The Weekly Buzz | March 2 – 8

Since I’m writing this on International Women’s Day, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all of my strong, creative female colleagues at PorchDrinking. Without them, this humble beer blog would be but a shadow of itself. Their hard work and dedication keeps this train on the tracks, and their fresh points of view help us keep our content fresh and relevant in an ever-changing world. I invite you all to raise a glass to them! Now, here’s some stuff I found on Twitter. This is The Weekly Buzz.
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The Mitten Brewing Company | Country Strong American IPA

I love a good IPA. I know I’m not alone in this, and I do not mind. Because when people love good IPAs, they make good IPAs, and that means more for me. In Michigan, it’s not hard to find good IPAs, which is why when one stands out to me, it’s for good reason. The Mitten Brewing Company’s Country Strong American IPA is just one of those standouts, and it has become my new go-to brew.

7.2% ABV | 58 IBU

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Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day Celebrates International Women’s Day

Each year women from all over the world participate in Pink Boots Society’s annual Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day in celebration of International Women’s Day. I sat down with President Laura Ulrich to learn more about this year’s event.

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Event Recap | Warm Temps, Sundry Styles at Winter Craft Beer Festival

With temperatures in the mid-60s, there may not have been much “winter” in Boulder’s Winter Craft Beer Festival, but there were still plenty of tasty, cold-weather beer styles for revelers to enjoy this past weekend.

The options weren’t limited to porters, stouts and other dark beers, however. Loveland Aleworks had a slew of crisp, fruity sours on hand—a decision that Jason Brill, head of sales and distribution at Loveland, described as a no-brainer. “It’s really a core product for us,” Brill said. “A sour drinker is going to drink sours all year long.” (As a sour enthusiast, I can attest to the veracity of that statement.)
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Root Down Brewing Company | Melt Down

Melt Down Oatmeal Stout, a collaboration between Root Down Brewing Company and BeerNERDS, isn’t just another stout. Besides offering terrific, complex flavors, 100% of the proceeds benefit Main Line Deputy Dog, a local nonprofit organization that trains service dogs for those in need.  Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | March 7, 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 | Spring Training 2018

As I look out my window I am reminded of the brisk freezing temperatures outside, the recent snowstorm that blanketed yards and the ice that selfishly screwed up my neighborhood streets. Winter has only given a glimpse of what is to come as March typically is the snowiest month of the year in Colorado. As somebody who does not partake in typical winter activities, I am filled with anxiousness for warmer months that allows me to open my wardrobe of shorts and flip flops. My dreams are filled with sprouting flowers, dew covered grass and warm early morning sunrises. Most of all I am ready for baseball season. Therefore, near the end of March my baseball-infatuated kids and I are hightailing it to Phoenix, Arizona, for Spring Training.

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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | March 7, 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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SweetWater Brewing Co. | Ground Score IPA

Sweetwater Brewing Company’s latest Dank Tank release Ground Score is an unfiltered dank IPA just in time for SweetWater’s 420 Festival in Atlanta, which is shaping up to be an unfiltered rip of music, beer and the culture that has made this brewery a national standout.

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Chicago’s Howells & Hood | One Last Summer Fling

Chicago’s Howells & Hood restaurant and pub, with its 119 beers on tap, lies at the confluence of two Chicago icons—the “Mag Mile” and The Tribune Building. Besides the lauded culinary program and extensive beer list (and draft wine, and cocktails and more), H&H boasts of a fabulous patio that provides patrons with an exceptional, photogenic view of the Chicago skyscape. On March 1, Howells & Hood raided the Bourbon County barrel cellars of Goose Island for its five-year anniversary. The Goose presence served to be somewhat symbolic, sort of speak, as is proved to be Howells & Hood’s Anniversary Party swan song; renovations to the Tribune building will force H&H out on September 30. That leaves fans of the pub (and tourists) one more summer to drink beer surrounded by Chicago’s architectural big shoulders.
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Gluten-Reduced Beer is Having a Moment

Craft beer seems to go through phases. Right now, you can’t find a new brewery that isn’t making something exceedingly bitter, hazy or barrel-aged. In some ways, consumers’ preferences for different craft beer styles mirror their often-fleeting style, dietary and exercise obsessions. Every year there seems to be a new trend popping up that captures the minds of the economically important 25-34 age demographic. One dietary preference that has weathered the storm of fleeting fads has been the rise of gluten-free and gluten-reduced diets due to its digestive health benefits. Now, several prominent craft brewers are joining the fray by introducing gluten-reduced beers. Are these new options a simple novelty or a beer style that is set to explode? We asked two brewers leading the charge.

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Event Preview | Wynkoop’s Day of Dorks Festival

Celebrating uniqueness is a cornerstone of the American craft beer industry. From foraged ingredients to revived ancient ales, new pilot hop varieties, and yes even pastry stouts, American brewers have brought a new level of innovation to the industry through science, ingenuity and creativity. Wynkoop Brewing’s Day of Dorks Festival celebrates those beers that have redefined our understanding of what beer is, and what it can become, as well as some of those special unique beers that just invite drinkers to truly geek out.

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SingleCut Beersmiths | Jenny Said

There’s so many age old questions in life. What came first—the chicken or the egg? Why does a round pizza come in a square box? Who was in the kitchen with Dinah? And perhaps the most important, what was it that Jenny Said?

While pondering some of life’s biggest questions, I was busy browsing the shelves of my local grocery store trying to decide on a beer for this showcase. As I rounded the corner, several 16oz. cans caught my eye. Jenny Said, an imperial IPA from SingleCut Beersmiths was the way to go. Read More

Two Brothers Adds Three New Beers to Their Lineup

For over two decades, Two Brothers Brewing Company has been making solid beer and is a mainstay in the Chicago beer scene. Just recently, they added a new year-round beer to their rotation as well as two seasonal/limited releases.

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Full Details on Bell’s Brewing’s Oberon Day 2018

Much like seeing flowers bloom for the first time, many craft beer drinkers associate the beginning of spring with the release of Bell’s Brewery Oberon Wheat Ale. Bell’s signature ale has been around well before craft beer was in vogue, and its popularity continues to this day thanks to a great flavor profile and a myriad of clever marketing tactics – the best being Oberon Day.

The beer was actually called Solsun up until 1998, but a naming dispute with a Mexican brewery prompted the name change to Oberon… and the rest is history. The day-long event celebrating the release of Oberon for the year has become a fan favorite for Michigan beer fanatics and casual drinkers alike. On March 26, Bell’s plans to make this year’s Oberon Day the biggest ever – here are the details.

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Seismic Brewing Co. | Namazu Oat Pale Ale

Did you feel that tremor coming from Sonoma County?! The epicenter is Seismic Brewing Co. and you better brace yourself for a lot of aftershocks. When people think of Sonoma I am 90% sure they think of wine country, sun-soaked vines and not about the fantastic beer scene that is exploding up there. Namazu Oat Pale Ale is at the epicenter of that quake.
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Denver’s Mockery Brewing & Butcher’s Bistro Partnering in March Fundraiser for Veterans

Denver restaurant Butcher’s Bistro and RiNo brewery Mockery Brewing are partnering in a fundraiser for the charity Veterans to Farmers for nearly all of March. Now through March 29, for every pint of Mockery’s “Rock the F*ck on Forever” IPA sold at Butcher’s Bistro, the charity will receive $1.

Additionally, on the final day Butcher’s Bistro will host a silent auction and a celebration party of the great work of Veterans to Farmers. The fundraiser finale starts at 5:30 p.m. on March 29.

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Niwot’s Powder Keg Brewing Closing its Doors Later this Month

Plain and simple, we’ve long exited the rainbows and unicorns era of the beer industry. We’re not wanting to turn all doom and gloom, but one can’t ignore the significance of the workforce downsizing announcements made in recent years from the likes of Stone, Green Flash, even Anheuser-Busch and most recently New Belgium, who last week announced a 4% cut to their workforce.

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What We’re Drinking | March 2, 2018

We drink beer so you don’t have to! OK, maybe that isn’t true. But we do drink beer, and we love to tell you all about it. These are the beers that our hardworking team of PorchDrinkers has been enjoying this week. Buckle up, folks! This is What We’re Drinking.
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More Brewing | Henna S’MoRE (Batch 3)

Rarely do I geek out over a specific beer. There’s a lot of great beer out there and getting to live in Chicago, we get the next “must-have” beer more often than not. But when I had More Brewing’s Henna Batch 3, I had a beer that I knew was truly special.

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