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Craft Beer News

PorchDrinking brings you the breaking in craft beer news.

GABF Spotlight | The Best Pacific Northwest Beers

September 27, 2019 |

Going to the Great American Beer Festival, or GABF, is like going to another giant establishment with  four letters: IKEA. If you don’t have a plan, things are going to turn out ugly. You end up with a shopping cart/stomach full of things you didn’t need, and because of your inability to resist the siren’s call you’re going to cover your home with all sorts of terrible colors.

Here at PorchDrinking.com we’re playing the Jedi to your beer Padawan, guiding you through the overwhelming forest of malts to beer nirvana. Our experts have selected a few noteworthy beers from their region that you need to seek out. So make a list, stick to the plan and do not be distracted by the beautiful celebrities. Here are seven great beers to try, all hailing from the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

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Drinking Through the 2019 Surly Darkness Barrel-Aged Variants

September 27, 2019 |

For the second year in a row, Surly Brewing Co. will be releasing a series of barrel-aged variants of their popular Russian Imperial Stout, Darkness. The different barrel and adjunct beers were released at Darkness Day last year and will follow suit this year.

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GABF Spotlight | The Best Chicagoland Beers

September 26, 2019 |

There will be more than 4,000 beers poured at this year’s Great American Beer Festival. It is impossible to try every beer there, it would even be a feat if you tried 3% of all the beers being poured at the event.

I went through the pour list of every Illinois brewery pouring at GABF this year and picked out a handful of beers that if you’re not from the state, should be on your list to try. Keep in mind that pour lists do change and so I’m going off of what is available on the festival’s website. I’ll also give you an honorable mention beer from each brewery that may not be the most hyped up beer they have, but it’s still worth trying.

Also, know that a lot of breweries submit beer for judging but don’t make the trip out to Denver to pour their beer. So if you saw that your favorite brewery sent beer to GABF, it doesn’t mean that they are actually going to be there for you to try. Read More

Craft Beer Industry Contributed Nearly $80 Billion to US Economy in 2018

September 25, 2019 |

The craft beer industry made its mark on the U.S. economy according to the 2018 Economic Impact Report released earlier today by the Brewers Association.

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Chicago Quick Sips | September 25 Chicago Beer News & Events

September 25, 2019 |

Quick Sips is our way of highlighting beer events, tap takeovers and other notable beer news around the city of Chicago. If you’d like to submit something to be included in the next Quick Sips, please email us at [email protected].

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Off Color Brewing to Add Cans to its Diverse Packaging Portfolio

September 19, 2019 |

Off Color Brewing has built its vibrant niche in the brewing community by doing things differently. Known for experimentation in its wide array of curious beers – and sake – the Chicago brewing destination is also familiar with experiments in packaging. Last year, Off Color brought the small-format 250ml bottle format to Chicago. Now, it’s joining a variety of its Chicago colleagues by announcing that its beer will soon be available in 16oz cans. Here are the details on Off Color’s recent packaging announcement, along with what Chicago beer drinkers should expect. 

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Perrin Brewing Co. Releases New IPA Inspired by Now-Canceled “Storm Area 51”

September 17, 2019 |

Brewing new beers to celebrate a local event or festival is not unusual in the craft brewing community. Michigan-based Perrin Brewing Company took that idea and flipped it on its head with their latest IPA: Storming The Gates Area 51 Experimental New England style IPA. Brewed in celebration of their 7th anniversary party, the new NE-style IPA is brewed to celebrate (or mourn) the now-canceled Storm Area 51 event that was supposed to take place on September 20, 2019. While that viral event is now no-more due to a myriad of practical and human safety issues, the IPA remains and has had many Michigan beer fans storming the gates of the brewpub this past week. 

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The World Lupulin Challenge | A New Hop-Forward Beer Competition Calls for Entries

September 12, 2019 |

The World Lupulin Challenge is a new competition born out of the desire to identify and recognize the best commercially brewed IPAs and Pale Ales. The Challenge will award gold, … Read More

Indeed Brewing Company’s New Taproom Now Open In Milwaukee

September 6, 2019 |

Indeed Brewing Company, home to Northeast Minneapolis’ original taproom, has officially completed its expansion farther east with the opening of its Milwaukee brewery and taproom.

On August 23, the brewery announced via social media the official soft opening for the new location on 530 S. 2nd St. in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood would take place on September 6. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. to celebrate the opening.

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Texas Craft Brewers Celebrate Beer-To-Go Day

August 31, 2019 |

On Sunday, September 1, Texans will finally have the opportunity to take beer home from their favorite craft brewery, which makes Texas the final state to allow take-home sales from a manufacturing brewery.

A brief history: Texas brewers have been fighting for reforms for more than a decade that would allow them the same benefits a winery, brewpub, or distillery enjoys — allowing visitors the ability to take home their product. Finally, during the 86th Legislative session, the law passed with a tremendous effort from the Texas Craft Brewers Guild, brewers and thousands of supporters.

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Revolution Brewing Adds Hazy IPA to Year-Round Lineup

August 30, 2019 |

One of Chicago’s most notable series of beers is getting a new year-round addition. Revolution Brewing’s Hero Series which features their iconic Anti-Hero is welcoming a hazy IPA, aptly named Hazy-Hero.

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BREAKING | Mahou San Miguel to Acquire Majority Stake in Founders Brewing

August 29, 2019 |

This morning, MiBiz is reporting that Grand Rapids-based Founders Brewing has increased its partnership with Spanish family-owned Mahou-San Miguel. What began as a minority 30% ownership agreement announced in December 2014, has been expanded to majority ownership of 90% of the company with Founders Brewing co-founders Dave Engbers and Mike Stevens each retaining a 5-percent stake in the brewery.

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On Tap Credit Union Debuts Pink Boots & CBG Charitable Debit Cards

August 27, 2019 |

This is a sponsored post on behalf of our friends at On Tap Credit Union

America’s craft beer revolution has been built by neighborhood breweries that sought to create a gathering place for locals to share in community. This notion of bringing people together, lending a hand to your neighbors and supporting local causes and businesses that work together to further a community is the bedrock of what On Tap Credit Union was founded upon.

On Tap Credit Union

Born from within the Colorado brewing industry, On Tap Credit Union continues its mission to support and provide financial assistance to breweries, beer industry friends and craft beer fans alike. And today, they have announced partnerships with the Pink Boots Society and the Colorado Brewers Guild, two organizations that in turn, also aim to further the advancement of diversity and community with Colorado craft beer.

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Chicago Quick Sips | Aug. 26 Chicago Beer News & Events

August 26, 2019 |

Quick Sips is our way of highlighting beer events, tap takeovers and other notable beer news around the city of Chicago. If you’d like to submit something to be included in the next Quick Sips, please email us at [email protected].

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Analyzing the Influx of European Brewers Canning Their Beers to Better Compete in the U.S.

August 22, 2019 |

The craft beer scene in the U.S. has been around for a relatively short period of time. Part of its rapid growth and success can be attributed to the industry’s willingness to evolve and contort itself to appeal to the ever-changing whims of today’s curious consumer. While hard seltzers and fruit-puree sours might be nothing more than a passing trend, one recent market shift seems to be here for the long haul: craft beer in cans. The benefits of cans are clear: they’re more transportable, better for the environment, and boast longer shelf life than their glass counterparts. A huge signal that the can trend is more of a foundational than fleeting trend in the U.S. is that century’s old European brewers are also augmenting their typically rigid perceptions of packaging to appeal to the American market. 

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Creature Comforts Set to Release First Core Offerings from Its Expanded Wood Cellar Program

August 19, 2019 |

Athens, GA-based Creature Comforts has quickly grown into a regional powerhouse thanks to its mix of tart and bright Berliner Weisses, movie-star endorsed IPAs and commitment to the local community. And, until now, only beer drinkers in Athens have been able to pick up some of Creature Comfort’s more exclusive, taproom-only offerings that highlight their work in barrel-aging and mixed fermentation.

Starting this week, Creature Comforts’ will release DaySpring, a Grisette made with local wheat from DaySpring Farms, and Common Things, a mixed fermentation Saison made with local honey from the University of Georgia’s Honey Bee Program, in both their tasting room and to their distribution footprint in 750-mL bottles.

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Goose Island Reveals 2019 Bourbon County Stout Lineup

August 14, 2019 | 4

After weeks of speculation and multiple labels filed to the TTB that didn’t quite make the cut, Goose Island has announced its 2019 Bourbon County Stout lineup. Like last year, there will be the original Bourbon County with seven variants, eight beers in total.

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Fast Facts on Revolution Brewing’s 2019 Deep Wood Series: Release Details, New Beers + More

August 13, 2019 |

It has been a busy summer for Revolution Brewing. Between their Midlife Crisis barrel-aged release and the hyped-up IPA collaboration with Hop Butcher coming later this week, Chicago’s largest independent brewer has made headlines during the hotter months. That being said, year three of Revolution’s acclaimed Deep Wood barrel-aged series is set to generate buzz among the beer-drinking community for the upcoming colder months thanks to its consistent release of new and old canned barrel-aged creations from October to January. The 2019-2020 roster includes five returning favorites and five new creations, all available in 4-packs of 12oz cans. Here is what you need to know. 

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Dayton Breweries Come Through Strong for Community

August 12, 2019 |

On the night of May 27, a powerful line of storms ripped across Indiana and Ohio. Numerous tornadoes caused considerable damage. The Miami Valley region of southwest Ohio, centered around the city of Dayton, was hit especially hard. Multiple tornadoes left parts of the city and surrounding communities in shambles. Lives were disrupted and families were displaced.

In the wake of the storms, countless area businesses and individuals came together to help those affected by the disaster. Dayton’s breweries were no exception.

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A Beer with Top Chef Winner Joe Flamm

August 8, 2019 |

No stranger to the Chicago culinary food scene, Spiaggia’s Executive Chef Joe Flamm, made a name for himself nationally after winning Top Chef in 2018.

Flamm was part of the original crew at Stephanie Izard’s Girl and the Goat in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood, he also worked with Bill Kim, known for his Asian-fusion restaurants in the city before landing at Tony Mantuano’s Spiaggia, a Michelin star restaurant.

Like many in the culinary industry, Flamm is a huge fan of Miller High Life. From his days as a line cook to now, it’s his beer of choice and has been apart of many of the biggest moments in his life.

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