Local Love: DC Region’s Brewers Name Their Favs

Photo courtesy of atlasbrewworks.com.

As the breweries in DC, Maryland and Virginia further expand their reach (thank goodness!) and more people taste these great local beers (hooray!), there is a … Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

This week’s beer news is slightly informative and mostly entertaining. Stone beers are now available in Canada, someone stole tons of Miller High Life, and CraftBeer.com put out a free food and beer course. Read on and get up to date with this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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Middle Brow Beer Co. | Keep It Copacetic

ABV: 4.7%

Keep It Copacetic is an elote-inspired cream ale made by Middle Brow Beer Co. in conjunction with the folks over at ManBQue, an organization that got its start in Chicago, but now has chapters worldwide. Read More

Breakside Brewery | Passionfruit Sour Ale

The two words ‘Oregon beer’ have been buzzing around Denver for months, “Where can you get beers from Oregon?” “I’ve heard Portland has great beers”. Besides Deschutes Brewery, distribution … Read More

Dogfish Head | Palo Santo Marron

ABV: 12%

IBU: 50

I never really was a big fall guy. Tons of my friends are all about it. I just love summer, and I wail and moan when the first frost hits. What I do enjoy, however, about this time of year has to be the smells, specifically the hint of bite to the air as the temperature lowers and the winds pick up. Particularly, when the nights get really cold, the bonfires in backyards become commonplace, and the smell of firewood catches in the air and on one’s clothes. To go along with the welcome-to-fall fires, I have a Dogfish Head beer that I have, strangely enough, just stumbled upon: the Palo Santo Marron, a brown ale that packs a mighty punch. Read More

Ultimate 6er | Six Craft Lagers to Trick David Chang

Celebrity chef David Chang set the internet ablaze earlier last week when GQ published his paean to watery industrial pale lagers “My Name is David Chang, and I hate Fancy Beer.” While less incendiary than the title might suggest, the article provoked intense rebuttals from many in the craft beer community including fellow New Yorker Garrett Oliver. Even our own Tristan Chan weighed in on the subject in this week’s Happy Hour post. While I don’t share Chang’s love of crappy beer, I’m sympathetic to his anti-snobbery concerns and can understand wanting light, crisp brews that are refreshing and don’t overwhelm your tastebuds while eating food. I’m sure hordes of beer writers are at this very moment penning intelligent and passionate essays about the many reasons beer pairs better with food than almost any beverage out there–and they’re right–but I doubt Chang will read them. I suggest a more nefarious solution: let’s just trick him.
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PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat

Welcome, boils and ghouls! Your pal, the Craft Keeper here, just “diggin’ up” some events for the week. Ah, what fun we will have. As the Brewmaster of Scaremonies, I’ll lead you along the way as this week’s events promise to be quite “wild” and will have all of your “heads” a-rollin with tons of beer releases, All Hollows Eve beer celebrations, and costume parties. Enjoy the spoils of our city and drive responsibly, kiddies!

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Yazoo Brewing Company | Hop Project IPA

ABV: 5.70% | IBU: 75

During a recent family trip to Nashville, I not only got to experience the tranquility that Old Hickory Lake offers and realized how much I miss my family that lives 1,000 miles away, I also got to experience some of Tennessee’s best craft beer. One brewery that stood out was Yazoo. I was able to try their IPA, Hefeweizen and a beer named Sue (a crazy awesome Imperial Porter).

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Miller Lite | Miller Brewing Company

In honor of the recently concluded Great American Beer Festival, I wanted to shine a spotlight on the Wisconsin brews that did our state proud while the world … Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beers News Roundup

Do you hate reading long winded articles about craft beer news? Do you hate searching the whole internet just to find a few good stories? Do you love craft beer? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then the Weekly Growler Fill is the news source for you! I’ve gathered the most compelling headlines (Deschutes sending beer east, Cigar City searching for a new brewery location, Garrett Oliver is the man) and put them all in one spot for you to read. Cheers, beer lover!

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New Belgium/Perennial Artisan Ales | Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout

ABV: 9%
IBU: 35

It seems like every time I talk to someone outside St. Louis about the craft beer here, they ask me about Perennial Artisan Ales.  Either they’ve had it and are raving fans or they’ve heard about it and want to get their hands on some. It’s understandable considering the quality of the brew Perennial puts out and their participation in the overall scene. If you follow them around the labyrinth of the internet, you know they’re up to a LOT of good things. Brewer meet and greets, beer dinners and festivals all over the country. Not to mention collaborations with the likes of Evil Twin, Half Acre, Prairie Artisan, et cetera, et cetera. But if you aren’t familiar with them yet, you’re likely going to be thanks to this new bomber of delicious teamwork – New Belgium/Perennial Artisan Ales Salted Belgian Chocolate Stout, the latest addition to the Lips of Faith series. Read More

Highland Brewing Co. | Thunderstruck Coffee Porter

ABV: 5.8% | IBU: 26

With a name like Thunderstruck Coffee Porter, the expectation is clear. Highland Brewing‘s winter seasonal should bowl us over with its coffee essence. Read More

Cooking with Beer | Pecan Caramel Apple Crisp

Welcome to apple-pickin’ season. Even though I picked these apples right off the supermarket shelf, I used to love nothing more than visiting my local orchard and stocking up on this fall harvest fruit. I would make apple pies, caramel apples, apple streusels… the list goes on and on (do I sound like Bubba from Forest Gump yet?). This time around, I opted for the classic apple crisp. It is easy to make and the results are sure to impress. I have had the idea for apple crisp in my head for a while now; pretty much since I saw Abita’s Pecan Harvest Ale on the shelves. First off, I had never heard of a pecan ale so I was basically obligated to buy it. Second, I knew it would be the perfect brew to make some sort of delicious dessert. So a delicious dessert I made and now you can too with this Pecan Caramel Apple Crisp recipe.

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Event Preview| Denver Bacon and Beer Festival 2014

What: Denver Bacon and Beer Festival
Where: the Curtis – 1405 Curtis Street Denver, Colorado 80202
When: Sunday, November 16, 2014 – 2:30pm to 5:00pm
Ticket link: http://www.wheretoeat.in/2014-denver-bacon-and-beer-festival/

BACON AND BEER! Do not sleep on buying tickets! This event sells out in just a few weeks time!

In past years (we were there both years y’all!), this event has boasted some amazin’ bacon bites and the tastiest quaffs of local craft and this year is no different! For the ticket price, this is my favorite event of the year!  Here are some reasons you should get in on this bacon escape and let the waves of ale take you out to sea!

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Shmaltz Brewing Company | He’brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale

ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 21

Thanks to football season, I spend a lot of time talking with the Lord in the fall. “JESUS F*CKING CHRIST!” I screamed when the Iowa kickers cost us the game against Iowa State. “Goddamn that was too close” when we beat Pitt 20-24 in September. But mostly I am huddled in a corner muttering “OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD” whenever Kirk Ferentz goes for it on 4th. Luckily for me (and all Iowa fans) we have Mark Weisman, our personal Hebrew Hammer of a running back who saves our drives on a continual basis. In honor of Iowa’s own savior, I thought it was time to introduce the PorchDrinking community to He’brew, the Chosen beers made by Shmaltz Brewing company.

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Happy Hour Post | Shakey Graves and Esme Patterson

Have you ever been a part of that magical moment when you witness someone reach super stardom right before your eyes? Whether it’s dropping back-to-back buzzer beating daggers like Aaron … Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat

As we push closer to the holidays, we will see an increase in more localized tastings, pairings and celebrations. This week is no different. Check out all of the foamy happenings in the greater Denver area this week.

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Ultimate 6er | Koozie Doozies

Yeah, a nice craft beer sipped from a fancy glass is great, but sometimes a little neoprene sleeve around a classic can of suds is even better. The koozie keeps your beer from getting warm and your hand from getting cold. More importantly though, it gets you out of the house, out of the bar, just drinking good beer with good friends with a fun bit of squishy love between your hand and the can. I give you my Ultimate 6er, the beers and the best places to drink them, Koozie Doozies: Read More

Pyramid Breweries | Apricot Ale

ABV: 5.1%

IBU: 11

Since I couldn’t attend GABF this year, I decided to do the second-best thing and write about it. Today I’d like to introduce you to Pyramid Breweries’ Apricot Ale, the 2014 GABF Gold Medal Winner in the Fruit Wheat Beer category. Read More

DC Homebrewers Hosts Fall Barbecue

If you are a homebrewer in the DC region and you’re aching to exchange recipes and improve your techniques, you need to get in touch with the awesome individuals at … Read More