*UPDATED* | Southern Tier Pumking and Warlock in Colorado

Summer isn’t quite over yet, and it’s still the tail end of August, but pumpkin beers already began appearing in stores as early as the middle July. I’ll be expounding more … Read More

Westbrook Brewing Co. | India Pale Ale

ABV: 6.8% IBUs: 65

Making the trip to Kiawah Island, South Carolina is not something I’m new to. Whether it’s packed in a car with my family or squeezed on a plane from Denver, I’ve been there and done that. But, as a craft beer-drinking woman in my mid-20’s, I realize that there was something missing from my trips—and that something was Westbrook Brewing Co.’s India Pale Ale. Read More

Oak Park Micro Brew Review

Oak Park Micro Brew Review

Downtown Oak Park, Illinois is a perfect place to host a beer festival. The quaint, shady brick streets are lined with sidewalk cafés, pubs, and specialty shops, and the area is easily accessible by several public transportation routes. In fact, the train station acts as the geographical center of the festival. Started in 2008, the Oak Park Micro Brew Review is the largest zero-waste craft beer festival in the Midwest. Read More

The Brew Kettle | White Rajah IPA

ABV: 6.8%

IBU: 70

The craft beer industry, at least from what I have seen and experienced, has embraced the average beer imbiber’s attempt at brewing a beer that one might enjoy from home. Though this write-up will not be exclusively about a brewery, I must provide some background before delving too deep into the specific beer I am showcasing. So, without further delay, let me provide you with one more summertime bevvy for your enjoyment: White Rajah IPA. This beer is one of the Brew Kettle’s best, and it is the perfect option for those who revel in hops, citrus in smell and flavor and a relaxing afternoon lounging at the pool: my place of choice for this sunny beverage.  Read More

Wynkoop United Tastes of Belgium Video

Last month we attended Wynkoop Brewing’s United Tastes of Belgium event and had a healthy dose of Belgian and Belgian style beers. We got a chance to chat with several of … Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

There’s always something new happening in the craft beer world…and that’s why it’s so fun! Palmetto has a new tasting room, Country Boy is releasing new cans, and new breweries have been added to the list for Zwanze Day 2014. Unfortunately, this Growler Fill also brings some sad news – Surly Brewing is putting Surly WET on hiatus and Corona Extra had to recall certain glass bottles. Read on to get your fill of this week’s craft beer news.

Read More

Spiteful Brewing | Alley Time! Pale Ale

Spiteful Brewing | Alley Time! Pale Ale

6% ABV

Spiteful is among my favorites of the breweries I’ve discovered since moving to Chicago a little over four months ago. The Alley Time is a smash beer (single malt/single hop) made with Pilsen malt and Simcoe hops. These two ingredients come together to create a crisp, refreshing pale ale with just the right amount of bite for these warm summer days, fleeting though they may be. Read More

New Holland Brewing Expands to Colorado & Other States

Michigan-based New Holland Brewing has announced that it will expand distribution to four new states beginning mid-August. Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa will soon be part of the company’s 24 … Read More

KelSo Beer Company | Pilsner

ABV: 5.5%

IBU: 23

Barely there at eight years old, KelSo Beer Company lives in the heart of Brooklyn, New York under the supervision of brewer Kelly Taylor and wife Sonia Giacobbe. For a New Yorker, this brewery’s inception surfaced from an interesting background. Taylor, in fact, oversees production for the entire Heartland Brewery group — which, if you are a local here, know is the leading brewpub of the craft beer movement in the nineties. When the distribution of native beers was nearly non-existent, with beer taps so redundant we avoided the bar scene altogether, the fiery red lights of Heartland Brewery shone like a beacon for lost ships in the night. He is a master of his trade, and by all means, a trusted name whispered among the beer-enthusiasts walking our streets. Read More

Beer Cocktails | Greyling Radler

The search continues for a refreshing and tasty beer cocktail to beat the heat of summer. While searching for the perfect beer cocktail l came across the fabulous Greyling gin … Read More

Save The Ales | A Toast to the Environment

Do you ever catch yourself at breweries gazing up at the towering steel brew tanks and wondering about water conservation? When a beer you love is released in cans, do you get a little giddy thinking about the outdoor adventures it can now safely accompany you on? Does a farmhouse ale taste the slightest bit more refreshing when you find that the ingredients came from a nearby farm? We could keep going with the questions on sustainability awareness in the craft beer industry, but we’ll stop for time’s sake.
Read More

Comrade Brewing Company | Superpower IPA

ABV: 7.9%

It’s pretty well-known that Colorado is currently the home to many a brewery. In fact, some people have gone as far as calling Denver’s craft beer market “over-saturated.” Sure, there are tons of breweries, and, sure, some of them don’t quite make the cut, but I always like to give new breweries the benefit of the doubt. When it comes to brand new breweries, I tend to give them at least three periodic visits throughout the year to see how their taste is (or isn’t) improving. Fortunately for these brewers, my first visit to Comrade Brewing Company was a (communist) party (in my mouth). Read More

The Ultimate Community 6er | 6 Saisons And A Movie

Newton’s law of motion was eerily similar to my law of emotion when it came to the cancellation and revival of my favorite show on TV, Community. My initial grief was only matched with my elation when the show was picked up by Yahoo! a few weeks later.

For those uninitiated people that don’t know Community, it is a hilarious show that follows the adventures of a group of community college students in Colorado. In honor of the best mainstream sitcom for nerds that will obviously last for the prophesied 6 seasons and a movie, I decided to find the saison that best represents each member of America’s favorite study group (RIP Pierce). Read More

Festival Recap | Fermentation Festival 2014

Fermentation is defined as “the chemical breakdown of a substance by bacteria, yeasts, or other microorganisms, typically involving effervescence and the giving off of heat.” Sure, that might sound a little bit unappealing, but without the process of fermentation, we wouldn’t have beer, wine, spirits, cheese, vinegar, pickles, chocolate, and so many other foods and drinks we love dearly. As a fan of nearly all fermented treasures – I’m still trying to cultivate a taste for Natto – I was very excited to attend the second annual Fermentation Festival held last weekend.

Read More

PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat

Hey there PorchDrinkers! Are you native to the city and looking for events to tide you over for the week? Are you new to the city and looking for the best place to find tasty suds? Visiting and looking for events to hit while you are in town? Check out this week’s Denver Beer Beat and every week to find all things #craftbeer.

Welcome back to another installment of PorchDrinking’s Weekly Denver Beer Beat. The Denver Beer Beat brings news of openings, special tappings, firkins and one-off batches, bottle releases, dinners, pairings, anniversaries, tap takeovers etc.

Read More

Odell Brewing Company | Jaunt

7.6% ABV

I’m always excited to taste new entries in Odell Brewing Company‘s cellar series, a line of unique beers conceived on their pilot system. Over the years, this program has yielded delicious results such as Friek, Fernet-aged Porter, and Treeshaker. Jaunt is a recent addition to the family, a pale ale aged on oak staves and blended with Riesling grape juice sourced from Colorado’s western slopes. When I saw a bottle on the shelf in a local shop, I knew I had to have it.

Read More

Shoes and Brews | Longmont, CO

Longmont, CO gained its twelfth craft beer bar but its first specialty running shoe store with the recent opening of Shoes and Brews. Co-owned by brothers Colin (right above) and Jacob Anderson (left above) and several others, Shoes and Brews brings forth an innovative twist to your average beer bar.
Read More

Elysian Brewing Company | Superfuzz Blood Orange Pale

ABV: 5.4%

IBU: 45

Since I’m originally from the Midwest, I pride myself on being able to withstand harsh weather – frigid winters and humid summers are the foundations of even my earliest memories, and I recall those glory days bravely and often. However, after three summers in Seattle, I’m beginning to turn into a bit of a weather wimp, and once it hit 80 degrees for the 10^th day in a row I started to get that antsy, uncomfortable feeling that had previously only plagued me after a month of 95 degree, 90% humidity days in the Midwest. It was time for a beer. Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

What do holidays, baseball stadiums, and corn all have in common? They are all topics discussed in the craft beer news of this week’s Growler Fill. Find out if your stadium has the best beer, read about why adding corn to the brew may not be so bad, and tell me what you drank for IPA Day.

Read More

Milking the Tourist Trap | New Holland Brewing

New Holland Brewing

66 E 8th St, Holland, MI 49423

Tours: Sundays at 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm

Pub Hours: 11:00am – bar close

The west coast of Michigan is littered with hearty little beach towns that endure lake effect snow in the winter and hoards of Chicago tourists in the summer. One such town gets extra attention for its namesake brewery, New Holland Brewing. Nestled among ice cream stores and clothing boutiques, this brewery packs an unexpected punch in the form of creative crafts and homemade spirits made onsite. Read More