfully so! 2SP Brewing Company, located in Aston, PA, has been brewing any and all styles that they please with consistent quality since opening their doors in 2015. 2SP’s newly released double dry-hopped DIPA, The End, exemplifies that quality.

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Fretboard Brewing | Mellowship India Session Pilsner

In a culture that is often obsessed with the notion of “more”, craft beer has fallen victim to chasing high ABV and over-hopped beers. But the real truth is, that … Read More

Bike Dog | Nameless Brut IPA

Summertime in Sacramento is hot. This coming weekend, it’s going to be triple digits and everywhere from the industrial park of West Sacramento, through the highway 50 corridor, up into the foothills, beer lovers will be flocking to their favorite brewery to find some shade and enjoy a brew or two.

If you find yourself at Bike Dog, you may notice a new subset of the ever-loved IPA, their Nameless Brut. Compared to the loud, bold and anything but subtle juicy IPA’s that have been all the rage for the past couple of years, the Extra Brut IPA is a super dry, clean-cut IPA that is crisp, clear and offers the perfect blank canvas to feature the almighty hop.

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Three Magnets | Big Juice Smoothie

Guy Fieri may be an unconventional catalyst toward opening a successful brewery, but when a video store manager and a truck stop bartender marry and open a restaurant in Washington’s capital, you may as well expect the unexpected. So when Nathan and Sara Reilly’s restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2013, they decided to capitalize on their 15 minutes of fame — Three Magnets Brewing was born, and Big Juice Smoothie was not far behind.

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Urban Roots Brewing & Smoke House | Luna de Miel

If you were to ask someone in the Sacramento area if they’ve had a chance to visit a new brewery lately, you would most likely get the response, “Which one?” The rampant growth in U.S. breweries has not been lost on Sacramento. At last count, there are more than 70 breweries, tasting rooms and/or brewpubs open or in planning in the greater Sacramento area. You’ll get thirsty just trying to keep track. Read More

Fremont Brewing | The Gauntlet

It was quite possibly the best night of my life. What could have been better? I, and roughly 200 other Fremont Brewing fanatics, had been invited to the Heron Hunting Club’s annual get-together. The event, which I would argue is the best beer event in the city, had it all. We were being fed by James Beard award-winning Chef Edouardo Jordan of Salare and JuneBaby, taste-testing and purchasing some of Fremont’s most hard-to-get beers, and witnessing the metamorphosis of the brewery’s Frelard location. The space, which had been a packaging and brewing facility just a few hours beforehand, could now pass for a palace. Chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, vintage furniture and rugs awaited us in every corner, and Broadway-worthy props were found at every turn. Again – what could have been better?

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Funkwerks | Oud Bruin

Funkwerks Brewery, located in Fort Collins, CO, has achieved something pretty remarkable: in a town full of breweries, they maintain an underground “hidden gem” vibe while consistently producing quality beers. … Read More

21st Amendment Brewery | El Sully Mexican-Style Lager

There comes a time where something light is needed. Something airy for lakeside Saturdays or something just enough to take the edge off a stressful Wednesday without incidentally starting the weekend early. With the latest boom of IPAs, a sessionable IPA typically comes to mind. However, on my most recent Taco Tuesday outing, I decided to return to the first style of beer I eventually fell in love with: a light, golden lager. Or in this case, El Sully, the Mexican-style Lager from 21st Amendment Brewery.

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Stem Ciders | Hibiscus Session Apple Cider

Summer has finally arrived and it’s hot out. Unbearably hot. The kind of hot where suburbanites start doing silly things like frying eggs on the sidewalk. But yet the onset … Read More

Hopewell Brewing and Metric Coffee Release Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale

The collaboration beer, Hopewell Brewing x Metric Coffee Cold Brew Session Coffee Ale, marry two increasingly popular American brewing trends — craft beer and independent roasters (coffee).

Most of the PorchDrinking.com audience is well aware of craft beer’s growth in recent years. However, one may not be aware that 59% of coffee consumed daily is classified as “gourmet,” according to the 2017 NCA report on National Coffee Drinking Trends. That was the first time in the report’s 67-year history that the number exceeded 50%.

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Firestone Walker | Luponic Distortion IPA Series #10

I just got back from a weekend of epic proportions. World class beer, informative talks, great music,  new friends, and an impressive brewery tour. The Firestone Walker Invitational is definitely … Read More

Narrow Gauge Brewing | SHB: DDH Citra

One of the first things that happened on my return to St. Louis after a two year absence was a receipt of a Narrow Gauge Brewing SHB: DDH Citra. By receipt I mean it was forced upon me. And by forced upon me, I mean a friend insisted I try this new (to me) beer. Before I could ask about this acronym-soup of a beer, I had a sip and promptly forgot my crude thought on what SHB: DDH might mean. Read More

Springdale | Pearly Wit

Experiments can foster great findings. Galileo and the theory of motion, Ivan Pavlov and dogs, Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and oxygen.

Enter Springdale, stage left. Springdale is the experimental offshoot of Jack’s Abby, an award-winning creator of craft lagers based out of Framingham, Massachusetts. With a close association to Jack’s Abby, I knew Springdale was a promising brewery whose beers must have a lot of potential. I’ve never been to Springdale or tried their beer before, but living just an hour away from them leaves me no excuse!

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SweetWater Brewing | Tropical Lover Berliner Weisse

Has the mention of a brewery ever been so powerful as to trigger a flood of memories? The immediate response might drift toward memories of your favorite beer, or maybe your very first. Perhaps you thought of someone special you shared this beer with, or even a special trip or occasion. 

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BAD SONS Beer Company | Conn Ale

A microbrewery in Derby, Connecticut is catching some attention due to its beer that is straight bad. Not bad in a literal way, but bad in the “that’s what kids are saying” these days way. BAD SONS Beer Co. offers an abundance of beers, but I want to talk about a specific one that was so good, I checked it in with my baggage on my flight home. If you are looking for a pale ale to satisfy the long drinking days ahead this summer, look no further — Conn Ale is here.

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Carillon Brewing | Coriander Ale

I don’t have a pretty photo of Carillon Brewing Company‘s Coriander Ale to show you. Carillon’s beers and, more importantly, the brewing techniques used to craft them, are from a time when the appearance of beer was only just beginning to matter with the emergence of pale malts and clear glassware. Their anachronistic visual appearance—often a bit murky—is part of the authenticity of enjoying a flight of beers inside Carillon’s reproduction 1850s barn brewery on the grounds of Carillon Historical Park, a living history museum by the banks of the Great Miami River in Dayton, OH.

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Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery | 747 Belgian Strong Golden Ale

This year was supposed to be the year of me trying new things—I was going to take a break from my IPA and sour obsession, find new beer loves and explore my palate. Well, sometimes old habits die hard. If there is one style of beer I shy away from the most, it’s anything in the Belgian realm, but this beer from Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery definitely gave me something to talk about!

So maybe we’re halfway through the year and I still have yet to discover my next new beer love but can I get a pat on the back for drinking a golden strong ale from Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery?! Baby steps, you guys. Read More