LIVE DRAFT | 2016 GABF Fantasy Brewery Draft

We here at PorchDrinking believe beer should be fun. So three years ago we set out to add a different take on the Great American Beer Festival by inviting a mix of national and local writers to participate in our GABF Fantasy Brewery Draft. Each year we draft breweries based on how we believe they’ll finish during GABF awards ceremony and earn points based on those finishes.

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What We’re Drinking | September 30th

After looking through this week’s submissions, I’ve only been able to draw two definitive conclusions. First, Southeast Region Editor Johnathan Pylant drank a lot of beer this week, and, second, he’s not great at the #BovaPose. I mean he’s really not great at it, but that’s enough about his shortcomings. The rest of the staff delivered some real gems. Pull on your 1930s-style bathing suit, don your swim cap, and get ready to dive in like Scrooge McDuck. This is What We’re Drinking.
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Event Recap | Mainline Ale House & Odell Brewing Co. Fall Beer Dinner

Two beer-centric establishments of Fort Collins, Mainline Ale House and Odell Brewing Company, joined forces last Friday night in bringing roughly forty attendees an unforgettable four course beer dinner. At the start of dinner, Mainline’s Executive Chef Justin Burdick really emphasized sourcing local ingredients (shout out to the Fort Collins Farmers Market) and fall-forward flavors. The Mainline kitchen did not disappoint in delivering four thoughtful, tasty pairings to accompany always-solid Odell beers. Moreover, after Chef Justin discussed each dish, Odell beer representative Alex Cousins presented the story, style, and flavors of the beers during each respective course. Overall, Mainline’s motto, “A passion for beer and food you can taste,” could not have been more evident over the course of this event!

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Brasserie St. James Tap Takeover at Alamo Drafthouse

A little of a month ago we broke news that Reno, Nevada’s Brasserie St. James would finally make its way to Colorado for distribution. We’re teaming up with the Brasserie team along with our friends at Alamo Drafthouse to showcase their tremendous line up, as well a few specialty items they’re excited to unleash.

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Stillwater Artisanal Ales | Hopvine Bling

“Ever since I left the city to collab with Hudson Valley Brewery, you got a reputation for yourself now.”   – Stillwater Artisanal Ales

Stillwater Artisanal Ales out of Baltimore, Maryland and Hudson Valley Brewery out of Beacon, New York released a collaboration beer earlier this year inspired by, you guessed it, Drake! If you’re not familiar with Drake’s work as a musician and artist, you’ve no doubt seen these hilarious dancing GIFs. If you haven’t, well, that can only mean one thing. You probably have a life and don’t sit around laughing your ass off to dancing GIFs like I do. Let’s talk beer. Read More

Goose Island Announces Variants, Changes for Bourbon County Stout

With the announcement of the 2016 Bourbon County Brand Stout line-up Goose Island is metaphorically closing the book on a rough 2015 for the iconic barrel-aged beer series.

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Ultimate 6er | Austin Breweries to Try at GABF

The problem with Austin beers is that most of them never make it out of the state, (unless you have a good beer mail connection), due to the sheer size of the state and the ravenous consumption here. Several Austin breweries will be pouring at GABF this year and many of them are pouring beers that you can rarely even get in Austin. So get your pencils ready and mark down these Austin staples on your list of must-try beers!

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Event Preview | Lickinghole Creek 3rd Year Anniversary Party and Magnificent Pagan Beast Release

Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery is the definitive example of farmhouse brewing on a breathtaking scale one has to see to believe. This 290-acre vibrant farmland nestled in Goochland, Virginia grows hops, fruits, barley and herbs to create a fantastic catalog of beers ranging from IPAs to Russian imperial stouts. Most Virginians love their reputation for creating barrel-aged behemoths contained in gorgeous 750 mL bottles that feature stunning label art and memorable liquid. So how fitting is it that the largest farmhouse brewery in the Commonwealth of Virginia creates the biggest beer in the state’s history?

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Event Recap | Goose Island Clybourn’s Belgian Fest

Quality over quantity can be a beautiful thing for a beer festival. It seems that every festival nowadays boasts that they’ll the most breweries and the most beers. But at this past weekend’s Belgian Fest at Goose Island Clybourn, it wasn’t the number of breweries that people were talking about; it was the quality of the beer being poured.

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Roughtail Brewing Co. | Hoptometrist Double IPA

If you know many people from the great state of Texas, you know they can be pretty prideful about their homeland. It’s almost as if state pride runs in the water for those who are born and raised in the Lone Star State. There was a time, before I had moved away, where I wasn’t sure anything good could come from one of the other 49, especially our step-cousins to the north, Oklahoma. However, over the years, I’ve come to realize that Oklahoma was not all I once despised. Heck, many wonderful things have come from there – Garth Brooks for instance! My wife! Prairie beer, the electric guitar, Chuck Norris, and now? Roughtail Brewing Co. Read More

A Brief History of Oktoberfest

Readers, please see the end of the article for PD’s sources on this rundown of an awesome, beloved tradition. 

Who doesn’t love a royal wedding? It wasn’t all that long ago that millions of people around the world tuned in to see William and Kate get hitched. The infatuation with royal nuptials goes back beyond recorded history, and the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria, later to become King Ludwig I, to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen was no exception. From this wedding celebration grew an annual festival, which would evolve into the largest folk festival in the world: Oktoberfest.
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Event Preview | Beerliner and Chill: Brewer’s Health Initiative

Beerliner & Chill: Brewer’s Health Initiative rolls into town on Wednesday, October 5, just in time for GABF! For a little bit of history on this event we have to roll back a few years to September 2013 when Davis Tucker, owner of NxNW Restaurant & Brewery in Austin, Texas, decided to ride 1400 miles from Texas to Colorado in honor of his brewmaster Don Thompson’s prostate cancer diagnosis. Read More

2016 GABF | Must-Attend GABF Events

WELCOME TO GABF WEEK 2016! Time to skull some coldies! We have been updating our events calendar for the last few weeks and we realize that it is quite daunting planning out your GABF week. That’s why we are here. I say we because I usually update the calendar solo style but this year we have added Jeremy Cornelius to the Denver Beer Beat team. We have a lot going on in the calendar (we have compiled some 300 plus events!) but have highlighted some of our favorite events to help narrow down the field.

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Hop Butcher For The World | Your Wish Is Granted

I recently went to a carnival. After surviving the Tilt-A-Whirl, ring toss, and the tamale boat, I needed something to wash it down. Unfortunately, the carnival was sponsored by AB-InBev, so all they had was Bud Light. I wandered around and found a fortune telling machine by the Port-o-Potties. Braving the stench, I put a dollar in quarters in and saw Zoltar’s face light up and move, asking me for my wish.

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Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

Bell’s heads to Texas, Mississippi brewers attempt to modernize beer laws, and Fizzics brings draft beer to your house. We know you’re busy, so we summed up the highlights of the craft beer news for you. Keep reading to catch all of the details in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.
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PorchDrinking Playlist | Proper Brewing Co.

This place really is an adult playground. Looking to the left, we see Bill & Ted and to the right, we’re greeted by Wayne & Garth (all tanks have been given names of pop culture icons.) In the middle of it all, Jack is making beer on a home brew setup and today is in charge of the tunes at Proper Brewing Co. In between watching the boil, he takes a moment to set the next song.  Read More

Event Preview | Upslope’s 2nd Annual Backcountry Tap Room

Have any plans for next weekend? Consider joining Upslope Brewing Company at their 2nd Annual Backcountry Tap Room on Saturday, October 1st up in the mountains! The pop-up tap room experience will take place at Vance’s Cabin, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., overlooking the Holy Cross Wilderness. The Cabin, near Tennessee Pass, is located in the Red Cliff area of the Colorado Rockies, about 10 miles north of the town of Leadville, and about four miles north of Ski Cooper ski area. Read More

PorchDrinking Visits Iceland, the Land of Fire & Ice

This summer, I realized a decade-long dream: visiting Iceland. My wife and I spent two weeks exploring and experiencing waterfalls, glaciers, geysers, craters, lava fields, tiny towns with tiny restaurants, cracks in the earth, puffins, whales, lots and lots of blonde people, wide-open vistas, and, most importantly, Icelandic beer. (All of which has been chronicled here.) Read More

Trillium Brewing | Skimpy Sparrow

ABV: 5.4%

Two months ago, I had the pleasure of traveling to Boston with my wonderful girlfriend. It was our very first time going and we were able to stay with our amazing friend, Jackie. The great thing about Jackie, besides having two super adorable dogs and living in Salem, is the fact that she is a beer lover just like us. So we spent the better time of five days exploring the East Coast for craft beer and fresh lobsters; yum! Nothing pairs better on a hot day than fresh caught lobster and a cold beer. Throughout our mini vacation we were able to try numerous new breweries and even attended the Microbrewery Invitation. All brews considered, one brewery stood out to us above all others: Trillium Brewing (including its Skimpy Sparrow American Pale Ale, or APA).

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Event Preview | Reading Liederkranz Oktoberfest

It’s that time of year again! Something about fall makes it perfect for drinking an amber lager and listening to beerhall music among several thousand of your closest friends. For many, making the trip to Munich for Oktoberfest may be a financial or logistical impossibility, but there is still hope! The Oktoberfest at the Reading Liederkranz in Reading, Pennsylvania, aims to recreate those traditions and warm, cozy feelings of Gemütlichket right here on the East Coast.

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