Craft Beer News
PorchDrinking brings you the breaking in craft beer news.
Event Recap | 2020 Uppers and Downers
February 26, 2020 | Mike Zoller
Probably one of the smallest venues for a beer festival out there, the intimacy of Thalia Hall creates part of the charm of Uppers and Downers, one of the top festivals showcasing the versatility of coffee. Moving to a Sunday for the first time since the inaugural event, the day change didn’t impact the crowd size as once again beer and coffee lovers alike packed the Pilsen music venue for two sessions of coffee beers, cocktails, and more.
Beer News | Untappd Acquires BeerAdvocate, KBS Goes Year-Round & More
February 24, 2020 | Tristan Chan
Every so often, when beer news abounds, we’ll get you caught up on some of the country’s biggest stories in beer. Today just happened to be one of those days … Read More
Imperial Oak Brewing Buys Brixie’s | Second Brewpub Coming Soon
February 11, 2020 | Mathew Powers
Suburban Chicago’s Imperial Oak Brewing will celebrate its 6th anniversary this May, and that will be the last one as a single-location brewery. Imperial Oak will open a second location about ten miles north of its current taproom this summer; the brewery purchased Brixie’s Craft Beer Bar, a family-run bar that first opened in 1934.
Imperial Oak (Willow Springs) joins several other of Chicago’s west- and south-suburban breweries that opened in a roughly fifteen-month stretch from late 2013 though early 2015 in expanding, and in the process have grow into name-brands. Imperial Oak, Hailstorm, Pollyanna, Noon Whistle, and Werk Force have all expanded their original spaces, and some are now adding second and third locations.
Sierra Nevada Continues Partnership with Bitburger Brewery
February 10, 2020 | Taylor Laabs
Collaborations are commonplace across the craft beer industry, but collaborations that bring together breweries from across oceans are special. Back in 2015, Sierra Nevada started its popular annual tradition of collaborating with a German brewery on a traditional Festbier made available across the U.S. The 2019 Festbier came as part of a collaboration with the historic, family-run Bitburger Brewery. Now, the two are back at again with a new collaboration set to release in March: Triple Hop’d Lager.
Costa Rica & Panama Join Forces to Host Indie Beer Cup
February 6, 2020 | Miguel Rivas
The fourth edition of the Indie Beer Cup will be held in Central America in the beautiful Costa Rica and vibrant Panamá City. This particular competition stands out amongst various events because it’s designed exclusively for independent brewers on an international scope.
Event Preview | 2020 Uppers & Downers
February 6, 2020 | Mike Zoller
What started out as a beer festival for coffee beers has evolved into a full-blown celebration of coffee and all the unique ways it can be used in a wide variety of liquids.
After yet another successful event last year, Good Beer Hunting’s Uppers and Downers returns to Thalia Hall on February 23 with two sessions bringing together some of the most iconic coffee roasters, breweries, and distilleries under one roof.
Allagash Brewing Goes Local with First Organic Ale
January 27, 2020 | Taylor Laabs
From the scenic beer labels and vibrant Instagram posts to the comfortable taproom and flannel merchandise, it’s clear that Maine’s Allagash Brewing Company is fiercely passionate about its city (Portland) and state (Maine). The brewery has become one of the most revered craft beer brands thanks to their thoughtful brewing work, focus on local ingredients and excellent beers. So, when Allagash announced the unveiling of their first-ever certified-organic beer, CrossPath, the industry took notice. While Allagash has brewed with locally-sourced organic ingredients for years, the 100% organic CrossPath represents a true celebration of the Maine-based businesses they routinely source ingredients from.
Inside Revolution Brewing’s Barrel Program Ahead of Cuvée De Grâce & Ten Year Beer
January 22, 2020 | Mike Zoller
From late September through the end of February Revolution Brewing’s Marty Scott has one thing on his mind – barrel-aged beer. As the brewery’s Barrel Program Lead, he’s been … Read More
The PorchCast Ep 67 | John Holl: Drink Beer, Think Beer
January 16, 2020 | Tristan Chan
In episode 67 of the PorchCast, Tristan, Sami, and Sam sat down with John Holl, esteemed beer journalist who has recently launched two incredible resources for beer fanatics in The Beer Edge newsletter for beer professionals with fellow journalist Andy Crouch, as well as the Drink Beer Think Beer Podcast, where he speaks one-on-one with some of the beer industries leading luminaries, much like we do here on The PorchCast.
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Denver Beer Company to Open Taproom and Brewery in South Denver
January 14, 2020 | Scott Davidson
Denver Beer Company is tripling down on their namesake location by announcing today that the brewery will open their third location off South Downing Street in the Platt Park neighborhood … Read More
Boulder Beer Company Announces Sale and Closure of Brewpub
January 6, 2020 | Tristan Chan
It has been a dramatic and tumultuous three months for Boulder Beer Company, to say the least. In October 2019, Colorado’s first craft brewery announced that it would end outside … Read More
Boulder’s Wild Woods Brewery Announces Upcoming Closure
January 3, 2020 | Tristan Chan
Boulder’s first nano-brewery with a taproom, Wild Woods Brewery has announced this morning via their social media channels that they have decided to close the brewery after Saturday, January 11 … Read More
Russian River’s Pliny the Younger Going into Bottles For the First Time
December 24, 2019 | Tristan Chan
Christmas has come early for fans of Russian River Brewing’s wildly hyped Pliny the Younger Triple IPA. Last night as beer fans around the world were hanging their stockings with … Read More
The PorchCast Ep 66 | Bests of 2019 w/ Shawnee Adelson & Traci Wilcox
December 20, 2019 | Tristan Chan
In episode 66 of the PorchCast, Tristan, Sami and Hunter sat down with Shawnee Adelson, Executive Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild and Traci Wilcox, CEO of OnTap Credit Union … Read More
Our Favorite Chicago and Midwestern Beers from 2019
December 20, 2019 | Mike Zoller
As another year comes to a close, we’d like to look back at the past 12 months on some of our favorite beers we had that came out of Midwest breweries.
With the number of breweries increasing, it becomes harder and harder to narrow down a list, but we have a handful of Midwest writers who contributed their favorite beers of 2019.
Inside Samuel Adams Utopias
December 18, 2019 | Mike Zoller
Every two years, Samuel Adams releases a beer, in an uniquely-shaped and expensive bottle, that tastes like nothing you’ve ever had before. Utopias has the highest naturally fermenting ABV at 28% and while it can best be described as a port or cognac, it is indeed a beer.
A New Business in Bubbles | Schlafly Beer Unveils New Mead Spritzer
December 12, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Craft beer’s shift into alternative beverages has been one of the biggest trends of 2019. The most notable addition to many brewing portfolios has been spiked seltzer, which appeals to a new subset of drinkers, expanding the brewery’s revenue stream in the process. Craft breweries rolling out new spiked seltzer lines doesn’t generate the same type of headlines it did earlier this year, but mead spritzer? That’s a different story entirely. With many brewers zigging into seltzer, St. Louis-based Schlafly Beer has decided to zag, unveiling Boomerang Mead Spritzer, a new-age beverage that amplifies Schafly’s desire to differentiate themselves from the brewing competition. To learn more about what inspired Schlafly to delve into mead spritzer, we asked Schlafly Lead Brewer Jared Williamson.
Toppling Goliath Takes on Colorado’s Giant Craft Beer Market
December 12, 2019 | Scott Davidson
Toppling Goliath Brewing Company announced that the brewery is partnering Crooked Stave Artisans out of Denver, Colorado to distribute staples like King Sue, Pseudo Sue, and Pompeii, as well as limited portfolio of barrel aged beers.
Crooked Stave Closing RiNo Taproom & Re-Opening Sunnyside Location
December 11, 2019 | Tristan Chan 1
As one of Denver’s earliest breweries in craft beer’s early 2000’s resurgence, Crooked Stave has already undergone its fair share of change. Today, one of the country’s pioneers in mixed … Read More
How a Legal Loophole Inspired Two Colorado Brewers to Create a Unique Beer
December 11, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Good things come to those who wait, right? That’s the case for Colorado beer drinkers, who got a chance recently to buy Where I Live, a mixed culture dark sour beer created in collaboration between two of Colorado’s most esteemed brewers: New Belgium Brewing Co. and TRVE Brewing. Made with 100% Colorado-made malt and lavender, Where I Live is unique both in composition and inspiration. The brewers first discussed making this beer during the 2016 GABF, but it wasn’t possible due to regulations that prohibited brewer-to-brewery tax-free transfers of ‘finished’ beer. As fate would have it, a legal loophole that popped up in passed legislation one year later made the blending collaboration possible and Where I Live became a reality. To learn more about how this beer came to be, we asked Andrew Emerton, New Belgium’s Specialty Brand Manager.
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