The PorchCast | Ep 50 Collaboration Fest 2018

In episode 50 of the PorchCast Tristan, and Hunter broadcasted at Alamo Drafthouse Sloan’s Lake and were joined by Keanan Stoner of Two Parts, the organizers for the 5th Annual Collaboration Festival, taking place this Saturday, March 31, 2018, at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado.

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Trendy Fad or Innovation in Beer? Inside the Curious Case for Hazy IPAs

The craft beer movement in the US has forever changed the definition of beer. The grapefruit and pine flavors of the cascade hop catalyzed a revolution in the late 1970’s that couldn’t be stopped. Brewers revived old styles, improved on current styles, and created entirely new ones at an astonishing speed.

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When Craft Breweries Bite Back | Summit Brewing’s Unique Approach to its UnTappd Reviews

The growth of craft beer and social media have followed somewhat similar trajectories. Both have become dominant forces in the day-to-day lives of many Americans, and both have become intertwined – for better or for worse. In its best sense, the availability of social media allows craft brewers to connect with their patrons and for beer lovers to socialize and discuss with one another, expanding their passion and knowledge of the industry. In the worse sense, social media platforms like Twitter and Untappd offer anonymous critics a vehicle through which to hurl insults, often unwarranted, at breweries.

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Prospect Ciderworks | Sidro

For some, cider season begins when the leaves start to turn and ends when the snow starts to fall. For me, cider season is year-round. There are so many variations and beer blends that I’m continuously discovering and have yet to try – and Sidro, that’s your queue.

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2018 Collaboration Fest Ticket Giveaway & Brew Days Photoblog

The 5th Annual Collaboration Beer Festival returns this Saturday, March 31st to be exact! With over 200 breweries from 42 states and six countries descending upon the Hyatt Recency, we … Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | March 28, 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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Ultimate 6er | Loveland Staples

Colorado is synonymous with countless things: skiing, white water rafting, legalized marijuana, green chili, and, of course, craft beer. With the genesis of the movement often attributed to New Belgium and Odell Brewing in Fort Collins, alongside the well-known names coming out of Denver and Boulder, it’s easy to see how the other locales can be lost in the fold. Loveland, Colorado sits roughly 20 minutes south of Fort Collins, and about an hour North from both Denver and Boulder. While smaller in terms of brewery offerings (roughly six), these establishments sure know how to pack a punch. If you’re in town, here are the six beers you should ensure you get a taste of before you leave.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | March 28, 2018

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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Ska Brewing | Rue B. Soho

Back in January, Ska Brewing released Rue B. Soho, a grapefruit lager that marks the brewery’s first release in 2018 that’s now available in all of Ska’s markets. For me, it’s a crushable beer that hearkens back to time of care-free nights and rowdy music; a time where your ticket stubs were a badge of honor and wearing the band’s t-shirt to a concert was so passé.

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6,266 American Craft Breweries in Operation Combine for Market Growth

Craft Beer’s continued quest to gain market share over Big Beer saw some strides in 2017. The Brewers Association, the craft beer industry’s national not-for-profit trade organization, released a look back on high-level trends for craft beer in 2017 this morning. The most notable of which, includes the fact that America now boasts a record 6,266 breweries in operation.

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Pelican Brewing Company | Beak Bender

Now, don’t get me wrong—I understand that everyone is different. That said, we’re all human and there are a handful of things that are guaranteed to make anyone’s day. Take, for example, a yawn-inducing work meeting being cancelled, a spectacular cup of coffee, running into a puppy on the street, and, perhaps best of all, one of your favorite breweries adding a beer onto their year-round line-up. Queue Pelican Brewing Company and the Beak Bender, a hoppinated India Pale Ale that is now available year-round. You’ll want to get familiar with this one—trust me. Read More

Half Acre Beer Company Expands its Creative Studio – Here’s Why

Half Acre Beer Company has always pushed boundaries with their beers. Whether it’s experimenting with their hops or sourcing exotic ingredients, the folks at Half Acre are well aware that what ends up in your glass is only a small part of the overall process of a beer’s creative journey. This comprehensive approach to creativity has manifested itself in other avenues of their business as well. They’ve had a woodshop for a while that sourced the wood pieces and artwork in their new Balmoral space, but they never had a formalized program for it. That has all changed given Half Acre’s recent announcement that they were expanding their creative studio into a fully-fledged business. Here is what you need to know about Half Acre Build Company.

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Trillium Brewing/J. Wakefield Brewing | Tiramisu Imperial Stout

Using local ingredients whenever possible and trying to elevate the concept of a New England farmhouse brewery, Trillium has come up with some mind-blowing beers. As stated on their site, Trillium Brewing Company attempts to create interesting and engaging beers across their entire catalog of styles, and their latest collaboration stout with J. Wakefield Brewing – Tiramisu Imperial Stout – was no different.
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WeldWerks Brewing is Primed to Disrupt Retail Market in Fourth Year

This weekend, WeldWerks Brewing, one of America’s most buzzed-about breweries, will celebrate its third anniversary with three days of special tappings and bottle releases.

During their first three years of operation, the Greeley, CO-based brewery has earned a gold medal victory at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, in the Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category for Medianoche, and a silver medal for their Hefeweizen in the American Style Wheat Beer with Yeast category at both GABF and the US Open Beer Championship in 2015, and a bronze for Puesta del Sol, their Vienna-style Lager at the 2016 World Beer Cup. They’re also currently in the finals for USA Today’s For the Win Craft Beer Bracket for the Best Brewery in America and was named USA Today’s Best New Brewery in a 2016 10Best Reader’s Poll.

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What We’re Drinking | March 23, 2018

Spring is here, but you would never know it by the various storms popping up in the news lately! The East Coast is covered in snow, and today in the Bay Area I drove through tough winds. I for one am looking forward to clear skies and higher temperatures so I can enjoy more time outside and not feel like I will be blown away. Join me in warming up with dog cuddles, crack a new cold one and see What We’re Drinking.

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Cask Taproom & Wine Bar Grand Opening March 23, 2018 (Berkeley)

Brian Sheehy and Doug Dalton own three Cask Store locations: the flagship downtown on 3rd and Market, and another spot in the old Rincon Postal Building near the Embarcadero, and Cask on College in Rockridge. Sheehy and Dalton own a handful of other great bars in the Bay Area, including Bourbon and Branch, Pagan Idol and Local Edition. They have been influential to the cocktail scene in this area for the past decade and many great bartenders who have gone on to open their own establishments came up through the ranks of this company. Cask Taproom and Wine Bar is the name of the new drinking establishment within the Cask on College Shop. I spoke with taproom manager and beer buyer Josha Baker about the history of Cask, herself, and the Grand Opening on March 23, 2018.
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Alvarado Street Brewery | CollaBEERation Four Way Juicy IPA

Move over Ménage à Trois, it’s all about the Four Way now. Alvarado Street Brewing collaborated with Hop Dogma Brewing Co., Humble Sea Brewing Co. and Discretion Brewing to create a four- way collaboration IPA for Beer THIRTY‘s 4th birthday celebration. Only 100 cases were released on March 7 at Alvarado Street, and then were sent up to Beer THIRTY on March 9 for the birthday bash!! As if this brew wasn’t enough, Beer THIRTY had sweet glassware to go along with it at the party.

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With More Space, Off Color Brewing Expands on its Uniqueness

So, there I was, standing outside on a cold March night in Chicago watching Off Color’s social media manager Ben Ustick and co-founder Dave Bleitner (lovingly called “The Other Guy”) methodically put together the fence that would block off their soon-to-be-open patio space. There was a palpable excitement shared between Ben and Dave as they hammered each 2×4 into place. The patio meant something more than just providing extra seating on a swanky summer day. It was validation that Off Color’s grand experiment had paid off.

The new taproom space, dubbed the Mousetrap, has been a smashing success as it has provided Dave and the other Co-Founder Jon Laffler (the one you usually see in the papers) with more room to share their craft beer genius with hordes of willing Chicagoans. While 2017 was an exciting year for Off Color Brewing, with more momentum and new experiments in the hopper, 2018 is shaping up to be even better. Read More

Amalgam Brewing Finds Permanent Home in Denver After Powder Keg Closure

Philip Joyce and Eric Schmidt, co-founders of Amalgam Brewing, have never been ones to follow convention. In its first year of existence, Amalgam immediately established itself as a formidable contender in Colorado’s bountiful landscape of elite level barrel-aged blended sour producers, all without a physical taproom, its own production facility, or its own retail space, until now.

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Beer Showcase | 3 Floyds Dark Lord Vertical 2014 – 2017

The Dark Lord Himself Has Arisen.

I recently had the honor of conducting a 3 Floyds Brewing tasting that I never thought I would have the opportunity to do. About two and a half years ago, when I was just starting out with craft beer, I did some research and threw together a short bucket list of beers I wanted to try before I died. Well, I’ve completed that list already because, in back-to-back days, I tried Pliny the Younger and engaged in a Dark Lord vertical tasting.

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