Craft Beer News
PorchDrinking brings you the breaking in craft beer news.
Chicago Quick Sips | Aug. 26 Chicago Beer News & Events
August 26, 2019 | Mike Zoller
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].
Analyzing the Influx of European Brewers Canning Their Beers to Better Compete in the U.S.
August 22, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
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.
Creature Comforts Set to Release First Core Offerings from Its Expanded Wood Cellar Program
August 19, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
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.
Goose Island Reveals 2019 Bourbon County Stout Lineup
August 14, 2019 | Mike Zoller 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.
Fast Facts on Revolution Brewing’s 2019 Deep Wood Series: Release Details, New Beers + More
August 13, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
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.
Dayton Breweries Come Through Strong for Community
August 12, 2019 | David Nilsen
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.
A Beer with Top Chef Winner Joe Flamm
August 8, 2019 | Mike Zoller
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.
BREAKING | Anheuser-Busch Acquires Platform Beer Co.
August 7, 2019 | Tristan Chan
It has been two years since Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI) has added another brewery to its portfolio, but this morning, the world’s largest brewery conglomerate announced the acquisition of Platform Beer Co.
BREAKING | Odell Brewing Announces Venture into Winemaking
August 6, 2019 | Tristan Chan 1
Just two weeks ago, Odell Brewing made headlines when they announced the upcoming opening of a third brewery and taproom location in Denver’s Sloan’s Lake neighborhood slated to open by … Read More
2019 GABF Pour List | Here’s What Every Brewery is Pouring at GABF
July 31, 2019 | Tristan Chan 2
For years, the folks at the Brewers Association have tightly guarded their pour list for the Great American Beer Festival, opting not to release that list until the week of … Read More
Breaking Down 2019 GABF Newcomers & Missing Breweries
July 30, 2019 | Tristan Chan
Each year one of the most exciting aspects of the Great American Beer Festival is the ability to explore and sample some of the country’s best new breweries that have emerged on the scene. Additionally, it can be equally as rewarding to revisit some familiar faces you may only get to try once each year at the country’s largest beer showcase. However, with the evolving landscape of craft beer, and varying priorities, we also tend to lose some familiar friends. As we’ve done each year, we’ve broken down the new / returning breweries as well as those who sadly aren’t coming back for this year’s Great American Beer Festival.
Can Out of State Breweries Succeed in Chicago?
July 29, 2019 | Mike Zoller
In June, I made the trip to New Glarus Brewing to visit the iconic Wisconsin-only brewery that’s coveted all over the midwest. While there, I overheard two guys talking about how they wish New Glarus distributed to Illinois and so they could buy it all the time. But would they?
Odell Brewing Opening Third Location in Denver’s Sloan’s Lake Neighborhood
July 26, 2019 | Tristan Chan
While other national breweries continue to eye auxiliary production facilities and brewhouses in other markets, Odell Brewing has found a winning recipe by doubling down in the own backyard. Just nearly a year after opening their second taproom and brewery location in Denver’s River North Art District, the Fort Collins-based brewery, which this year celebrates its 30th anniversary, has announced that it will be opening up a third location in Denver’s Sloan’s Lake neighborhood.
Presidential Hopeful John Hickenlooper Calls on Beer Fans for Support
July 23, 2019 | Tristan Chan
He was the first Governor to install a draft system in the Governor’s Mansion, and now John Hickenlooper is tapping in craft beer’s fan base in hopes of jump-starting his … Read More
Revolution’s Midlife Crisis Barleywine Brings the Heat
July 22, 2019 | Taylor Laabs
Hot or cold, Revolution Brewing sure knows how to throw a release party. Hundreds of barrel-aged fanatics, myself included, made their seasonal pilgrimage to Revolution’s Kedzie taproom for the latest Deep Wood release. This series has quickly grown to national acclaim thanks to its bold portfolio of Barleywines, Barrel-Aged Stouts and adventurously-boozy experiments like last year’s Code Switch, a Barrel-Aged Imperial Ale made with blackberries.
Many people associate Deep Wood beers with huge parkas, plunging temperatures and bitter Chicago winters given its annual winter release cadence. Boozy beers that push ABV limits typically go well with sub-zero winter nights. But Revolution’s Midlife Crisis Barleywine release had none of the expected barrel-aged beer release trimmings. Coats were swapped for tanktops, boots for flip flops, and freezing temps for 100 degrees and brutal humidity.Â
Bell’s Oberon Ale Label Gets New Look to Close Out Summer
July 16, 2019 | Tristan Chan
One of the country’s most iconic beer brands, Bell’s Oberon is getting a slightly updated look to close out the summer. This morning, Bell’s Brewery announced that it will introduce a short run special edition label to run through the end of August.
CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective Continues to Disrupt
July 9, 2019 | Max Sundermeyer
In 2015, the CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective was born out of Oskar Blues Holding Company in what began as a financial partnership with Fireman Capital Partners, a Boston area private equity firm. The Collective brought together a group of like-minded brewers who still maintain their independence under the Brewers Association’s definition of a small and independent brewery, but have also become part of a unified entity that has allowed for greater collaboration of ideas, resources and distribution networks. Just two months after the formation of CANarchy, Oskar Blues brought Michigan’s Perrin Brewing Company to the fold and have since added four others.
Chicago Quick Sips | July 8 Chicago Beer News & Events
July 8, 2019 | Mathew Powers
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].
A few of the featured events occurring from July 8 – 21 are listed here. Enjoy.
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Revolution Brewing to Release Two Barleywines in July
July 8, 2019 | Mike Zoller
Big Stouts and Barleywines are typically released in the fall and winter. The cold and sometimes downright freezing temperatures create a perfect atmosphere to drink beers that are more than 12% ABV. So naturally, when Revolution Brewing announced that two big English Barleywines are getting released in mid-July, it turned heads.
Minnesota Legislature Stems Future Growler Sales for Breweries
July 2, 2019 | Max Sundermeyer
The ability to sell growlers in the future looks bleak for some Minnesota breweries as a critical piece of legislation failed to move forward in the Minnesota Senate this year.
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