Funk Brewing Co. | Citrus IPA

ABV: 6.7% | IBU: 70

I love seeing the craft beer industry exploding with new breweries, especially in my home state of Pennsylvania. I recently traveled back home to, Allentown, PA, … Read More

Port City Brewing Company | Optimal Wit

ABV: 4.9 % | IBU: 15

Availability: Year-Round

How many people have the luxury of drinking a local witbier? Scratch that. How many people have the chance to drink a two-time GABF award-winning local witbier? Port City Brewing Company’s catalog is always quaffable, but none is more exemplary than their flagship beer: Optimal Wit. Many of us can sip enduring classics like Allagash White or Bell’s Winter White Ale, but Optimal Wit brings a unique flavor profile to satisfy all wheat fans in the heart of NoVA. Read More

Jester King Brewery | Bière de Miel

ABV: 6.1% | IBU: 26

Jester King Brewery is one of those American breweries that always seems to be making big waves in the beer world. Their unique spins on Belgian and wild styles and their limited availability makes them always in hidemand for die hard fans. Thankfully, I was in Austin, Texas for the first time this past summer and was able to finally try them out in person at their stunning ranch-like brewery and tasting room. On the toasty summer day that it was, I sampled Bière de Miel for the first time and decided to bring a bottle back home with me.

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Spoetzl Brewery (Shiner) | Birthday Beer

ABV: 5% | IBU: 30

I recently turned 26, and while it isn’t a milestone birthday by any stretch, I still felt obligated to live it up while I could because… you know, I’m getting old. I spent the day hanging out with friends and family, going out to dinner and hitting some local bars in Lakewood, a western suburb of Cleveland. As the night drew to a close and the candles blew out on January 2, I took time to revel in the celebration and look forward to the year ahead. I have a feeling it’s going to be a great year filled with good time and better beer. Read More

Pasteur Street Brewing Company | PSBC Double IPA

By the time my boyfriend and I got to Saigon, Vietnam, we had been in Asia for a little over a week. In that time we had discovered exotic beaches, … Read More

Bear Republic Brewing Co. | Racer 5

ABV 7.5%  | IBU 75

I moved to the Bay Area in the fall of 2011 and I soon discovered my love of good, local, craft beer. Most bars in the Bay Area offer Northern California staples even if their beer selection is not very diverse or “crafty.” The drafts typically include an IPA from at least one of the following: Anchor, Bear Republic, Drakes, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada or Speak Easy. My interest and intrigue with the hop flavor and IPAs was piqued as I experienced more and more of these local favorites. Through my trials and tribulations, a clear favorite emerged. The Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic Brewing Company quickly became my go-to beer.

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Cigar City Brewing | White Oak Jai Alai

ABV: 7.5% IBU: 70

Most in the craft beer world are familiar with Cigar City Brewing’s Jai Alai IPA. However, there is a White Oak-Aged version that might not be as well known. Unlike Jai Alai that is available year-round, White Oak Jai Alai periodically comes out throughout during the year.

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Urban Chestnut | Harwood Myth

The debate on who invented the porter style of beer is heated. Do a quick search of “Ralph Harwood” and prepare to get lost in online comment threads full of finger pointing and righteous rightness. While the inventor of the style is disputed, it is clear that porter came about as a combination of three beers common in 1700’s England – ale, beer and strong beer. Some called it Three Threads, perhaps a riff on Three Thirds. It was also known as Entire, as in Entire-butt, or all from a single cask. Whatever the truth may be, Harwood Myth from Urban Chestnut is a classicly English-style porter.

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Tröegs Brewing Company | Mad Elf

 ABV: 11% | IBU: 15

The stockings are all gone and trees line the street, but vision of Mad Elf labels still dance through my mind, as I reminisce on the fun we had at Christmas time! If you had a holiday season packed like mine, with a craft beer line-up to accommodate every party, then we might be sharing the same buzz, well into the new year.

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New Zealand Founders | 1981 Pale Ale

Quietly perched on the north side of the south island of New Zealand, a lesser-known Founders Brewery company sits 8,500 miles from everyone’s favorite Founders out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and 143 years its senior. As a close disciple of the American Founders, I was implored to experience its far removed Kiwi cousin. With over a century more brewing experience and a reputation that precedes them, I had high expectations.

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New Belgium Brewing | Citradelic Tangerine IPA

Photo by: Will Dozier

ABV: 6.0% | IBU: 50

New Belgium Brewing Citradelic Tangerine IPA, which officially hit stores yesterday, kicks off what I expect to be one of the bigger trends for the new year. Mark it down, coming in 2016… to a snifter glass not so very far away. Craft Beer: The Fruit Awakens. Read More

Hale’s Ales | Barrel Aged Imperial Stout

ABV: 9.9% | IBU: 26

Even in a beer-crazy neighborhood like the Ballard area of Seattle, Hale’s Ales stands out as a symbol of the early craft beer revolution. Mike Hale, the brewery’s founder, opened Hale’s Ales Brewery in 1983 and the brewery has been a staple of Pacific Northwest brewing ever since. In the sea of Ballard’s microbreweries, growlers, and flannel shirts, the large Brewery and Pub that has served as Hale’s Ales home base since 1995 suggests a permanence that promises to outlive last winter’s mustaches, this year’s beards, and whatever new facial fashions are donned by Ballard’s trendy, beer-loving residents in the years to come. That is why the Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is a great topic for today’s review – the beer is a magnificent representation of the boldness, the longevity, and the stoutness of the Hale’s Ales institution.

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Wasatch Brew Pub | Ginger, Apple, Wheat Ale

4% ABV

When I headed to my hometown of Kalamazoo, Michigan for Christmas, a town so steeped in its microbrew culture that it has a semi-pro baseball team called the Growlers, I’d planned to write a beer showcase from Bell’s Brewing’s Eccentric Café, my old college stomping ground. But then I got to Bell’s and saddled up to the bar with some old friends. Read More

Bell’s Brewery | Christmas Ale

I know what you’re thinking: “Christmas is over. Why are you still talking about a Christmas beer?” Because Bell’s Christmas Ale is an incredibly light and sessionable beer to savor during the cold months, and a perfect beer to drink beyond the merry holiday. While a lot of other winter warmers and dark beers made for this season are heavy in their ABV and body, this Christmas Ale is nothing what you’d expect.

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Public House Brewing | Six Degrees Chocolate Porter

We introduce you to the Six Degrees Chocolate Porter from Public House Brewing Company, located near St. Louis in Rolla, Missouri.

Like any Public House beer, Six Degrees Chocolate Porter … Read More

Scuttlebutt Brewing Company | KEXP Transistor IPA

ABV: 5.6% | IBU: 68

If you don’t live in Seattle, the letters KEXP might not mean much to you. If you do live in Seattle, you know that these are not just four, jumbled letters. KEXP is 90.3 FM – the radio station bringing the Emerald City innovative and experimental culture, groundbreaking music and now, great… beer? Read More

Terrapin Beer Co. | Tiramisu-Hoo

Style: Milk/Sweet Stout | ABV: 8.5% | IBU: 30

This past Christmas I was able to find a truly special stout, Terrapin Beer Co. Tiramisu-Hoo, at one of my favorite … Read More

Goose Island Beer Co. | Sofie

ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 20

Every time I log in to Facebook it seems I’m greeted with an ad from Goose Island stating that Sofie “is the only bubbly you need this season,” and I couldn’t agree more. Read More

Foothills Brewing | People’s BBL Aged Porter

ABV: 6.0% | IBU: 42

To celebrate the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, I thought it would be nice to introduce PorchDrinking and her readers to a rare … Read More

Uinta Brewing Co | Port O’ Call

Average Reading Time: 2 minutes

ABV 9.4%

Beer is an adventure! We have been incredibly lucky to have explored new beer all over this country. Craft beer has pushed the … Read More