Fantasy Football Recap | Week 7

We joined the first bunch of byes in Week 6, and we came back to more than a handful of teams resting up in Week 7. Many of those teams had fantasy rockstars in lineups across the globe, so players were left scrambling on how to replace them for the week. Usual studs like Dalvin Cook, Josh Allen and rookie-sensation Najee Harris all were among players inactive last week. Jacksonville and the LA Chargers took a break, too. Try to replace players for a week or simply stack the deck and take a week essentially off while not having to worry about others? That’s the gamble. Now, let’s see if it paid off.

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Fantasy Football Recap | Week 5

Quarterbacks are often thought to be the most important position on the field in the NFL. Look at draft classes, MVP Awards and contracts. Love it or hate it, that’s typically how “real football” works. Fantasy Football usually plays by those rules but not always. In Week 5 of the 2021 NFL season, though, it was a Quarterback’s world. Justin Herbert, Josh Allen (with a hurdle) and Lamar Jackson absolutely painted the sky with fireworks throughout the weekend and into Monday Night Football. There were some outliers like Mark Andrews, Austin Ekeler and Johnathan Taylor, sure, but the majority of the weekend what the hell’s are due to stellar quarterback play. Anyway, they get enough praise as is. Let’s get to it.

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Anniversary of Homebrew Legalization | October 14

Raise a glass and be thankful, for October 14 is the anniversary of homebrew legalization! In what arguably launched the craft beer movement, President Jimmy Carter signed HR1337 on October 14, 1978, allowing adults to annually brew up to 100 gallons of beer. Read More

Fantasy Football Recap | Week 4

We’re back! Week 4 of the NFL season is in the books, but oh wow was there some drama that came along with it. Thursday Night Football showed the world that Joe Burrow really is That Dude for the Bengals as he led a game-winning drive to send the Jaguars to 0-4. Sunday featured some late game antics in several matchups. The Atlanta Falcons did what they do best in blowing leads, while Saquon Barkley looked like himself before the injury against Kamara and the New Orleans Saints. Mahomes casually threw 5 TDs, and Kyler Murray and the Cardinals almost doubled up the Los Angeles Rams. Of course, there was a homecoming, too, as Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs marched into Foxborough and got a W against Belichick. Read More

Anchorage Brewing Adds Innovative Wood Coolship

Anchorage Brewing in Alaska’s most populous city has been known for its sour and mixed-fermentation beers since opening in 2010, and will soon be adding a new layer to its sour program: a 14 bbl coolship on the rooftop deck of its new expansion. While a new coolship at an American craft brewery is noteworthy on its own, this one is even more unique in being the first all-wood coolship in commercial operation. It was made by Foeder Crafters in St. Louis, Missouri.

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An Ode to the Fall-Time Classic | The Pumpkin Beer

Every Midwesterner is familiar with the ritual. A stiff, cool breeze pushes through the air, alerting you to the change in seasons. A familiar crunch of dying foliage and an ominous whiff of bonfire – or maybe it’s grill smoke from the tailgate – fill the senses. The squirrels start moving a bit slower and look a bit rounder.  Maybe today I’ll get a hot coffee. Maybe this morning is the time to pull out the sweatshirt from its slumber. It’s time for Fall and everything it has in store. Fall is objectively my favorite time for seasonal beers. You get Oktoberfests, Wet Hop IPAs and more – you also get a heavy dose of pumpkin beers. While the Oktoberfest style might have the most celebrated history, the pumpkin ale has a unique story as well, and the booming seasonal style doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. 

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PorchDrinking Fantasy Football Recap | Week 3

Week 3 felt like it was one of the more “expected” weeks of the season. You never really know what’s going to happen in Fantasy Football, but for the most part, a lot of stars with tough matchups were kept in check, looking at you Scary Terry and, well, all of the Chicago Bears. A few fantasy managers kept their dream of perfection alive, while others, (a.k.a. me) are still searching for a W on the year. Them’s the breaks, I guess. Oh, and one more thing before we move on. Justin. Tucker. How in the hell did he do that?! An NFL Record 66-Yard Game-Winning Field Goal. Seriously. WHAT? Read More

Brew Your Story | A National Beer Collaboration

Oak Park Brewing Co. wants to help to tell the stories of black-owned breweries. On September 21, they announced a national beer collaboration to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Peoples Beer, one of the nation’s first Black-owned breweries.

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PorchDrinking Fantasy Football Recap | Week 2

Week 2 of the NFL season brought us a myriad of entertaining games, comebacks and unfortunate losses. Looking at you, my poor, poor pitiful Falcons. What the hell was that? Seriously. A lot of the expected stars shined bright while others have yet to show up. Josh Allen and the Bills lit up the scoreboard while underwhelming the fantasy score sheet. Sunday Night Football featured the Kansas City Chiefs visiting Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens and was one of the best football games, at any level, in recent memory. Whether you’re celebrating a W or staring at another L, just know we’re here with you. Grab a beer and see how our matchups went down this week.

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PorchDrinking Fantasy Football Recap | Week 1

It’s the best time of the year, no doubt. Fall brings in cooler temperatures, a ton of specialty beer releases and football season. In an effort to talk about both great beers and football season, twelve of us at PorchDrinking joined up to play a season for a little camaraderie and competition. Regardless of your wins or woes, you’ll have friends here all season long to cheer on or watch as seasons crumble for some due to injuries or bad luck. Either way, we’re gonna have a good time or at least, some good beers. Read More

Craft Beer News | Firestone Walker Mind Haze Tropical Haze Mixed Pack

Surely there are other people besides myself who are cherishing the last few days of summer, right? Fall has a lot to look forward to–football weekends and holidays–but Firestone Walker Brewing Co. just made quite the splash with a new release mixed pack that has enough vacation-vibe and tropical flavors to keep us celebrating summer well into the autumn season. Read More

New Belgium Brewing Interview | The Carbon Neutral Toolkit

One year after making Fat Tire the first certified carbon neutral beer in the United States, New Belgium Brewing is releasing a Carbon Neutral Toolkit, available on their website, DrinkSustainably.com. With the toolkit, breweries can educate themselves on climate change, learn what outputs they need to track and use the toolkit’s spreadsheet for recording. Additionally, in April, New Belgium released Torched Earth Ale, a beer made of ingredients they believed “would be available in a climate-ravage future.”

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Cerebral Brewing Announces Second Taproom and Brewery in Aurora

When Cerebral Brewing first opened its doors nearly six years ago, we wrote nostalgically about the charm of a promising young brewery that was willing to take a gamble as the lone brewery to join one of the most iconic … Read More

Deschutes Brewing Goes the Extra Mile with Brooks Running Partnership

How do you measure the success of your run? In calories burned, miles ran… or beers you’re able to consume afterwards? Many brewers and drink companies have leaned into that third category by making better for you NA-beers, light ABV options with salt and electrolytes, or even sponsoring races and marathons. The fitness drinker group is certainly a growing category, which is why Deschutes Brewing has decided to partner with one of the predominant running companies in the world, Brooks Running, on a new beer and merchandise line. The new, running-inspired “Run Hoppy” partnership updates Brooks’ “Run Happy” tagline with a playful nod to Deschutes’ IPA line and is sure to excite both runners and beer drinkers alike thanks to the corresponding launch of the Run Hoppy Golden IPA and a bevy of Run Hoppy merchandise, including an awesome new collectible Brooks Ghost 14 running shoe. Here are the details. 

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Revolution Brewing’s Hazy Hero Heads to Sweden

Chicago’s Revolution Brewing is a constant presence on local shelves, with an ever-growing national footprint as well. The brewery’s well-crafted lineup of ‘Hero’ IPAs and Deep Wood barrel-aged beers competes well in the ever-competitive American craft beer market, but the immense competition among breweries and changing tastes of consumers has made the market more unpredictable than ever. Like any smart business, Revolution looked for new markets – and mouths – to sell their beer and struck gold in Sweden. Soon, Revolution’s Hazy Hero IPA will be available in 450 stores across the Scandinavian country. Here’s how the unique partnership came to be.

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Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale Turns 25

Not many beers brewed in the US have an origin story that equals Firestone Walker’s Double Barrel Ale, aka DBA. So when Adam Firestone and David Walker, two brothers-in-law, set out to brew this beer in 1996, it was safe to say they were not just forging their own path. Instead, they were envisioning a new concept.

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Firestone Walker Crafted Thru Hops with Propagator Series

As a person who loves choices in food and drink, I am always elated when I see breweries come out with mixed packs. Two of my favorite things in this world are tapas restaurants and create your own six packs at beer bars. Therefore, when Firestone Walker came out with another Crafted Thru Hops mixed pack featuring the Propagator Series with Strata Hops, I had to get my hands on it.

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Hi-Wire Brewing to Open Louisville Location

Hi-Wire Brewing of Asheville, North Carolina, is opening its sixth location in Louisville, Kentucky next week. This will be their second taproom outside of North Carolina, and the first out-of-state brewery with facilities in Kentucky.

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Book Showcase | Modern British Beer

Most craft beer enthusiasts in the U.S. respected and enjoyed English beer a generation ago. The American craft beer revolution itself was in many ways based on traditional British beer styles. As the scene created its own identity, and a younger generation came aboard, the British presence took a back seat. This was coincidentally during a lull for beer in England. A lot has changed since then, and it’s time to revisit this nation that is so integral to beer. Read More

Hidden Hand Brewery Operates Within Another Brewery | Both are Thriving

Illinois’ Solemn Oath Brewery is ambitious. Founded in Naperville, the brewery continues to grow its presence through well-crafted IPAs and GABF medal-winning beers like their prestigious Lu Kolsch. Part of that strategic growth was opening up a secondary taproom in the brewery-filled Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. The latest strategic venture is the establishment of their Hidden Hand Brewery operation, which exclusively brews IPAs and DIPAs inside the four walls of the larger Solemn Oath operation.

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