Bronx Brewery B-Sides | On the Black Pale Ale

ABV: 5.7% | IBU: 46

BREWING: November – December

If you are a baseball fan on any level, this beer’s clever naming convention has probably already clicked with the compartment of your brain designated for phrases, puns and parlance. According to The Bronx Brewery of New York, On The Black is not only a term for a pitcher during a prime performance, but also a brewer at their best. After my encounter with said beer in the field, I find it hard to argue otherwise.

Read More

Goose Island Beer Co. | Bourbon County Brand Stout (2014)

Style: Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels ABV: 14.4% | IBU: 60

Goose Island’s Black Friday release has come and gone, for many Americans that signifies standing in line at stores … Read More

Burnt Hickory Brewery Releases 2015 Noggin Knocker

Photo courtesy of The Burnt Hickory Brewery

When you think big Christmas beers you don’t often think about Georgia, but maybe you should.

Kennesaw’s Burnt Hickory Brewery celebrated the release of its 2015 limited edition holiday Noggin Knocker on Black Friday with a tour, a sample and an opportunity to wax and seal your own bottle.

Read More

21st Amendment | Toaster Pastry

ABV: 7.6% | IBU: 74

Happy Days are Beer again!  The 21st Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified on December 5, 1933, ending prohibition. Fast forward to the year 2000 and this famous Amendment inspired a new brewery in San Francisco. 21st Amendment Brewery was founded by Nico Freccio and Shaun O’Sullivan and they opened the doors to their brewpub in the famous South Park neighborhood, a few blocks from the San Francisco Giants ballpark. Some of the fan favorites include: Brew Free or Die IPA, Hell or High Watermelon, Back in Black, Fireside Chat. The fan favorites need to watch their back because there is a new kid on the block and their name is Toaster Pastry.

Read More

Brewery Showcase | Stoup Brewing (Seattle, WA)

Images Courtesy of Stoup Brewing

Location:

1108 NW 52nd Street, Seattle, WA, 98107

Hours:

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday: 03:00 PM — 09:00 PM
• Wednesday: 03:00 PM — 09:00 PM
• Thursday: 03:00 … Read More

Schlafly Beer | Tasmanian IPA

ABV: 7.2% | IBU: 65

Schlafly Bottleworks’ Tasmanian IPA (TIPA) is part of the brewery’s Special Release series, and is  available only from October to February. Per the Schlafly website “Our Special Release Series represents a seasonal lineup showcasing bigger beers… with a focus on unique process and huge flavor …” TIPA certainly fits that bill.

Read More

MadTree Brewing Co. | Bourbon Barrel Aged Axis Mundi

Russian Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon Barrels

ABV: 10.5% | IBU: 71

My favorite season for beer is finally upon us. Who am I kidding, every season is my favorite season for beer! However, this season is especially great, because there are fresh hop IPAs and strong stouts being released at the same time. Today, I would like to take a minute and share with you the latter of the two styles, and in this case it is MadTree Brewing‘s Bourbon Barrel Aged Axis Mundi. Read More

Brasserie Cantillon | Iris

Style: Unblended Lambic | ABV: 5.0%

Most people have a favorite flower, and mine just happens to be the iris. The iris flower is also the symbol of the Belgian city Brussels. This magnificent European metropolis was built on marshes and swamps, where fields of yellow irises grew in abundance. The yellow iris flower is even on the city’s flag. Brasserie Cantillon, founded in 1900, is located in Brussels, the Belgian capital.

Read More

Funky Buddha Brewery | Sweet Potato Casserole Strong Ale

ABV: 7.9% | IBU: 30

I am so happy to bring to you a VERY seasonally appropriate beer showcase thanks, in no small part, to Funky Buddha Brewery out of Oakland Park, FL, but mostly to our very own Jess Baker who brought enough home to share! I introduce to you, Funky Buddha’s highly celebrated Sweet Potato Casserole Strong Ale. Read More

SweetWater Brewing Company | Hash Brown India Brown Ale

ABV: 6.2% | IBUs: 60

Fall. It’s a season of transition. Leaves begin to change color, the warmth of summer makes way for the brisk bite of autumn and, … Read More

5 Rabbit Cerveceria | Yodo Con Leche

IBU: 38 | ABV: 8%

Thankfully, we’ve reached a point in time where every single day on the calendar is now National _________ Day. There’s a reason to celebrate something every single day! It used to be that you’d have to accomplish something or there had to be something historically important to reflect upon. No longer are we beholden to that oppressive outdated schedule! National Donut Day, National Pizza Day, National Love Your Red Hair Day (personally, I celebrated by reflecting the sun off my skin and into peoples’ eyes).  Read More

Aviator | OktoberBeast

ABV: 7.2% | IBU: 22

As much as we all love our autumn pumpkin seasonals, I thought it would be nice to have a little break from the spices and pie references. Instead, we’ll take a look at a Märzen-style seasonal from Aviator, OktoberBeast. This is one of the first Märzen style beers I have ever had, so I think it would be informative to discuss the style more generally before we tackle what stands out about the OktoberBeast. Read More

Populuxe Brewing | Autumn Ale

ABV: 6.0%

There’s no denying it anymore. Fall is coming to an end. The final days of the season are bringing in unforgiving winds, cooling temperatures and, thankfully, a few final, fall beers. So before fall retires for the year, let’s cheers to finding a brew that perfectly captures the beauty, complexity and richness of autumn in a single sip. Read More

Platform Beer Co. | Esther Belgian Christmas Ale

ABV — 9.5%

IBU — approximately 20

It’s that time of year. Yes, Christmas is coming up, quickly, and this year the amount of early Christmas seems to have reached an even higher level! Hints of the season have already begun popping up all over the place: in department stores, specialty shops, on your friends’ Facebook feeds. Truth be told, you don’t have to go to Bronner’s in Michigan to get your taste of the holidays early anymore. Additionally, Christmas ale releases have already happened, much to many people’s delight. Even though one the biggest cult beer followings in Cleveland is the Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company—which is awesome this year, by the way, better than the last couple of years—Platform Beer Company has released a very nice, very different style of ale for your holiday imbibing needs: Esther Belgian Christmas Ale.

Read More

KelSo Beer Co. | Nut Brown Lager

ABV: 5.75% | IBU: 19

We already know KelSo Beer Co. as a do-good brewery in Brooklyn with an expert brewer backing the name. What hasn’t been vicariously delivered from my words to your tastebuds however, is the incredibly simple but flavor-packed lineup that KelSo has to offer year round. I’m coming back to this favorited brewery of my PorchDrinking’s past with another promising must-try recommendation: Nut Brown Lager.

Read More

Red Hare Brewing Co. Saison Rouge | The Team Behind the Beer

Beer geeks. We know lots about beer: style, ingredients, which temperatures are best to store lagers versus quads. We know beer laws in different states and the exact release days for Hunahpu and Hopslam and Dark Lord.

But when was the last time you actually (for real) knew the guy who came up with the recipe for the beer you ordered last night at the bar? Read More

Showcasing the Entire 2015 Bourbon County Brand Stout Lineup

On a busy Friday afternoon at the Goose Island Taproom, Goose Island’s Sr. Communications Specialist Megan Lagesse meets me in a corner table and pulls out six bottles of the most coveted beers among the craft community.

Read More

The Story Behind 2015 Goose Island BCBS Rare

Goose Island’s first Bourbon County Brand Stout Rare beer was released in 2010 and was aged in 23-year old Pappy Van Winkle bourbon barrels. It was a beer that would never be replicated again. Making such a refined beer was hard enough, but trying to find barrels from such a sought after vintage of bourbon would be nearly impossible. Even the brewers at Goose Island didn’t think they would ever undertake a project of that magnitude again – that all changed when Heaven Hill Distillery called two years ago.

Read More

Brewpub Showcase | The Lucky Monk (Barrington, IL)

The Lucky Monk

Address: 105 Hollywood Blvd, Barrington, IL 60010

Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11am-11pm Fri-Sat: 11am-1am

Food: Full kitchen

Tours: Not available

System: 10 … Read More

Beer Showcase | Rogue Ales Sriracha Hot Stout

Happy International Stout Day everyone! To celebrate this showcase of dark beers we gathered our staff to try one of the more unique stouts to appear on the market … Read More