Recapping 2018 GABF’s Best Beers and Emerging Breweries

America’s largest beer festival has come to a close once again. After a week fueled by obscene amounts of beer, even greater volumes of caffeine, and the occasional Illegal Pete’s burrito, we’ve emerged once again from the clutches of the Great American Beer Festival, with an entirely new perspective on the newest crop of talent in craft beer.

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What We’re Drinking | September 28, 2018

As the season is trying its hardest not to let fall happen, I am soaking up all the sunshine I can! The leaves are changing colors, littering the grounds; the sun is going to bed earlier, and the moon — I mean… it’s been bright and huge, I love it! I personally love fall and it doesn’t mean the end of porch drinking weather. So bundle up, light the firepit, and see What We’re Drinking.

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Brewery Showcase | The Booth Brewery

The Booth Brewery, originally based in Korea, is taking it global.

The Booth Brewery has recently expanded to the U.S., with a brewery in Eureka, California. They purchased the 30-barrel brewing facility from Lost Coast Brewing, who recently expanded to a new location. The new facility is up and running, and The Booth has set a goal of producing 10,000 barrels in the next year. This will include both U.S. distribution and Korean exports.

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Last Minute Liquor Store Luck Leads to GABF Gold for Ska Brewing

It’s a week later, and if you’re still recovering from the Great American Beer Festival and its peripheral festivities, you’re in good company. But with so many Oktoberfest events coming this weekend, there’s most certainly no rest for the wicked. On the other end of the spectrum, the breweries that went home with gold, silver and bronze hardware are still basking in the warm glow of victory.

For every medal, there’s a story, and the last-minute drama that accompanied Ska Brewing and their gold medal win for Oktoberfest in the Vienna-Style Lager category this year is definitely no exception.

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Event Recap | Here’s How We Survived GABF

Going to the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in Denver, Colorado is an incredibly exciting experience. However, it can also be cruel and unrelenting if you are not prepared for it. The opportunity to sample rare and specialty beer from across the country is a dream for craft beer enthusiasts. But just like any good dream, it also has the ability to turn into a nightmare. Here is my survival guide to ensure you get the best experience out of your time next year. Trust me, I survived all four sessions from September 20 -22. Read More

Book Review & Interview | Brewing Eclectic IPA

While India Pale Ale has more sub-styles than perhaps any other family of beers, most of them are minor deviations from a central theme. When we order an IPA, we usually expect a lot of hops (though how that presents on the palate has morphed somewhat in recent years), not a whole lot of malt, unobtrusive yeast and not much else. Industry vet Dick Cantwell thinks the style has plenty more room for creativity than that simple formula, however. In Brewing Eclectic IPA: Pushing the Boundaries of India Pale Ale, the Magnolia Brewing chief and former Elysian Brewing brewmaster opens up a world of possibilities for craft beer’s most popular style.

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Event Recap | The 2018 GABF Jameson Caskmates Brewery Partner Program

Some argued that the Jameson Whiskey presence at GABF may at first seem almost hypocritical, given the Brewers Association stance on companies such as Anheuser Busch InBev (ABI). As a writer who full-time covers both spirits and beer, I can confidently argue that one should never confuse the two industries. As liquids, they may be similar. They are not industry siblings, however, but instead distant cousins. Moreover, whereas companies like ABI seek to confuse the marketplace, actively targeting craft beer drinkers and even paying fines for unfair practices, Jameson has never hidden from its name and the distillery consistently champions and collaborates with craft breweries, both in the U.S. and Ireland.

(For my short commentary on Jameson and the spirits industry—vs. the beer industry—see the two paragraphs at the bottom of the story.)
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Moonraker Brewing | Holy Hermit

Located in the heart of California’s Gold Rush county, Moonraker Brewing Company sits in an unassuming business park in the City of Auburn, a mere 700′ from neighboring Knee Deep Brewing.

Walking in their front door, it seems like you might not be in the right spot. No bar, no taps anywhere to be found. However, as you make your way towards the back, the space opens up into a large indoor/outdoor area, that screams beer hall. It also has a few small rooms that give it a bit of a “loungey” feel.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | September 26, 2018

The Denver Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, etc.
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From Bine to Glass: Going Inside This Year’s Yakima Hop Harvest

Come for a drive with me. It will only take two hours or so. We’re leaving Seattle – taking I-90 out of town, going east. Within half an hour or so we’ll hit the majestic Cascade Mountains – one of the countries’ most expansive ranges, stretching from Northern California all the way into Canada. It’s home to some pretty famous volcanoes – Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens if we’re naming names. But we’re not stopping in the Cascades. We are pushing onward, for another hour, until we cross into Eastern Washington. It’s a vastly different landscape than the wet, lush, rainforest on the other side of the state. Here it’s dry, arid and almost desert-like. A beauty that’s starkly different, but no less beautiful, than the Cascades that we’ve just driven through. Within a few minutes, we’ll hit Yakima – our final destination. Why are we going to Yakima, you ask? It’s an obvious answer this time of year: It’s hop harvest. Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | September 26 – October 2

The Atlanta Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings and more!

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New Belgium & Knob Creek Release Oakspire Bourbon-Inspired Ale

It’s bourbon barrel-aged season and when you hear those words you’d tend to think stout. New Belgium’s new Oakspire, brewed in collaboration with Knob Creek, brings you the bourbon characteristics in an ale.

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Urban Chestnut Gets Its Circus On for Oktoberfest St Louis 2018

Urban Chestnut Brewing Company’s annual Oktoberfest St. Louis returns for its eighth year on Friday, September 28 through Sunday, September 30 at its Midtown Brewery & Biergarten. The festival will span three full days, but with a brand new theme “Biergarten to Big Top” and other new surprises.

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Hailstorm Brewing & Arrowhead Ales | Hopsecco Brut IPA

As fast as the IPA flooded the craft beer world, the variations have followed at a torrid pace. From the New England IPA to the Milkshake IPA, the Brut IPA is now gaining traction as the style continues to evolve.

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Chuck’s Hop Shop’s General Manager Dishes on Seattle’s Craft Beer Scene

If you love Seattle’s craft beer scene, you love Chuck’s Hop Shop—it’s as simple as that. Chuck’s Hop Shop, which has two locations in the Emerald City, has gained a reputation for being the fan-favorite, no-frills watering hole and bottle shop for craft beer fanatics. It’s where you go for an incredible and ever-rotating selection with dozens of beers on tap and hundreds of bottles available to go as well as knowledgeable and approachable bartenders that are eager to give recommendations on what brews simply cannot be missed. As a result, Chuck’s has cemented itself as a pillar of the Pacific Northwest craft community in the four years since its founding.

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North By Northwest Brewery | Zombie Dragon IPA

Davis Tucker is one of the OGs of the Austin craft beer scene, originally brewing the Pecan Street Lager through a contract brewing arrangement with Shiner back in the late 1980s. He went on to open the original Copper Tank Brewery, but left that partnership shortly after, “I knew pretty quickly that I wanted to go out on my own,” he said. In September of 1999 he established North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery (NXNW) and it remains the longest standing brewpubs in the city.

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GABF Awards Results | Who Won Big at the 2018 GABF

The 2018 Great American Beer Festival has crowned their newest batch of champions and standouts. This year, the competition portion of GABF saw 8,800 entries from 2,450 breweries across the country, not to mention an additional 105 Pro-Am entries. 

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2018 Great American Beer Fest: Standouts and Recap from Day One

The 37th Annual Great American Beer Festival has finally arrived and for longtime attendee’s this year’s fest likely has a different feel. Throughout the festival’s storied history and ascension to become the country’s largest beer festival, it has evolved and adapted the country’s changing landscape and this year was no different.

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What We’re Drinking | September 20, 2018

In the 30 hours prior to writing this post, I have spent three hours at the gym, 16 hours at work and zero hours in bed. The first head-cold of the year is invading my body, and I’m sitting here typing on autopilot. My stream of consciousness has not yet devolved into an ejaculation of grammarless nonsense words. It’s honestly a mystery how I’m managing to function at all. At least cheeseburger beautiful microscope running jump laundry! Crap. Brain… failing… This is What We’re Drinking.
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Stormalong | Red Skies at Night

There’s an old saying: “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor’s warning.” I’m no sailor, but Red Skies at Night is certainly still a delight. As for Red Sky in the Morning? I haven’t tried that one yet (probably because it doesn’t exist). Red Skies at Night is one of Stormalong’s newest releases. Hailing from Sherborn, MA, Stormalong is rooted in a historic town when it comes to cider. Sherborn was home to the largest refined cider mill in the world in the late 1800s. With such a rich history in cider, it’s only fitting that Stormalong calls this place their home. As a Massachusetts native, I feel grateful to be near such excellent breweries and cideries. Stormalong earns a spot on that list.

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