Beer Topics
PorchDrinking’s own discuss beer.
Cypress Brewing Company | 17-Mile IPA
January 15, 2018 | Lora Kormos
2018 is finally upon us! For my New Year’s resolution, I am determined to check out more up and coming breweries and continue to sample new beers that I have not yet had. With it being only a few days into 2018, I’m already hard at work on my resolution. On a recent trip to New Jersey, I noticed there was a brewery only a few minutes away from my hotel. Since there’s nothing better than spending a chilly Saturday afternoon warming up with some tasty beers, I started on my way to Cypress Brewing Company. Read More
Off Color Brewing | Coffee Dino S’mores with Dark Matter Coffee
January 14, 2018 | Mike Zoller
Over the past three to four months Chicago has seen a plethora of great coffee stouts released from local breweries. Off Color Brewing’s Coffee Dino S’mores made with Dark Matter coffee continues the boom we’ve seen of java-forward beer.
Fremont Brewing | Coconut Edition B-Bomb
January 13, 2018 | Hannah Carlson
I’m not ashamed to admit it people: I’m a total Fremont Brewing fangirl. Always have been, and expect that I will be. But, in my defense, I fangirl hard for good reason – the Coconut Edition B-Bomb being just one of them.
What We’re Drinking | January 11, 2018
January 12, 2018 | Constance Del Rio
I can’t believe it’s already 2018 and I haven’t written 2017 yet! Anyone out there set some resolutions? The PD crew did, you can check them out here. If your resolution is to get fit, drink more beer, learn how to noodle, or just be sure to drink enough water on a daily basis (this is one of mine) just know you can do it! Now, wipe that sweat off your brow, hit the showers, and see What We’re Drinking.
Event Recap | 2018 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Brings Out Country’s Best
January 12, 2018 | Kara Loo and Kelissa Hieber
Take Great American Beer Festival, skim the layer of cream off the top, and you get the Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines festival, held annually the first weekend in January in Breckenridge, Colorado. The “cream” metaphor is literal; by far, only the deepest, richest, dankest or most prolific beers make the cut as offerings from the breweries involved. This festival is truly not for the faint of heart. Sling back a few too many mini-pours consisting predominantly of 7% ABV and above beers, factor in the elevation (over 9000 feet at the venue location), account for a probable lack of sleep from event-hopping all weekend, and you’re likely in for one wickedly miserable end-of-weekend hangover. But this past weekend was the 18th consecutive Big Beers fest, proving that a wide range of beer lovers, both industry members and consumers alike, love coming back to challenge their palettes (and drinking prowess) time and time again.
Event Preview | LowDown Barrel-Aged Beer Fest 2018 with Pour List
January 12, 2018 | Brady Akers
If you have attended the Barrel-Aged Beer Festival at LowDown Brewery in the past, you remember the laid back, line-free day of great rare beers. This year’s third annual event will be better than ever with more barrel aged beers, more breweries, and more time to drink them. LowDown will again host the event this weekend, January 13 and 14 with beers from 15 other breweries, including Black Project, River North, Funkwerks, Station 26, Lagunitas, Dry Dock, Odell, Ratio, Elevation, Left Hand, Platt Park, Banded Oak, Spangalang, Little Machine and Declaration.
Jekyll Brewing | Secret Apollo IPA
January 12, 2018 | Eric Jackson
If you’ve been keeping up with Alpharetta, GA based brewery, Jekyll Brewing, you would know that their experimentation with juicy IPAs have increased overall over the last several months. One of their first juicy IPAs that gained tremendous traction in Georgia was Southern Juice. Since then, they’ve released the McLovin IPA, a NE-style IPA; 4Hundy, Milkshake Boys, Bad Breakup and Spaced Out. One of my favorites from their recent IPA trials was the Flightless Fowl, which was damn good.
Brewery Showcase | LaGrow Beer Co. Organic Craft Beer
January 11, 2018 | Mathew Powers
Don’t think of LaGrow Beer Company as an organic brewery; think of it as a family-owned brewery dedicated to using the purest ingredients imaginable, from soil to suds.
At LaGrow, the ingredients used are pure, which results in a beer abound in flavor and exceptionally crisp, clean and fresh. Even if one doesn’t care about ingesting chemicals, the resultant flavor derived from chemical-free ingredients is sure to please any beer drinker, from beer geek to macro fan. Read More
WeldWerks Brewing | Peanut Butter Cup Achromatic & the Pastry Beer Debate
January 11, 2018 | Chea Franz
Lately, there has been quite a few articles about the rise of pastry stouts and why this is a problem, such as this recent article from the Chicago Tribune that argues we’re forgetting what beer tastes like. In case you did not know, a pastry stout is beerspeak for liquid dessert. Most often, pastry stouts include cacao nibs, vanilla, coconut and other adjuncts that help enhance the stout to emulate sweet treats.
The pastry stout debate, IMO, is moot. As craft beer continues to diversify, so do our taste buds. What is beer supposed to taste like nowadays? The answer is no longer “hoppy,” but subjective. It could be barrel-aged and malty, super hazy or fruity. The craft beer landscape is vast and ever-changing, with new hop varieties, ingredients, and techniques that pop up every day. Whether you’re a Reinheitsgebot beer purist, or you prefer your beer to taste like a chocolate bomb, the beauty of craft beer is that there is something for everyone. And pastry stouts, much like other styles of beer, if done well, are fantastic. WeldWerks Brewing‘s Peanut Butter Cup Achromatic Imperial Stout is one such example.
PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat | January 10, 2018
January 10, 2018 | Jeremiah Cornelius
The Denver Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, etc.
Read More
PorchDrinking’s Weekly Atlanta Beer Beat | January 10, 2018
January 10, 2018 | Josh Ritenour
The Atlanta Beer Beat sheds light on news of brewery openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings and more!
Almanac Beer Co. | Cherry Vanilla Dogpatch
January 10, 2018 | Anna Scott
My passion for beer has been full of trial and error, forced experiments and a lot of stubbornness. That picky five-year old appetite can still be found 22 years later. Try and give me a sliver of tomato? Don’t even think about it. And if those Sour Patch Kids aren’t the watermelon ones—no thank you. I mean honestly, the watermelon Sour Patch Kids are life. The fact I’m sitting here with a sour beer in hand deserves at least one high-five (or maybe an award)?
While my fridge is stocked up with all the winter goodies I could possibly want, I’m still on this huge sour beer kick that doesn’t seem to be going away! While visiting San Francisco over the summer before the big move, Almanac Beer Co. wasn’t actually even on my mind. And let me tell you… that was a mistake! While hunting for donuts in the Mission District, I got a glimpse of the Almanac taproom and had to stop in. Not only do they have an amazing and beautiful bar, but also their tap list of 15 beers is seriously on point and so is their food menu! Read More
PorchDrinking Staff’s 2018 New Beer Resolutions
January 9, 2018 | PorchDrinking.com Staff
Welcome to 2018! The previous year proved to be a wee-bit tumultuous, and the craft beer industry was not immune to the chaos. But now we can put 2017 behind us and take hold of the one characteristic all New Years provide — a fresh start.
I think everyone deserves a beer year to remember. We hope that by sharing our New Beer Resolutions, we might help guide you towards a path to beervana in 2018.
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery | Gingerbread Stout
January 9, 2018 | Stacey Goers
My Secret Santa may still be a secret, but his great taste in Virginia beer is definitely not. I was gifted Hardywood’s Gingerbread Stout and shared it with my family during Christmas. Despite enjoying it in Florida’s 80-degree December heat, we found the Imperial Milk Stout delicious, sip-able and surprisingly light.
Surly Brewing Sees Longevity in the Chicago Market
January 8, 2018 | Taylor Laabs
While Surly Brewing resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, its second home lies within the Windy City. In a move to meet growing demand in the Chicagoland area, Surly is shifting its distribution relationship from Windy City Distributing to Lakeshore Beverage, which also distributes the likes of Bell’s, Founders and AB-InBev’s High End group to the Chicago region. While the shift in local distributors might not seem like much on its face, it’s actually an intriguing signal of Surly’s larger Midwest strategy and emphasis on gaining market share in Chicago.
Crucible Brewing Company | Molten Peaches
January 8, 2018 | Jeremy Fuerst 1
Like any story worth sharing, it started with a night of drinking wine with his grandparents. The moment of clarity slapped Dick Mergens out of sleep at 3AM, and he saw it immediately through a boozy haze: “I should open a brewery.” The 23-year-old Lowe’s employee crawled out of his grandparents’ basement the following morning and shared his vision with his coworker Dylan. Soon enough, two other longtime friends were on board. It was only a matter of time before I walked into their brewery to taste Molten Peaches. Read More
21 Year-Round Chicago Craft Beers Worth Trying
January 5, 2018 | Mathew Powers
A lust for special release beers has increasingly dominated beer geek culture the last few years, and an abundance of Chicago beer drinkers share that trait. But, what about signature brews? While it’s fun to post pictures of whales on social media, flagships pay a brewery’s bills and their quality ultimately determine a brewery’s fortune.
It’s likely that nearly all of nearly 200 Chicago-area breweries have one or two (or more) beers worthy of making this list. And, you can be sure that we writers left a few of our favorites off this list, too. Nonetheless, we feel that these 21 beers are ones you should not miss in 2018.
Saint Arnold Brewing Co. | Christmas Ale
January 5, 2018 | Pam Catoe 1
The holidays are behind us and it’s time to put away the tree and restore the yard to it’s former non-whimsical state. While most folks are scouring stores for deeply discounted wares or decorations for next year, I’ll be driving around town looking for the last of the Saint Arnold’s Christmas Ale. Even though Christmas has officially past, this rich, malty old ale pairs perfectly with cold weather and hearty meals and is only available from October through December each year.
Colorado’s Best Beers & Breweries from 2017
January 4, 2018 | Tristan Chan
Colorado craft beer has come a long way. While the old guard of New Belgium, Odell, Wynkoop, Great Divide, Left Hand, Avery, and Ska initially thrust the state onto the national scene the early 90’s, it’s been Colorado’s current brewing renaissance that has propelled its meteoric rise to even greater heights of recognition and acclaim. Just in the past 5 years since PorchDrinking’s existence, we’ve seen alleyway breweries grow to become national powers, startups in rural towns grow to become coveted brands, and a countless number of homebrewers who have their desk jobs to become household names among beer circles.
Outside Events Guide to 2018 Big Beers Belgians & Barleywines
January 4, 2018 | Brady Akers
This weekend’s Big Beers festival is one of Colorado’s most awe-inspiring beer events, featuring more than 500 amazing and sought-after beers. If you’re not able to attend the big show in Breckenridge, there are plenty of mountain events related to the fest. From special releases to rare tappings, we’ve compiled a list of happenings for you to start 2018 with a bang.
recent comments