Founders Brewing Company | PC Pils

Founders Brewing Company’s PC Pils has become my summer go-to beer. I’m not certain how that came to be–I didn’t search it out. I simply picked it out one day when looking for an easy drinking brew, and was pleasantly surprised with the light, refreshing style. Before long it became the natural beer to pick up when we were looking to drink something reliable and quenching.

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Stillwater Artisanal | Insetto

I was strolling through my local Whole Foods’ beer department when my eye was drawn to something beautiful. It was a repeating pattern. Appearing almost like dark purple single-celled organisms with brighter violet nuclei, this pattern seemed to self-replicate across the face of the can, creating white insect shapes in the negative space. Once I read the description of the contents, I knew that Stillwater Artisanal’s Insetto would be coming home with me that night. Yes. The whole thing was exactly as creepily seductive as it sounds.

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D9 Brewing Co. | Systema Naturae 4th Edition

D9 Brewing Co. hits on all cylinders with their Systema Naturae program. As a reminder, Systema Naturae “emphasizes the exploration of scientific processes and ingredients exhibited throughout the natural world.” … Read More

Starr Hill Brewery | Resinate Imperial Red IPA

If you have ever had Reviver from Starr Hill Brewery, then you already know that they know their way around a Red IPA. The latest addition to Starr Hill’s limited-run All Access Series is like Reviver dialed up to 11. This beer was brewed to be a sort of big brother to Reviver—a role model, if you will. I got my hands on a few bottles of Starr Hill’s Resinate, and I have to say that I enjoyed it.
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Half Acre Beer | Wooden Teeth Brett Saison

Half Acre brings the funk with its Brett Saison, Wooden Teeth. This complex small batch beer, has the sophisticated feel of a champagne coupled with the casualness of a cider. The mixture of flavors brings the old brewing world together with new techniques. Wooden Teeth is funky, sour and a bit sweet for a perfect balance, resulting in an interestingly fun drinking experience.

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Modern Times Beer | Ice (Pilsner)

Summer may be coming to a close but that doesn’t mean the temperature has let up. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area we’ve been bombarded with unseasonably stifling heat and sticky high humidity. This has meant that light beer has been a major staple in my refrigerator. Lagers, pilsners, session IPAs, and Gose are not normally in my wheelhouse but I’ve come to appreciate their low alcohol crushability.
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Upslope Brewing | Champagne Saison with Nelson Sauvin

Sometimes tap rooms can act as testing grounds that can bring unassuming beers to the forefront, allowing for crowd pleasing favorites that otherwise wouldn’t be canned and distributed to share in some of the spotlight. Upslope Brewing’s Tap Room series is just that, offering a rotating series in which larger batches of popular tap room beer is brewed — split between kegs and cans, and then once it’s gone; that’s it for the year. Previous releases in 2017 have included Strawberry Mint IPA, Peanut Butter Porter and Hefeweizen. I was able to get my hands on its Champagne Saison with Nelson Sauvin, a beer that I like to call “fancy beer for outdoorsy folk.”

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Drake’s Brewing Co. | Tart Breaker Sour Blonde

Drake’s Brewing Co has been releasing a steady stream of 500ml bottles of specialty brews this year and their newest, Tart Breaker, is out to steal your heart. Members of Drake’s ’89 Club, named after the year they were founded, are able to snap up bottles a week before the public.

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Off Color Brewing | Sparkles Finds (Some) Trouble Hibiscus Gose

Off Color Brewing offers some of the best craft beer in the country across their portfolio, in my humble opinion. And how could you pass up a beer named Sparkles Finds (some) Trouble? This poor kitten got himself into a little, but not too much trouble. Check out the basically amazing description of the beer from the brewery itself (I feel like there’s no way they’re paying their marketing person enough!):

“Curious kittens sometimes get themselves into trouble. What they find out is some things are best left alone. Likewise, curious brewers sometimes add flowers and junk to their beer to see what’ll happen. What they find out is those flowers will add a sweet note and stunning pink color to an otherwise tart and salty beer.”

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Hall Brewing Co. | Juicy Peach Blonde Ale

It’s official: Colorado peach season is here! While some associate late summer/early fall with blood oranges and others count the days to pumpkin spice weather, I hold out for those … Read More

Beer Showcase | Avery Brewing Ginger Sour

August 5, 2017 marks 24 years of brewing for Avery Brewing. To commemorate the achievement, Avery released Twenty Four Imperial IPA — a stellar beer, to be sure. But, the biggest news emerging from the Boulder-based brewery in 2017 involved its decision to substantially alter the beer portfolio by saying goodbye to old standbys and instead concentrating more on barrel aging. Hence, it behooved us at PorchDrinking to look at one of its latest Botanical & Barrel releases, Ginger Sour, while simultaneously raising our pint glasses and exclaiming, “Happy Anniversary, Avery!”
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National IPA Day | Southeast Region Roundup

Thursday, August 3 is National IPA Day. Pretty awesome holiday to celebrate, right?! This week at PorchDrinking, we’re celebrating this glorious holiday in one of the only ways we know how: with beers and roundups! We have compiled all of our favorite IPAs from around the country. Read on to find out what IPAs our Southeast team is loving right now.

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Equilibrium Brewery | Fractal Citra/Galaxy IPA

Nestled in Hudson Valley, NY, lays a new brewery that has been cranking out some fantastic, flavorful and experimental beers. Founded by two MIT engineering graduates who shared a passion for homebrewing, Equilibrium Brewery began distributing their delicious beverages in the latter half of 2016. They follow the belief that beer can be better when scientific principles are followed that focus on balancing drinkability with the flavor. The beers they are brewing are inviting, just waiting for you to take the next sip. They’ve been able to channel their scientific backgrounds and love of craft beer and create something worth praising.
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SweetWater Brewing Co. | TripleTail Tropical IPA

It gets hot in the summer. There’s no escaping it, especially in the south. SweetWater Brewing Co. in Atlanta, Georgia knows this just as well as anyone and is always looking for new ways to help beer drinkers cool off. This has inspired their new seasonal, TripleTail Tropical IPA, a solid new IPA with a tropical flavor.  Read More

SweetWater Brewing Co. | Belgian Rose

The Woodlands Project opened early this year and has already amazed and bewildered our tastebuds with taproom exclusives and merely one bottle release, “Through the Brambles,”—until now. After much anticipation over what the project would yield next, and when, SweetWater Brewing Co. announced it is releasing “Belgian Rose” this weekend. Read More

St. Boniface Craft Brewing Company | Hegemony

On a busy stretch of US-322 in the small town of Ephrata, Pennsylvania, you will find St. Boniface Craft Brewing Company. Named for one of the many patron saints of brewing, they have been creating high-quality, locally beloved beers since 2010. Now, you might think that it’s a little too hot to be drinking stouts (and normally I’d agree), but St. Boniface’s cool, dimly lit taproom creates an atmosphere that yearns for a good stout. Luckily, St. Boniface’s Hegemony quells this primal need beautifully.
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SweetWater & Telluride Collaboration | Torikumi Wasabi Infused Blonde Ale

Arigato! SweetWater Brewing Company’s latest dank tank offering, Torikumi, is a collaboration with Telluride Brewing Company. These two rad breweries combined to offer a heady blonde ale that features wasabi.

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Left Hand Brewing Co. | Fade to Black

If asked what first comes to mind when you think of Left Hand Brewing, I would guess Milk Stout and Nitro top that list. As much as I enjoy Milk Stout and the Nitro lineup of beers, one beer in Left Hand’s vast portfolio that might be overlooked is Fade to Black, their winter seasonal. Read More

Transient Artisan Ales | Czech Yourself

Summer’s here and in full swing, so going to the beach or hanging around outside are two common activities most people do while drinking beer. Since most people don’t want to wreck themselves, a good idea would be to Czech Yourself with Transient Artisan Ales‘ first lager.
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Thomas Hardy’s Ale | Vintage 2016

I remember being forced to read Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities in high school. To explain the tome’s epic verbosity, I subscribe to the myth that Charlie was paid by the word and have been permanently scarred by the experience. I mention Dickens because he would likely have been an inspiration to the British poet for whom this beer is named – Thomas Hardy. Hardy was a writer of world-renown but unfortunately, thanks to his compatriot’s writing style, there’s zero chance of me putting down Stephen King to pick up Jude the Obscure anytime soon. His namesake brew however, Thomas Hardy’s Ale, that’s a different story.
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